I handled why you should do an internship in the last post (click here), now I’d like to talk about how to apply for it. If you have tips you”d like to add, please leave a comment below.
1. Start early
2. Atleast 8-12months before you want to do the internship; look into companies in your area that specialize in your field of study and research on them.
3. Shortlist, your favourites and research on their application processes. Most companies allow you to do it online, so you can go ahead and logon to their page and check out what they need from you.
4. Check online for tips on writing a professional CV and motivation letter german (not American/British) style
5. Get a friend, or visit the Careers Centre or Service Centre by the Akademische Auslandsamt for foreigners to help you write and correct any grammatical errors in your CV and motivation letter. (Don’t be shy or embarrassed about it, German isn’t your first language. Some companies will allow english CVs, but the German CV increases your chances)
6. Talk to people who already did their internship on their experiences. This is to help prepare you for any surprises also to make a final decision on where you want to do the internship.
7. Atleast 6months before your planned starting date apply for the internship. Even at companies that have no internships advertised, usually for huge companies they do accept the initiative application and consider you for the position.
8. Apply to several companies at the same time, if you’re lucky you get all of them and have to choose one; on the flipside you’ll get atleast one.
9. If you get no reply after 4weeks, call them.
10. When you get the internship do your best, you never know that company might just end up being your future employer or you’ll end up hating it and deciding on a complete different path.
