How to land a Chemical Engineering Internship 1

[PartingOfWays]

Hey y'all,

I'm a first generation college student majoring in engineering at a big state school in the southeast U.S. I'm a third-year, and someone told me that it's imperative to get a summer internship in my field in order to set myself up for postgraduate employment. I'm afraid of graduating unemployed.

That said, I don't really know what I'm doing. There's a school engineering career fair happening later this month that I'm planning to attend, and I'm working on a resume (I've been a paid researcher in a chemical lab at the university the last two years, but that's it). I don't really know what else I should be doing, or how to do it if I did.

Does anyone have any advice or stories? Happy to provide any additional information.

 

[IRstuff]

Doesn't your school have a placement office? They should be aware of any internship opportunities that might be available. Likewise, you should query your professors, who may have industry links or have their own deals going on. Do it now; do not wait any longer. Competition is fierce, given that everyone is being told to go to college and get a degree. What will set up apart is actual job experience, although, you might be able to get some bonafides out of your current researcher job, since it ought to be somewhat related to your degree. Beat the bushes and make cold calls if necessary. The pickings are probably getting slim by now, since the internship advice is pretty much known to most people by now.

My own son started his internship search the first month of the sophomore year fall semester, but that's mainly because we gave him a bunch of grief for waiting until the last month of the freshman year to start looking, and he only got that one while we were on the road to pick him up to go home for the summer. So, we get there after his interview, which was positive, and landed a really nice internship, that partly led to his sophomore year internship, that ended with a job offer for after graduation.

TTFN
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[xnuke]

First of all, it isn't "imperative" that you get an internship. Don't put that additional pressure on yourself. I'm currently an engineering professor, and many of my graduates have gotten engineering jobs after graduation without having had an internship. Will it help you get a job after graduation if you get one? Possibly. It isn't the end of the world if you don't, however.

Since you've selected "Chemical" in your profile, I recommend you try to network by going to meetings of a local section of AIChE if you can. You may be able to find an internship through that avenue. Also, research companies that employ chemical or process engineers and check their websites for internship opportunities. You may even contact them if they have openings for new graduates to ask them if they'd consider bringing in an intern instead of a new grad.

xnuke
"Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life." Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged.
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[oldestguy]

What's wrong with doing some of your own writing to organizations of interest explaining the question? I always wanted students for summer jobs where I had worked. Cheap help, but good workers.

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Imperative? Hardly. Can it make getting a job easier? Certainly, as you can come into a company (and not just the one you interned with) with a modicum of real-world experience. Companies prefer that, whenever possible, but it's certainly not a deal-breaker.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[SlideRuleEra]

I endorse xnuke's advice to attend local AIChE meetings, and want to add an observation. The local ASCE meetings that I attend regularly are held at a local college; the junior and senior engineering students attend. A wonderful opportunity for them to network... but they don't do that. They all sit together and avoid others. Suggest that when you attend, make it your business to introduce yourself and talk with the "employed" attendees. Don't over promote yourself, just chat. I believe you will be well received, and you never know where that type contact will lead.

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

http://www.VacuumTubeEra.net

 

[moltenmetal]

Beg to differ...if there are graduates from co-op universities that you'll have to compete with for jobs, by the time they've graduated, they'll have had TWO YEARS (six four-month terms) of internships and work experience. Compare their resumes to yours, especially without ANY summer employment related to the industry, and they win hands down in a fair competition.

Does this mean you cannot find a job without an internship or relevant summer employment? Absolutely not- but it's harder for sure.

As to where to look: if 1st tier nepotism (relatives and family friends) isn't an option, 2nd tier nepotism (networking with people in the industry, so you can be hired as "someone they know") is how to do it. Cold solicitation of businesses done the lazy way (by sending e-mails) will get you nowhere- businesses are just swamped with people trying to do this, and the delete button is the most commonly used tool for dealing with all those e-mails. Doubt you've got the time to knock on doors, but if you do, it might be worth a try. Job fairs etc. are great and you should attend them, but there are more candidates than positions by a long shot generally.

Best of luck to you- it's tough out there for fresh grads who actually want to work as engineers- not impossible, but tough. If you're not in the top 10-20% of your class academically, you'd better double down and work even harder on this- and on school too.

 

[graybeach]

I am in the don't put so much pressure on yourself camp. An internship is not absolutely necessary, but it is a definite plus. I just want to see some work experience that could be relevant. Your work as a paid researcher in a chemical lab would be fine with me.

My company is just getting ready to advertise for interns so you are spot on with your timing. I get a lot of applications, and it is hard to wade through them and choose. How do I do it? I narrow the pool by selecting the applications that have a cover letter. A super well written and grammatically perfect resume might also make the cut, but this is rare. Next, I read the cover letters and select the well written letters. This is usually results in around three candidates, and I interview the three people either by phone, skype or in person. From this point it is really hard to tell two of the lovely eager students no, but I figure it was good to give them experience interviewing.

In short - write an engaging cover letter and don't worry too much.

 

[moltenmetal]

+1 on the cover letter. If responding to an advertised position, tailoring the letter to the position and identifying the ways in which you meet their requirements (which demonstrates you bothered to read the posting) is very valuable. If it's an unsolicited letter, it still matters that it be tailored to the business. Most people send generic cover letters that are barely modified to suit one location or another, and those are useless.

 

[mbt22]

Big company chemical engineering internships are typically posted on their website with an online application process. No nepotism back door. They often start and close fairly early in the year. Oil/gas are obviously way down this year, but the industries downstream of cheap shale gas are building and commissioning.

If you don't luck out, consider doing something more manual that gets you onto operating sites. A summer doing fire watch on a site maintenance shutdown perhaps and asking intelligent questions (while the engineers are waiting for someone, introduce and ask; everyone's flattered to be asked about themselves!).

Matt