• Do I want to really learn something or just pad my resume? (If you just need resume fodder, skip the rest of this list.)
• What's my mission/purpose for seeking this internship?
• Where in the country (or in the world) do I want to work?
• What general subject area should the internship be in?
• Do I prefer to work in the private sector or in the government?
• Do I need to make money or can I go for a volunteer or for-credit position?
• Would a big company or smaller organization be best for me? (You will likely get more attention at a small company.)
• Do I want a company with a formal mentor program?
• What do I hope to gain from this experience? (Connections, a job for next summer, free-lance opportunities?)

Dress Your Resume For Success
The next step in getting an internship is preparing a great resume. Of course, its content depends on what you are applying for and what experience you've had. But all resumes must be neat and succinct. An employer will not look twice at one that is five pages long and looks as if it was thrown together the night before. Get some detailed tips from Georgetown University on how to write resumes and cover letters.

Start Digging!
Once you have an idea of the kind of internship you want, you can start digging. A good place to start is your school's career center. Many are listed below. Usually, you have to be a student at the institution to use its resources. Be warned . some online career centers require registration and a user's fee.

Other places to look are a school's departmental Web pages. Of course, many of these pages require registration so they can limit use to their own students.

There are also private search engines you can try. StudentCenter is a site that helps you find other internship search engines specific to your field of study. Others include JobWeb and Intern-NET.

Interning in Washington
There are tons of opportunities in Washington. This is the home of Congress and of numerous museums and theaters.

The first resource to check out is the Washington Intern Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps individuals locate and perform internships in the Washington area. The website includes resum&eacte; posting, personal internship stories, housing listings, and internship databases.

The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars has also provided over 24,000 students with internships in many different areas of interest. After applying to the program, the Washington Center matches you up with an internship in your area of interest. The internship is combined with academic seminars, guest speakers and lecturers.

If you know what field interests you, check out some of our suggestions below.

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