A Guide to Timing Your Job or Internship Search

No time of year is a bad one to research job opportunities. If you follow company or industry accounts on social media, you may notice that they start sharing openings for full-time, long-term roles as well as internship opportunities — but you may also be unsure about the right moment to shoot your shot. It’s all too common that students see a job listing only to realize belatedly that they should have applied a while ago, or that an application deadline is still several months away.

Application season can be quick! Some roles are posted for a few months or less and you don’t want to cram all of your preparation into a few weeks. That prep work includes researching the company and role, updating your resume, asking for references, and more — and you may not be able to get it done if you leave it until the last minute.

Your best course of action is to spend plenty of time before applications open fine-tuning your resume, speaking with people who may have worked in similar roles, and thinking through interview questions. There isn’t a one-deadline-fits-all date to expect when it comes to applications but there are things you want to do in certain months or seasons to get ahead of the curve. Here’s where to start.

SPRING

Internship applications open anywhere from March the year before an internship starts to March the year of the internship, meaning it is crucial for you to research the deadlines of each job. Most companies with career pages will state this information clearly on their website.

If they don’t, you may have to do some sleuthing. Ask your career services center, find someone in your school network who has worked at the company before, or even pose the question on Twitter. More companies and brands are connecting directly with consumers and individuals on social media than ever, and you could get a faster response. (Just make sure your own social media presence is up-to-par. You don’t want to be discounted because of an indiscretion before you even get started.)

SUMMER

The summer is a great time to plan your next career move. Applying for jobs is a job in and of itself. Balancing the time demands to prepare resumes, cover letters, and more with classes and exams can be incredibly challenging. Start over the summer when your course load is nonexistent (or lower, if you are taking classes during the summer months) and you’ll prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed. Rising seniors may want to spend their summers researching full-time roles while rising sophomores and juniors might look into internships for the following summer.

May to August

Spend this time researching, enhancing your resume, practicing your elevator pitch, and talking to people who have worked at the companies or held jobs you are interested in. (The latter is especially helpful for getting insight into the interview questions they answered and how they prepared for their own interviews.)

Explore different industries and jobs that pique your interest by looking at companies’ career pages, networking with peers who have similar academic and career interests, and participating in any and all available career education opportunities.

Many companies offer free virtual programming during the summer (you can find some of these opportunities in Jopwell’s event page!). These are no-risk, low-lift ways to learn about different industries that are worth carving out time for. Not only can you learn a ton without actually applying for anything just yet, but you’ll pick up good interviewing tips that will prepare you when the time comes.

Again, different jobs have various application deadlines but there are some trends by industry. Financial services companies, large tech companies, and consulting firms often have more rigid deadlines and tend to start their interviewing processes earlier — as soon as July — because they get a very high volume of applications.

Don’t panic if a deadline is sooner than you feel ready. You shouldn’t wait until the very last day to submit your application if you can help it (occasionally, hiring managers will review applications and conduct interviews on a rolling basis) but you shouldn’t rush to hit “send” either. Take the time to think about your choices. Investment banks sometimes allow applicants to apply to multiple divisions within the company. Do you know what each division does and why you’re interested in it, or are you simply checking off whatever sounds good? Think about what you would say if someone asked you why you were applying for a specific job so you can feel confident and informed about your decisions.

LATE SUMMER

Before you apply. Make a list or compile a spreadsheet of the internships you want to apply to that includes application deadlines and requirements. Some companies require a cover letter, others want a transcript. Knowing the requirements ahead of time will prevent you from missing information later.

Attend on-campus recruiting events. These are free and a great place to network with current employees or other students that may have insight. Attend as many of these events as you can — even if the company hosting the event isn’t one you’ve heard of or might have ignored in the past. It’s always important to practice networking, especially if you don’t have a ton of experience doing so in real life. You might realize that it’s easier than you thought or come to understand the areas in which you have difficulty in a low-risk environment. One more thing: Attending these events when you are a freshman or sophomore is still a great learning experience, even if the companies are only accepting applications from upperclassmen, it won’t hurt to start building your network early!

Network. Use your career services center or alumni web portal to find former students from your school who work in the industry or company you are interested in. Contact them to see if they’re open to speaking with you over the phone. You shouldn’t go into these conversations expecting to get a job; this is more for research purposes. But you never know what may happen in the future once you’re on the right people’s radars.

Make sure you are ready to interview. Jobs with fast-moving processes often request virtual interviews after a very short turnaround. To reiterate, that means you’ll really want to know what you’re talking about before an interviewer calls. Practice your elevator pitch or answering tricky interview questions with people who can give you helpful feedback. You also want to update your resume and get a few other people to review it. They might find errors you missed after looking at it a million times or identify areas where you can express yourself more clearly.

LATE FALL - EARLY WINTER

Once You Have Applied

Be patient. Hearing back about a role depends on when you interviewed for the job. Getting news about a permanent job opportunity can take time but most internship processes move quickly. You can usually expect to hear back with a decision within a few weeks of your interview.

With that said, recruiters see a ton of applications and may not be able to respond (personally or at all) to everyone who applies. It is very likely that some of the applications you submit may never receive a response. Don’t sink into doubt and allow that to prevent you from looking into other opportunities. If you’re worried that your application is at fault, get feedback on your resume or cover letter from a trusted friend, mentor, your school’s career services department, or even a former supervisor. After that, trust that your application has been received and don’t hound recruiters for an update on your status.

Work your network. Remember all those folks you connected with earlier in the recruiting season? Reach out to them and let them know you’ve submitted your application and that you’re excited about the opportunity to work at their company. Don’t overdo this, but an appropriate nudge here will be helpful!

Keep looking for internships and applying. Keep your eyes open for new opportunities until you’ve secured an internship—that means repeating some of your previous steps (attending networking events on campus, connecting with people, researching). The process can be long, but it will all be worth it.