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5 Steps to Getting a Government Internship
Image Courtesy of Flickr. Creative Commons
Kyle Stone | GovCentral Editor
Determine Your Area of Interest
It’s simple logic, but it’s accurate: you won’t get an internship before you know which one you want.
In some ways, hunting for internships can be trickier than hunting for jobs. Internships are “excepted”, not “competitive” positions. What does this mean? Unlike a <a href= “http://govcentral.monster.com/careers/search”>job search which allows you to search all agencies at once, you’ll need to search specific Government Agencies individually to look for internship opportunities.
Starting Your Hunt:
Here’s a quick list of activities you can do to reveal more about your areas of interest and start making choices:
● Make a list of agencies that are of interest to you.
● Go to each agency’s home page.
● Look for a link for employment, careers, students or interns.
● If you can’t find any of the above, use the search field to look for “student internships.”
● Read through descriptions of internship programs.
● Once you find a program you like, try putting the name of the program in the search field to find more information.
● Look for actual program announcements with dates, pay and instructions for how to apply.
● Bookmark these pages and write information down or print it out.
● Write a federal-style resume that covers the skills in the announcement.
The Bottom Line:
Yes, finding the good federal internship listings and descriptions with each agency can be time-consuming, but the time you spend is very worthwhile. Federal internships can pay well and include advancement and benefits.
LDO1993
4 months ago
4 comments
I will be 53 on July 27th. Last year I applied for and was a finalist for the FBI Honors Internship Program. I interned at the Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory here in San Diego. This was a PAID internship (GS-7, Step 10). At the end of the summer, I was converted over to Operations Assistant position at the laboratory.
I am a retired military officer, with prior enlisted service (Mustang). I am in finishing up a doctorate in Business Administration with a specialization in Computer and Information Security. I wanted to see if I was interested in the field of computer forensics, and although it is interesting, for health reasons it's just not a good fit for me.
Applying for this internship allowed me to into a earn some money, get a good organization like the FBI on my resume AND offered a government job at the end of the internship. I would advise anyone to try this route. It worked well for me....just ensure you work hard during the internship period and be pleasant. You will be surprised at what canl happen.
Hegs5
8 months ago
10 comments
Do you have to be a kid to do an intership, I am recently laid off , I am in searchof any & all Goverment work ,I HAD 22yrs of service
AlenaC66
about 1 year ago
444 comments
This is a great article, with some very usefull information. I am going to check out the internship for the Department of Treasury.
y_j_shimabukuro
about 1 year ago
4 comments
Hi,
I have my question. This is very important for me. If 50 years old, still one can apply for the internship?
Young S.
prtyfcbldg
about 1 year ago
2 comments
I had an A in power point,I started a neighborhood watch in my community,In Garden Grove I was in a speech craft class I am ok and need improvement on the computer.
Account Removed
about 1 year ago
Jessica, don't post your resume here.
rshareck
about 1 year ago
2 comments
Your resume is the first step in getting your foot in the door. Without carefully crafting a resume you stand little chance of getting an interview. The steps listed are very, very important.