10 Websites to Find an MBA Internship
Ah, the summer internship. Anyone who’s ever gotten their MBA will tell you that their internship a) was crucial in the process of pursuing their degree, b) was critical in helping enhance their credentials, and c) ultimately played a major role in landing their first full time job. In fact, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers Experiential Education Survey, employers extended job offers to nearly 70 percent of their interns.“Companies are not just looking for interns, but for potential full-time hires. So, you need to convince them that you’re a good fit, not for three months, but for three years,” Jeanne Chan, a 2008 graduate of Olin Business School, told Top MBA.
These coveted summer internships give prospective MBAs important and relevant business experience, as well as the the opportunity to work alongside and network with professionals in any field. These internships can help land new contacts, introduce you to mentors, create a network of potential references and open countless doors to employment.
“The competition is greater now that many candidates have more years of relevant experience; the more prepared a candidate is, the better their chances of success,” Catherine Ahlgren, Assistant Dean for Career Services, Boston University School of Management, told Top MBA.
So MBA internships are vital, but where can I find one that can help land me a job?
If you’re looking to land an internship, you’ll oftentimes need to start planning in the late fall when top MBA employers begin their internship hiring process. There are many different places to find an internship. Some of these include:
On-campus career fairs and networking events: These types of events offer students the opportunity to meet potential networking contacts.- Former colleagues, fellow students and MBA alumni: Contacting someone with a shared background or interest can get you great internship leads. What internship did they apply for when they were in your shoes? Could they help introduce you to their former supervisor? What was the interview process like? Inside information like this can give you an advantage over the competition.
- Career Services: Business schools are creating new internship opportunities for their students. In fact, Yale University recently spent $100,000 creating in-house internships. This makes sense: your school needs you to succeed. Lean on the career-services folks at your school to help you out wherever you need it.
On-campus career fairs and networking events:Okay, these are all great leads, but what can the Internet offer me in terms of an MBA internship?
Well, that’s a great question. Truth is, while on-campus resources, word of mouth, and job fairs are all great options for finding an internship, the Internet is full of places to find great internship positions — you just have to know where to look.
We present to you, the Top 10 Websites Where MBAs Can Find an Internship.
Monster.com: One of the most (if not the most) recognizable names in online employment seeking, Monster.com is not only a job board, but also a global provider of a full array of job search, career, recruitment and talent management products and services.- Glassdoor: This website gets its internship listings from several sources, including company websites, partnerships with job boards and directly from employers — pretty standard stuff. But Glassdoor differs in how it offers an instant way to search for salaries, company reviews and descriptions of job interviews. For example, try plugging in “paid marketing internship in New York City” and you can find a paid internship for Major League Baseball that pays $1,660 per month.
- CareerBuilder.com: The largest job site in the country, CareerBuilder posts more than 1 million jobs to more than 23 million unique visitors monthly.
- Indeed.com: This meta-search engine collects job listings from thousands of job boards, newspapers, associations, and company career pages and puts them on one convenient website. While you can’t apply for jobs directly through this website, unless they are directly posted there, you can find the listings and visit corresponding sites to apply.
- Internships.com: This aptly named website offers 100,000 listings from 60,000 employers. One huge advantage of this service is the “who” button that lets you see which of your Facebook friends have a connection to a company, either because they work there or used to work there.
- IvyExec: This is the most exclusive, invitation-only, job search network of high-caliber professionals globally. All-Access members get access to premium job listings, receive industry intelligence reports, and build a profile searchable by top companies.
- LinkedIn.com: We all know about LinkedIn, but many of us do not utilize it properly — no, this is not just “Business Facebook.” LinkedIn is the leading professional networking site helping professionals across industries connect for career and business success and also offers its own job board and company directory that allows its members to post jobs in the member-generated networking groups.
- YouTern: I love the name of this website just as much as it’s outside-the-box concept: YouTern tries to mentor and connect would-be interns through social media tools like Twitter. Internship seekers fill out a profile and interact with mentors. It also includes a jobs board powered by aggregator SimplyHired.
- Internmatch.com: This site features listings from 30,000 companies, specializing in internships and entry level jobs for folks who are recent grads (two years after graduation).
- MBA-Exchange: Founded by an INSEAD alumni, MBA-Exchange was born out of a “need to create a marketplace to connect top talent with great employers across the world.” MBA-Exchange works with school’s Career Services Centers to assist each MBA student in finding the job they desire and deserve.
Internships.comLooking for even more options? Here’s the best of the rest that didn’t make the list:
About the Author
Max Pulcini
Max Pulcini is a Philadelphia-based writer and reporter. He has an affinity for Philly sports teams, Super Smash Bros. and cured meats and cheeses. Max has written for Philadelphia-based publications such as Spirit News, Philadelphia City Paper, and Billy Penn, as well as national news outlets like The Daily Beast.
