PREPARE YOUR PRESENTATION: résumé, cover letter, projects, and professional profile.

Work with professional coaches to help you prepare your résumé, portfolio, job search, and more!

Visit the Learning Resource Center (LRC) to enhance your written communication skills and boost your professional presence today!

Professional Development Coaches are also here to support you. Make an appointment through your CCA Handshake account!

• Search for internship and job opportunities on Handshake and attend professional and co-curricular events to connect with industry-leading employers.
• Network! Get noticed (you might get only 15 seconds to make an impression). What is your elevator pitch?
• A fully complete portfolio is not always necessary to land an internship.
• Show process work as well as final presentations.
• Summarize your projects to include only one- or two pages for each project.
• Be clear, concise, and well-designed graphically.
• Prepare your professional profile to share via LinkedIn or with a QR code to your online portfolio.
  
  

• Research those organizations you think are connected to your work. Websites are an excellent source of information about a firm’s mission, goals, project types, professional bios, and positions available.
• Look on Handshake to see if they are registered as an employer and learn about their company through their profile and web links.
• Send a formal cover letter, résumé, and your portfolio. (This can be sent as a PDF via a web link or email.)
• Your file attachment should not exceed 15MB. Be sure to personalize the file name.
• The body of your email should be consistent with your cover letter.
• Your cover letter and sample work should distinguish you from your peers. Adhere to a conventional yet elegant graphic layout, allowing your words and images to tell your story.
• Follow the company's guidelines when submitting your application materials.
  
  

• Ask for a meeting to review your work (rather than asking for an internship outright). If you say you are looking for an internship, you will put the person on the other end of your communication in a tough situation.
• The company may not currently be looking for an intern, or the intern supervisor may not currently be available to meet. Alternatively, the company may need someone but has not officially started the internship hiring process.
• You may often hear, "We are not looking for an intern right now," or something similar. Remember, you just need to get your foot in the door.
• One strategy is to ask if someone might meet with you to review your portfolio or look at your latest work. You want feedback from a professional. That's it. This sets up a promising first meeting and establishes an agenda.
• If you can't get a meeting, don't push too hard. Doing so may create a bad impression for future opportunities.
  
  

• Prior to any meeting, learn as much about the company as you can.
• Visit websites (company websites, local chapter AIA job boards, Archinect, SF BAYA Facebook page, and so on).|
• Read the national and international press. Find information on local firms that have been published.
• Talk to your professors, peers, and alumni to see what they know.
• Talk to others who have already had internships.
• Practice, practice, practice. Practice your presentation at least three times with someone. Get comfortable with your material. Do not be unprepared; it may be your only shot.
• Plan ahead. Confirm the appointment a day in advance (call or email) and ask with whom you will be meeting and their name (e.g., project manager, design principal, project architect, HR)
• Dress presentably: clean, ironed shirt, pants, skirt, and so forth. Suits are not necessary. (Ask your instructors if you have questions.)
• Always arrive early. Never be late. (Give yourself time to compose your thoughts and calm your mind to give a great self-presentation.)
• Be courteous and professional, and be mindful in all of your interactions with any staff member.
  
  

• Show the person your work and engage them in discussion.
• Be sure to prepare questions to ask the company at the end of the interview.
• Before beginning the conversation, thank the interviewer for taking the time to meet with you. If the employer starts the interview process behind schedule, let them know if you have a schedule constraint.
• Be pleasant and as articulate as possible.
• Be clear when you explain your work.
• Be accepting of criticism. Take notes! Reflect on their comments to improve your next interview opportunity.
• Ask for a tour of the office. (During the conversation, if it seems appropriate, ask if they hire interns. In some cases, the person you are meeting will volunteer this information before you ask. If the situation is awkward, don't bring it up.)
• When you leave, thank the person(s) for their time and ask for their email address if you do not already have it. You can then send them a "Thank You" email after your interview.
  
  

Send a thank you email after your interview. If you have not heard from the employer or if you see the position has been filled, then you can send a note via postal mail ("snail mail") indicating you will keep in touch. Check in every month or so and ask about a follow-up meeting for an internship. (Now that they know you, the second meeting will be easy!)

You get an ambiguous or no response

(They keep saying, "Call me next week," "We are busy but aren't ready to hire," "We are waiting for this job to come through," and the like).

• This probably means they aren't ready to hire, so keep your options open and go on to other interviews and meetings. Don't wait around for this one opportunity. Have as many irons in the fire as you can.

No one returns your phone calls or emails

• This means they are busy, and the internship isn't the first thing on their to-do list. Keep trying until you get in contact with someone, even if it means you have to call or email weekly, or both.
• If you begin to feel too uncomfortable, stop. You want to be persistent without harassing anyone.

You are rejected

• It's not a good feeling, but it's part of the process. It's impossible to please everyone, and people are entitled to their opinions. Part of the job-finding process of an internship is finding a place where you want to work.
• If one potential employer doesn't seem like a good fit, that's OK. Accept their decision, thank them, and move on to your next choice. You will likely have many meetings and interviews before you find the one that's right for you.
• Keep in touch either way. (You never know where it might lead.)

You got the internship.

• Congratulations! Contact the internship coordinator and give them CCA's Internship Learning Agreement (ILA) in advance so they have time to research and give site approval before the internship begins.
• International Students must receive work authorization before starting work. To understand the process and timeline, please contact our International Student Services (ISS) office.