how-to-find-supply-chain-internships-and-ccops

How to Find Supply Chain Internships or Co-ops

By Published On: March 22, 2021

How Do I Find Supply Chain Internships and Co-ops?

The first step in finding supply chain internships or co-ops is to know what you are looking for, but this is not going to be your first full-time, permanent job coming out of school, so getting experience in a new area might be good for you. However, it is good to focus on the kind of work you think might be your preference after graduation. The second step is knowing where to look. That is the concentration of this article. Use all the resources you possibly can to cast a wide net to catch as many opportunities as possible during your search for a position. The more paths you follow, the higher the chance that you find something matching your particular set of interests and qualifications.

Start at your school. First, get to know your career services office and whether there is a person dedicated to your school or department. They know about any companies expressing interest in interns, plus they have the contacts to reach out to previous employers of graduates even if they aren’t currently listing a position. Second, tell the selected faculty that you are interested in a supply chain internship. They can provide advice and some are connected to local and regional employers, sometimes national and international employers. Many have a strong network and if they know the right person is looking for the type of position one of their employer contacts might provide, they may be able to reach out. Third, your school likely has career fairs with many companies participating. Ask about internships, but make sure you’ve done your homework about the company before you talk to them. Being as prepared as possible increases your chances. Fourth, speakers come to campus, and if you listen to their stories and like what you hear about the company, talk to the speaker. You never know where it might lead. Fifth, go on all the tours your school offers of local facilities. You will meet people and see facilities in action. You may want to ask to intern there, but you can also use the experience as part of your resume building and as talking points for interviews and communications.

Search individual company sites. Many of the largest companies have dedicated pages to attract students and will have their internships listed online. If you know of a company you admire, go to their home page and search for “intern” or “internship”. Some may only share their internship listings with specific schools (that is why you start at the school!). You should also find their human resources or employment pages and send a message that you are interested in opportunities, but make sure you have a clear background story about your major, your interests, and why you are interested in the company.

Job boards. It can be as simple as searching on this site by going to the “Find a Job” button and searching for “intern” plus “supply chain”. You can do the same on Google and have many job boards pop up with many jobs in supply chain-related areas. Go to each of those job boards and explore the opportunities. The Supply Chain Careers job board is a focused site meant to attract only supply chain-related positions. But there are many other general-purpose boards you can use such as Indeed and ZipRecruiter and LinkedIn. Use them all to find what is available.

Post your resume. Using the “Find a Job” button on this site, you will see the option to upload your resume. Follow the resume construction tips in the article posted on this site to build a good resume, then upload it to the site. Do the same at your school and the various job boards as well. Spread the net widely and you increase the odds of being found. Take advantage of any tools that are available to automatically notify you when new positions are posted using the keywords and search preferences provided by either the employers or the job boards.

We hope this gave you some insights on how to find supply chain internships or co-ops! Check out this article on how to make the most of your supply chain internship or co-op.