This course requires students to procure an internship at a place of business related to interior design. There are many local firms and designers to investigate. Do your research! You should treat this similarly to a job search, but it may involve more "cold-calling," meaning that most firms and designers (especially smaller businesses) do not post internship positions (although some do) like they do job announcements. This means it is up to you to network and approach potential internship sponsors with your need and desire to intern with them. It takes work! Don't expect an internship to fall into your lap. You will need to be proactive.

WHAT TO DO:

If you are still working on securing an internship...

NETWORK: You will want to get out there and network with industry as much as possible. A designer will more likely be inclined to accept your proposition if they know who you are and see that you are involved. Introduce yourself! I know this can be intimidating for some students, but you'll need to step out of your comfort zone. Invite an extroverted classmate to come with you to industry events. Knowing someone always makes us feel more comfortable in a room with strangers. You'll still need to work up the nerve to start a conversation with others. Plan ahead. How will you introduce yourself? What will you say? How can you lead into a conversation about internship possibilities? Learn as much about these designers as you can so you have more to talk about. Have some questions in your back pocket. 😉
CONTACT: I suggest starting with an email. Be sure to communicate professionally. What does this mean? Use more formal language. Check out your Portfolios for Interior Designers textbook. There is a whole section about how to write a cover letter. Of course, you will tailor it for an internship. Let them know that you are an interior design student at CPTC and are seeking an internship for which you will need to complete 80 hours by the end of August. If writing an email, you can eliminate the date and address header. You may want to go ahead and attach your resume. Guess what... Your Portfolios for Interior Designers textbook also has a section on resumes! Need help or want me to review it first? Send it my way! You may follow up with an additional email or a phone call after one week with no response. Designers are busy people! Kindly let them know that you are following up to make sure they received your previous email sent on (insert date). Let them know you appreciate their consideration and look forward to hearing from them. If you still get no response, I would leave it alone and move on. Don't take any rejections personally. There could be a number of reasons (that have nothing to do with you personally) a designer doesn't want to take on an intern at the moment. I suggest reaching out to more than one designer from the get-go. If you get a positive response from more than one person, there are a couple of ways you can handle this. You may choose to split your 80 hours of time between two different places of business. Or, upon letting the other designer know that you have already accepted an internship position elsewhere (and thanking them!), perhaps ask them if they would be open to meeting for coffee or a single-day job-shadow. Leave the door open! Here is a list of some local design firms and showrooms that you may consider contacting: Internship Potential Contacts.xlsx This list is by no means exhaustive, and because a business is listed does not necessarily mean that they are looking for an intern. It is simply a list of some local design businesses to help you get started.
PAPERWORK: When you get a "yes" and agree to intern with a designer, you will need to make sure the required paperwork gets filled out and signed. The following page will outline the paperwork requirements.