Landing an internship

Q: I am a student looking for an internship. Where do I start? Everyone tells me they are so important but where do I begin looking? I am overwhelmed.

A: Congratulations on realizing that an internship would be valuable to your professional work history.
Here are some tips on where to turn to find internship leads —

1. The career services office of your school should be your first stop. Often the role of this office is to develop relationships with employers as well as help students track down opportunities. Local employers will post internships at career services offices of local colleges.

2. Family and friends also are a good source. An uncle who works at a biotech might know of an internship within his company. The neighbor who works at a technology company in Cambridge. Or even your professor who consults to tech companies. All of these personal relationships can sometimes yield a promising internship or even a full-time job lead after graduation.

3. Develop a target list of companies and search online to determine whether there might be a need. Some companies, especially larger ones, have a section on their website dedicated to internships.

4. Visit internship-specific sites, like internmatch.com or internships.com. LinkedIn has a specific section on their website featuring only internship roles and includes employers from Analog Devices to The MathWorks.

Finally, develop positive relationships while you are an intern. Smart employers often hire bright interns as full-time employees, after the intern has completed their undergraduate or graduate degree. It is important to demonstrate solid work habits and to build a strong professional reputation.

Pattie Hunt Sinacole is a human resources expert and works for First Beacon Group in Hopkinton, an HR consulting firm. She contributes weekly to Boston.com Jobs and the Boston Sunday Globe Money & Careers section.