Job & Internship Search Tools

Whether you are looking for a job or an internship, there are a variety of search strategies available to obtain your dream position. Please read our Recruiting and Networking Policies before beginning.

NETWORKING TO TARGET ALUMNI & EMPLOYERS

• Dean's Council Student Mentorship
  Connects alumni to current Dartmouth Engineering students in mutually fulfilling mentoring relationships focused on academic, career, and personal goals. Engineering majors receive invites each fall term.
• LinkedIn
  Networking site with over 64,000 Dartmouth alumni. Check out these groups: “Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth”, "Dartmouth College", & “Dartmouth College Alumni.”‍

• Upper Valley Business Directory
  Employers in the New Hampshire and Vermont area
• Companies Hiring: See where our Students have Interned for the past 11 years & the list of Employers Hiring Thayer Grads in the last 5 years.‍‍
• Interested in an energy and sustainability career?
  Find out more through the Dartmouth's Sustainability Office and the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society.

ON-CAMPUS RECRUITING

• Multiple Career Fairs throughout the academic year
• Virtual Fairs & interview events take place in the winter and spring
• Our employer information sessions, including alumni talks and workshops, are very effective when learning about networking, companies and searching for internship and job opportunities. See some of our Recorded Workshops, including THINK THAYER recorded sessions.
• Check out what's happening on the Handshake Events tab and Thayer Events calendar.

JOB & INTERNSHIP POSTINGS

• Handshake: The best resource for finding full-time and internship positions--many provided by our alumni--posted through Thayer Career Services, as well as Dartmouth's undergraduate career office, the Center for Professional Development. So, Get Hired on Handshake!
  (Tips on how to navigate your job search on HANDSHAKE!)
  

COMPANY SEARCH BY MAJOR & LOCATION

Visit BUZZFILE

EXTERNAL JOB BOARDS

• AngelList: Apply privately to thousands of startup jobs with one application
• Buzzfile: "The most advanced company information database"
• Career Cornerstone Center: Career planning resources for STEM majors
• D&B Hoovers & Firsthand: Proprietary company profiles, industry information and rankings
• Idealist.com: For volunteer opportunities, nonprofit jobs and internships
• LinkedIn Job Search Tool: Leverage the world’s largest professional network to connect with opportunity
• Pathways to Science: increase diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
• UnitedOPT: find OPT jobs, CPT jobs and jobs for international students to find companies who can sponsor their H1B.
• Venture Capital Fellowship Database: Open source database for VC fellowships created by a Dartmouth alum
• VentureLoop: Job postings for emerging venture-backed companies and startup companies
• Built In: Built In is the online community for startups and tech companies. Find startup jobs, tech news and events.

MORE RESOURCES

Research companies through Dartmouth's Library! Make an appointment with the engineering librarian, Jentry Campbell.

Check out our Weekly Newsletter sent each Tuesday via Handshake. In addition, we post to the Thayer Events page, in insideThayer and periodically through Instagram.

AVOID JOB SEARCH SCAMS! College students are frequently targeted by job search scams -- protect yourself.

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Internship Information

Internships are an important component of your Thayer School experience. As you develop your skills and knowledge through academic work, it is critical to begin to apply them in real work settings. This kind of experiential learning that you can get through an internship accomplishes two things. First, it demonstrates to employers that you are able to successfully operate in and contribute to an organization or business. Second, it allows you to test your career interests and goals, helping you to explore and determine if a career field or industry is the right fit for you.

Getting Started: Figuring Out Where to Apply

Begin your search with the end in mind: What do you want from an internship?

If you're not sure where to begin, it's helpful to narrow your focus by picking a functional area of engineering that you'd like to work in (i.e. mechanical) and a geographical location (ideally one where housing or visa status won't be barriers to employment).

The first step in your internship search involves some self-analysis. Think about what you want from an internship and what you have to offer an employer.

Setting your priorities for your internship experience will help you focus your search. What are you looking to do? Learn more about an industry or field? Work in a certain geographic region? Gain experience with a particular employer? Rate the following priorities in order of their importance to you.

• Testing career ideas
• Money
• Gaining experience
• Performing a public service
• A job near home
• Travel
• A job near Hanover
• Adventure
• A chance to do something different
• A job that's related to your major
• Fun
• Other: _____

Use your responses here to focus your internship search. By narrowing the scope of your search, you break your search into manageable pieces. Narrowing your search too far, however, may limit your options, so stay as flexible as possible.

Another important exercise to undertake is to identify what you have to offer an employer. What are the skills, qualities, or experiences you have that would most interest an employer? Be positive about the contributions you could make. If you can demonstrate to an employer that you have some valuable skills and are willing to learn what you don't know, you will have an advantage in the hiring process over the person who can't articulate why an employer should hire them.

FUNDING FORUNPAID INTERNSHIPS

Funding for unpaid Internships: Campus and External Funding Guide.

D-Plan Considerations

The Dartmouth term schedule allows you to choose the time of year when you would like to pursue your internship. Though seeking a fall, winter, or spring internship involves significantly less competition from other students than a summer opportunity, employers may not know that there are students like you seeking positions. This means that you may not have the luxury of extensive career listings from which to choose.

Without the same amount of listings for a non-summer term, it is advised that Thayer students begin exploring internship options at least two terms in advance to their scheduled off term. This gives you the time to perform a more extensive search which may be necessary to find the opportunity that is right for you.

Though the available career listings should remain a course of action for obtaining a position, looking for an internship during the traditional academic year may require a greater emphasis on the alumni network and employer targeting. Begin this process early because as stated before it can be relatively time consuming. Talk to your alumni contact about the nature of their career and industry, as well as any suggestions that they might have about pursuing an internship. Be Persistent! Emails generally will not work in targeting employers. Try to speak with people in the HR department of a company in which you are interested. They may be able to help you out with information or possible openings.

Succeeding in Your Internship

Congratulations on getting an internship! Your job now is to make it a successful learning experience for you and a successful work experience with the employer. The following tips will help you in that process.

First Days

• Ask questions. The first few weeks can be confusing; don't be afraid to ask for help or seek clarification on something. Besides, it takes a while to find your way around, learn the routine, and settle in.
• Talk with people throughout the organization. You can learn more about the employer's big picture by talking to the people who make up various parts of the employer.
• Join in. Make an effort to include yourself in social activities, including lunch. Networking is an important part of the job search and your internship will provide you with a great source of people with whom to network.
• Stay professional throughout your internship. Even if you are not considering applying for a full-time position with your internship employer, your employer can provide a valuable reference for you. Help them develop a positive opinion of you and your work.
• Be prepared to do routine tasks. Not all your work will be exciting, but routine tasks are important ways for co-workers to assess your enthusiasm, skills, and initiative, as well as get needed work done. If you find yourself bogged down in routine work, ask for an opportunity for more in-depth work as well.

Managing Your Boss

• Communicate with your boss on a regular basis. Let them know what you're doing and your progress. Ask questions.
• Use your common sense on routine tasks or simple projects. There's no need to bother your boss if you have a good sense of what you're doing. Be sure to check in when the project is accomplished.
• Let your boss know your goals for the internship. Let people know what you're interested in and find challenging.
• Volunteer for projects and tasks. This shows your initiative and interest in your work.

Wrapping Up Your Internship

• Expect a formal evaluation from your supervisor. You may want to inquire about this at the beginning of your internship.
• Be prepared to evaluate your internship. Your employer may request an evaluation as well. Be honest, yet tactful, in your assessment. Your comments can assist employers with improving internship experiences for fellow students.
• Update your resume. Include your internship, while the skills you developed and projects you worked on are fresh in your mind. Check with Career Services if you need assistance.

Special thanks to Matt Therian '05 for assistance on this section.

Housing

• Dartmouth Housing information