How to Find a Great Internship in the USA for both Citizens and non Citizens

How easy it is to find an internship in the USA and its necessity

An internship involves working in an organization by a student or trainee to gain work experience, meet academic qualifications or both. Often, an internship is without pay. However, it is unnecessary to completely rule out pay as recent studies show that some interns get a wage in accordance with their academic qualifications.
The USA is an all-encompassing country. The country manages the world's largest economy. The diversity in its economy including culture, filmmaking and natural resources abundance, just to mention a few, encourage an intern to desire an association with the country. In spite of its challenge when it comes to income inequality, the economy of USA provides a high both household and employee income. This favours an intern whose hope is to work for an organization in the country after completion of the internship period. Ultimately, USA has a highly influential media house and most importantly working in the USA provides one with a high acceptance opportunity to work in any organization globally.

How to find an internship in the USA;

For a local citizen in the USA

·         Identifying your career interests- avoid being too broad or too narrow. Limit yourself to a particular interest and at the same time be flexible in what you are to do in an attempt to improve your career provided it is legal and ethical.

·         Network and attend career conferences and talks- the information you have is never enough. It is important to acquire as much information as you can on a particular organization or interest by speaking and listening to more experienced and better-exposed people such as parents, career officers, alumni, etc.. most importantly you should consider the advice offered and thank them for their assistance.

·         Search and apply early- remember you are not the only candidate interested in an internship. Always consider everyone to have qualified and the difference to make is based on time. Do your application early, not to meet deadlines but to improve your chances of being considered before the slots are filled.

For international students, 

on top of the above process, you will require a visa. If you are already a student in the country, you will require the F-1 visa while as if you are applying for an internship you will need a J-1 trainee visa or intern visa.

Additionally, there are two types of internship for a student in the USA; the Career Practical Training and the Optional Practical Training. As the names suggest CPT is career bound while OPT is not. Under CPT, an intern works part-time and can be paid and the only requirements include; having completed the first year of study and getting authorized on their student visa. The OPT internship requires approval from the US citizenship and immigration services and can be done full time.

 A J-1 visa is quite similar to OPT except that the internship must be related to the intern's field of study and the approval is from the J-1 officer responsible for your sponsoring institution.

What are the advantages of taking your internship in the USA?

1.      The use of a common tongue

This may seem like a simple thing but it is very important in one's career. Everybody wants to work in an environment where they feel involved and accepted. Intercultural communication may be difficult when you do not share the language used by the citizens. In USA, however, the common tongue is English, a global language. It not only encourages the feelings of acceptance and involvement but also nurtures you to be able to converse and work in most economies globally.

2.      Advances skills of the intern

The country’s industry is an entrepreneurial precedent. This means that you are able to learn the latest and most advanced techniques in your field as USA sets the trend in most industrial factors. The skills that one learns as well as exposure to the USA culture promote career advancement.

How to skillfully write an appealing book review; tips that will get you acing it!

A book review is an extensive valuation of a book. 

It involves a synopsis of a book’s themes, purpose, content and authority. A review contains the following;

• A description of what the book is about

• Your opinion on the book; what you liked or disliked about it

• Summarize your thoughts, suggest the kind of audience that should read the book

• Sometimes a rating is necessary e.g. a 5 out of 10

To broadly and succinctly cover all the above, you will need to ask yourself a number of questions to guide you in writing a review. These questions are as follows;

a) What is the title of the book? Does the title agree with the content of the book?

b) What category of literature does the book claim to be? Has the book embraced the genre as it should?

c) What is the author’s point of view? Do you agree with them or not?

d) What is the author’s general theme? Are you able to follow this theme?

e) Is the author’s language and style formal or informal? Is it appropriate for the target audience or not?

f) Is the author’s language convincing? Have they spoken with clarity?

g) Do you think the author provides accurate information? Have they left out any particular area uncovered?

h) What do you think of the conclusion? Has the author met the expectations and satisfied the audience?

i) Has the book generally accomplished anything? Is there a need for further work on the topic covered?

j) Take note of the sources the author used. What else has the book included? E.g. maps what is the book’s layout?

k) In comparison to books by different authors on the said topic, what’s your opinion?

It is important to note the books publications and also the author's background, reputation and qualifications. Lastly, it is important to take notes of the main points you gather and intend to use in your review. A good review must contain passages or quotes from the book itself.

To write an august review, consider the following; 

1. Know the limits of what to talk about

A review should not give away the ending, that is left for the reader to discover on their own. This is necessitated if the book is a fiction or a novel. Additionally, a good review should not give away the major twists and surprises in the book. They are used in order to ascertain the reader’s constant interest in the book. When you relay information that you shouldn’t, you might encourage the reader to give up on reading the book. This is because the book no longer has anything interesting to offer. However, when the book is a non-fiction, the facts are already known. In this case, the point is to avoid giving away major arguments or developments of the book.

2. Research the writer and the genre of the book.

As earlier mentioned, you need to provide the reader with background information on the author. To do this, you need to conduct extensive research on both the book and its author. It makes it possible to relay reliable information on the genre, the books in competition with the one you currently review, and the qualifications of the author.

3. Be more optimistic and constructive

Even when the work is poorly done, do not focus on saying what the author did not do. Suggest better approaches the author should have used instead. Avoid criticism and focus on reviewing. Please note that you are reviewing the book and therefore should not comment on the author’s personality or life.

4. Write to the audience

The review is for the audience, not the publishers. State facts; do not use words that give the impression that you are advertising the book. The point is to give them a reason to care about the book. It is also to convince them why to read the said book and not another that’s in the market

5. Seek help when you need it

A book review is not easy to write. It is therefore understandable and relatable if you would seek the help of a professional or choose to study further on writing book reviews.