Twenty years learning how careers actually work. Now I'm building for it.

Of course, the tactical things matter: be targeted about the roles you apply for, and make sure your résumé and cover letter actually respond to the individual job description.

But here's the reality: when you're early in your career and relying only on digital applications, it's really hard to stand out. You naturally have less work experience to differentiate you from your peers. At the same time, it's never been easier for people to apply to hundreds of jobs — which means employers are sorting through an enormous volume of applications.

So don't make the digital application process your only strategy. It gives you very little control over whether you get an interview — and very little feedback when you don't. You can send 50 applications, hear nothing, and still have no idea what you should do differently.

Instead, start building real relationships in the industries and companies you're interested in. Start small:

1. Get specific. What do you want to try next — and why?
2. Start with the people you already know. Think parents, friends, professors, mentors, classmates, former coworkers, friends of friends. Tell them what you're trying to explore and ask: "Who or what do you know that could help me learn more?"
3. Have conversations before you need something. Don't start by asking someone for an internship. Ask about their experience. Get advice. Learn about the industry. Ask who else they think you should talk to.

Those conversations don't just build your network. They give you feedback, information, new ideas, and people who can actually help you move toward your goal.

Keep applying. But don't leave your entire internship search in the hands of an application portal.

If you're studying in a new country, it can feel like everyone else already has connections you don't have. But remember: you don't need to know all the right people to start. You need to find one or two people who can help you find the next person.

Start with your university. Your professors, Career Services, Alumni Services, clubs, and other students are already part of your network — and they can help you build outward from there.

Look for alumni whose paths feel relevant to yours, particularly people who may have come from a similar background or navigated some of the same challenges. And don't be afraid to ask your university for help finding them: "I'm interested in exploring X and would love to speak with an alum who has navigated a similar path. Is there anyone you think I should talk to?"

Then approach those conversations as opportunities to learn, not to ask for a job. Ask how they got started, what they wish they'd known, what they'd recommend you explore, and — importantly — who else they think you should talk to.

And try not to think of everyone around you as your competition. Your classmates and peers can be some of your best sources of information, introductions, and support.

You don't need to build a huge network. Start with one conversation, learn something from it, and use it to find your next one.

Yes, you should make your résumé easy for both AI systems and humans to understand. That means using clear formatting, paying attention to the language in the job description, and making sure the skills and experiences most relevant to that specific role are easy to find.

But here's the bigger thing: don't make optimizing your résumé for AI your entire strategy. When hundreds or even thousands of people can apply to the same job online, getting really good at making it through an automated screening process still leaves your résumé sitting in a very big pile.

So ask yourself another question: how can I get my résumé into the hands of a person who has context, access, or influence? That's how you can truly differentiate yourself among your peers.

If there's a company you're excited about, look for alumni, professors, friends, family connections, or other people who can help you learn more about it. Start a conversation. Ask questions. Build a relationship. And when appropriate, let them know you're interested in applying.

The goal isn't to find someone who can magically get you the job. It's to give yourself more ways to be known as a person, not just processed as an application.

Optimize for the AI. But don't rely on the AI to get you noticed.

Handshake, LinkedIn, Indeed, and company career pages are all useful places to look. But don't limit your internship search to job boards.

One of the biggest advantages you have as a college student is access to an entire university ecosystem. Use it! Your Career Services office, professors, alumni network, clubs, academic departments, internship programs, and even your classmates can all be sources of opportunities — and connections to people and organizations you might never find through a search engine.

And don't underestimate your own network. Tell your parents, relatives, friends, professors, mentors, former coworkers, and other people in your life what you're interested in exploring. You don't need them to work in your dream industry — loose ties, the people they know, can be incredibly valuable too.

In fact, some of the best opportunities are the ones you discover through an actual person. Not only can they point you toward internships you might not have found otherwise, but having a relationship with someone connected to the organization gives you a chance to learn more, get advice, and potentially have someone who knows who you are when your application arrives.

So yes, use the websites. But also ask: who at my university can help me? Who do I already know? And who might they know?

The goal isn't just to find more internships to apply to. It's to find opportunities where you have a better chance to learn, connect, and stand out.

It totally depends! A 10-person startup may be looking for something very different from a large bank, consulting firm, hospital, or media company. So first, get specific: what kinds of companies and internships are you interested in? Then you can start investigating what they actually value.

But broadly, I'd think about your skills in two buckets:

• Hard skills are the "what you do" of your job. They're the specific, teachable skills you use to perform the work — coding, financial modeling, Excel, data analysis, graphic design, research methods, etc. These vary a lot depending on the role and industry.
• Durable skills are the "how you do" your job. They're how you communicate, solve problems, collaborate, adapt, take initiative, think critically, build relationships, manage ambiguity, and get things done. We call them durable because while the technical skills required for different jobs will change, these are skills you carry with you throughout your career.

And here's the really important part for students: don't limit your skills to what you've learned through "professional work experience."

You may have developed project-management skills organizing an event for your club. Leadership from captaining a team. Communication skills from a class presentation. Customer-service skills from babysitting or working at a restaurant. Problem-solving skills from a group project that went completely sideways. Your classes, projects, clubs, sports, campus jobs, volunteering, part-time work, and other experiences all count.

The exercise is to look across everything you've done and ask: what did I actually do? What skills did that require? And where do I have evidence that I'm good at them?

And then bring it back to what you're actually interested in. What kinds of internships, companies, or industries are you thinking about? That's where we can start figuring out which hard and durable skills will matter most — and which ones you already have.

It's important — but probably not for the reason you think. Today, your digital presence serves as a reference point. If someone hears your name, gets introduced to you, receives your résumé, or is considering talking to you, there's a good chance they'll look you up. Your LinkedIn profile or other professional presence gives them a quick way to validate who you are, what you've done, and what you're interested in.

So yes, having a thoughtful, up-to-date professional profile is absolutely table stakes.

But here's what you can't expect it to do: do the searching for you.

You can't build a great LinkedIn profile, sit back, and assume "they" — recruiters, companies, internships, opportunities — will find you. Especially when you're early in your career and don't yet have years of experience or a huge professional network. You have to be active: research companies, find people, ask for introductions, reach out to alumni, have conversations, and tell people what you're looking for.

And that's why I'd worry less about constantly posting on professional social media and more about whether you have a clear, concise story someone can quickly understand: Who are you? What are you interested in exploring next? Why? And how could someone help you move in that direction? Your digital presence should support that story and give you credibility when someone looks you up — but you still have to go out and create the opportunities for people to hear it.

Think of your professional profile as table stakes — not your internship-search strategy.

I could give you a list — but that won't actually get to the point of learning how to identify relevant opportunities for yourself. Your major doesn't automatically tell me what internship is going to be great for you. Computer Information Systems can take you in a lot of different directions, so the more useful skill is learning how to identify opportunities worth exploring yourself.

Start with the three parts of EXPLORE we talked about on our last AMA:

1. Industries — what fields interest you, and why? Don't just think "technology." Your skills could be useful in healthcare, finance, media, sports, government, startups — almost anywhere. What subjects, problems, or parts of the world are you curious enough to learn more about?
2. Companies — what kind of environment might help you thrive? Big company or startup? Structured or more entrepreneurial? Fast-moving or more methodical? You may not know yet — that's something an internship can help you test.
3. Roles — what do you actually want to spend your time doing? Analyzing data? Building systems? Solving technical problems? Working with customers? Managing projects? Cybersecurity? Think in verbs, not titles.

Then look for internships at the intersection of those three things.

And use your university ecosystem to help you! Ask professors and Career Services what students with your major have done. Find alumni with similar backgrounds and look at the paths they've taken. Talk to older students about their internships. The goal isn't to find the "best internships for CIS majors." It's to build a list of possibilities that sound interesting enough to go investigate. That's what an internship is for: not proving you've picked the right career, but giving you information about what you might want to try next.