Liberal Arts Internship Guide

Liberal arts students can pursue a variety of career interests, which makes the internship search broad. Start by thinking about the type of place you would like to intern – business, government, and non-profit are a few options.

Getting Started

• RESUME! Creating your resume is the first step of any internship search. Come to Career Services for examples, advice, and resume review.
• Brainstorm – what would you like to do, for what kind of organization?

Internship Postings

Many internship opportunities can be found online:

• The RU Career Account:
  This account must be set up by Career Services. It gives access to internship postings sent directly to Rockhurst from employers. Sign up for an account at weekly workshops: Tuesdays at 3:30 pm, Wednesdays at 10:00 am, and Thursdays at 1:00 pm in Career Services.
  • NACE Link
    This database is offered through the RU Career Account and is a good resource if you are seeking opportunities outside of Kansas City, especially in major metropolitan areas.
• Nonprofit Connect: www.npconnect.org
  Nonprofit Connect is a professional organization for nonprofits in Kansas City. Their website provides internship postings from a variety of non-profit organizations.
• Federal and City government: www.usajobs.gov and www.kcmo.org
• Organization Websites:
  Many organizations post internships on their own websites.

Timeline

3-6 months prior to when you want to start an internship:

• Create your resume
• Begin to research companies and programs
• Begin applications
• Take resumes and cover letters to Career Services for review
• Practice interviewing with a mock interview in Career Services
• Interview and accept position

Kansas City Organizations

Resources for researching organizations in Kansas City:

• The Kansas City Business Journal Book of Lists, in the Career Services Office, or their online business directory http://businessdirectory.bizjournals.com/kansascity
• RU Career Account, accessed through the Career Services website
• Chambers of Commerce
• Google search
• U.S. Department of Labor Employer Locator: www.acinet.org/employerlocator
• Network with professors, classmates, friends and family

Examples of organizations:
Writing internships can be found in public relations and non-profits:

• Andrews McMeel Publishing: www.amuniversal.com
• Merrigan and Co.: www.merriganco.com
• The PKD Foundation: www.pkdcure.org

History internships can be found in government and at museums:

• The National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/kansas-city/
• The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: www.nelson-atkins.org
• The Truman Library: www.trumanlibrary.org

Government internships can be found at the city, county, state and federal level through each government’s individual website:

• Federal: www.usajobs.gov or Department websites
• Kansas City: www.kcmo.org
• Missouri: www.mo.gov

Internships promoting civic leadership are also available:

• Coro: http://corokansascity.org/

Searching in Other Cities

Use the same resources; simply focus them on other cities. NACE Link, an internship/job database through the RU Career Account, is connected to 500 other colleges nationwide. Additionally, many Jesuit universities offer reciprocal career services. Contact RU Career Services to find out if you can receive services from another Jesuit university in the city you want to search in.