The first step in finding a job or an internship is creating your outreach tools. These are tools that will help you communicate with companies and effectively share information about the skills you can bring to the company.

The tools you'll need include:
-Resume
-Cover Letter
-Portfolio
-List of References

Look Up Your Digital Dirt
I took this phrase from a post on PR Open Mic created by Barbara B. Nixon. This is invaluable advice. Before you send out your first cover letter and resume be absolutely certain you review your online presence. Google your name. Review your MySpace and Facebook accounts (are your accounts set to private? Is your photo appropriate for a prospective employer?). Ask yourself, what will an employer think of this? What does this have to say about me from a professional standpoint? How does this affect my credibility?

Create a Professional Persona
Before you apply for any jobs or internships you must get in the mindset of a professional and start acting in professional ways on a regular basis. Do the following today:
-Create a professional e-mail account. A professional e-mail account is something like debrajohnson@gmail.com. An e-mail address such as shortnsweet@yahoo.com is not appropriate. It's also a great idea to have this one account dedicated just to job hunting. If your e-mail program allows you to save all sent messages, do so. This creates a useful record of communicaiton you've had with any given company.
-Record a professional voice mail message. This type of message would be something like, "Hello, you've reached Debra Johnson. I'm sorry I missed your call. Leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."
-Create a way of tracking all of the jobs/internships you apply for. One of the most common mistakes hiring managers tell me college students make is that they forget which companies they've applied to, so they are unprepared when they answer their phone.
-Think before you answer your phone. Every interaction you have with a company is a job interview. If you're not ready to answer job related questions, do not answer your phone when it displays a number you're not familiar with as it could be the hiring manager from your dream company while you're sitting in the middle of Riley's.
-Create your elevator pitch. What in the world is an elevator pitch? It's your 1 to 2 minute response to that age-old comment, "so, tell me about yourself." Check out Forward Moving for a great blog post about creating a strong elevator pitch.