Not sure what to expect when applying for an internship? Current virtual intern, Michelle Chimento, shares her experience of the application, interview and orientation process. The moral of the story: Apply early, contact your site supervisor to understand expectations, and don’t be afraid to jump in and figure things out as you go!
I applied to four virtual internships by sending a cover letter focused to the particular internship and a focused resume. I also included links to my LinkedIn and to a LibGuide that I produced for LIBR 200. All four answered for an interview. I visited one site that wanted a reference librarian and that is not my experience. The second interview was a Google+ visit with the two librarians in charge of the Affordable Learning Solutions project.
To my surprise, I was offered the position during the interview. It is a perfect fit. Christina asked that I send her my goals for learning in this internship. We went back and forth to make sure that she and I had the same goals.
My orientation to the project was a phone call from Christina Mune, my internship supervisor, on August 20th. She walked me through the resources to be used for the project and [provided] an example of one internship’s product. The expectations for this project [are] two subject LibGuides and a “robust” presentation that includes social media and images plus a screencast.
Christina arranged a weekly meeting on Thursdays at 3:00 to discuss the progress and answer any questions that I might have. I will visit the library only if I wish to, as it is not required. . . .
So far this is fun.”
Michelle Chimento, Fall 2013 Virtual Intern 
