(THIS POST IS SPECIFICALLY FOR 2ND/3RD YEAR UNDERGRADS)
Aha...so excited about the prospect of traveling to countries you have always wanted to? Seeing places you have only seen on movie screens? So lets talk business before wasting any time -
Now there are a few factors (upon which we will talk in detail) which governs our chance of getting a foreign intern. In increasing order of priority, they are -
Previous work, Contacts, CGPA, Reco letter, Resume (layout), Cover letter, way of writing email, and lastly WILL POWER
Now you may notice two unique aspects of this list - CGAP is at very bottom, and I have not mentioned (contrary to popular belief) the factor of LUCK!!
So lets start with some key aspects on which you should work BEFORE applying or mailing the profs -
Resume / CV -
- PLEASE make your CV in Latex. DO NOT use the Word-to-PDF CV because it looks "cheap". You might not understand the importance of this, until and unless you actually build and see your CV in Latex. It looks so elegant, concise and professional. Its not that people with non-Latex CV do not get any intern. Just that a Latex CV increases (MANY A TIMES) n your chances of getting one.
Also, it wont take you long. First - create a basic layout in word. Next, install Latex and download a suitable sample Latex CV format from net. And just edit it. SEE!! It actually doesn't take long plus you do not need to know much of programming in Latex. - Make sure all the statements are in single line. This is important.
- There is generally a set pattern which is being followed by students over the years. I recommend you to follow the same order - Your name and details => CGPA, SPI, and 10th/12th % => Projects completed, => Software proficiency (if required in the field you are applying to) [PLEASE TRY TO ACCOMMODATE TILL HERE IN A SINGLE PAGE] => Relevant courses undertaken => Academic achievements.
YOUR CV SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 1.5 PAGES LONG. - Try to add hyperlinks in your CV. Like your email address should be hyperlinked to open a email prompt dialog box. Similarily, all the lab names and other relevant institutions should have an hyperlink. This increases the credibility of what you have mentioned in your CV.
- DO NOT EVER INCLUDE FALSE INFO.
- Try to minimize the size of our CV. Latex creates a PDF which is not more than 150Kb, which is fine. If your CV is more than 200Kb, then try to minimize it using doPDF or other softwares. If your CV size is too much, then your mail may bounce off the prof's mailbox or may straightaway go to spam.
- DO NOT include your picture or any kind of picture in your CV.
I WILL WRITE MORE ON THIS AS SOON AS I GET TIME!!
