How do I prepare to get an internship at Microsoft, Google or Amazon? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

It can be humbling the first time you write up your resume.

If you’re trying to land a summer job in high school, whatever you put down is almost irrelevant. You don’t need prior experience to referee little league games.

But you don’t want to be sending off that same resume in college, especially if you’re trying to land a prestigious internship before senior year.

As an advisor, I’ve seen students make the same mistakes time and time again when it comes to internships. Often they just don’t have the information they need going into the process.

You can do things differently. When going for your ideal internship, use this advice to better your chances:

1. Have A Strategy

Your internship hunt shouldn’t start your junior year. That’s late. There’s no reason why you can’t get an internship as a freshman or sophomore. Not only are these internships valuable, but they work as resume builders and can help you land a great internship when junior year rolls around.

Think of your internship search as a staircase: You start at the bottom and take steps to get to the top.

So, how do you take that first step? Let’s say you want to work as an investment banker and would like to intern for Morgan Stanley. Well, you probably can’t get that internship your freshman year. But you can get one at another company that’s related to finance.

Maybe it won’t be in New York, but you might be able to find a boutique private wealth shop in another city. Or maybe in the accounting or finance department of a mid-sized company. Find something that gets your foot in the door. Put a finance-related name on your resume. Even if the work you’re doing doesn’t feel very applicable, you’re still contributing in some way. It shows you’re passionate about working in that field.

2. Put In The Work

Most big companies at career fairs are looking for juniors.

A lot of freshmen or sophomores go to career fairs, send out some applications, and don’t hear anything back because they’re too young. So they get frustrated and they give up. They figure they’ll just wait until junior year. Don’t do that.

Instead, search for the hidden inventory—the untapped demand for interns.

There are plenty of companies that don’t go to career fairs or actively recruit interns. They might not devote their recruiting budget to interns, but if presented with a really enthusiastic, ambitious student, they could be persuaded to take that student on.

If you can articulate why you really want the opportunity to work at their company and learn from them, you could easily end up interning at a mid-size company or startup that operates in the field you want to work in.

You have to put in the legwork. You have to show why you’re so eager to work with that company, which leads to my next point.

3. Show Enthusiasm

Whether you’re a freshman or a junior, indifference can be a killer when it comes to landing an internship. It’s imperative that you show interest in what the company is doing and are passionate about getting this opportunity. Otherwise, why would they take you on?

You have to understand how these companies view internships. They’re not always as excited about it as you are. They see an intern as someone who basically knows nothing—someone who has to be trained. A lot of companies view interns as extra work.

As a student pursuing an internship, you need to overcompensate for that. Over-communicate your work ethic, your enthusiasm, and your willingness to learn. Do your research and make sure it shows in your interview. Send follow-up thank you emails. Pursue the leads you have even if you don’t hear back immediately.

You’re essentially convincing someone you’re worth the effort. Any indifference on your part, whether real or perceived, will kill your chances of landing an internship.

There’s no reason that you can’t intern with your dream company but it’s going to take some work on your end. Stay focused, develop a strategy, show enthusiasm. You may just be rewarded with the opportunity you’ve had your eye on.

This question originally appeared on Quora. More questions on Quora:

* Career Advice: How should I prepare for my first interview?

* College Advice: How can I figure out what I really want to do with my life after college?

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