by Kristen Shlakman
As the end of the school year quickly approaches, thoughts of summer jobs and internships should be starting to surface.
For those who aren’t graduating in May, finding an internship could be crucial to building your resume and finding a successful job after college.
“It is valuable for all majors to gain some exposure or experience in their field before graduating,” Eric Anderson, director of Career Development, said.
“For some majors, it’s built into the curriculum, like student teaching for education majors, and clinicals for nursing majors. For other majors, you have to seek out experience through internships, part time jobs, or even volunteering in your field.”
While most majors don’t require students to participate in an internship, it is a great opportunity for students to understand their chosen field of study.
“It is a possibility that a field that you think you like might not be what you expect after working in it for a while. Better to find that out before you graduate,” Jan Rich, assistant director of Career Devolvement, said.
“The down side to not having an internship is mostly that your resume will lack relevant experience, and might not be competitive for entry level jobs after graduation.”
Looking into internships is not limited to just juniors and seniors. The earlier you start planning, the easier your job search will become around graduation time.
“In order to have at least two internships before graduating, we recommend one in your junior year and one in your senior year, start looking at least six months before you want to start, and nine months or more for high profile or big company internships,” Anderson said.
Even if you may not be qualified for an internship, there are things you can do to prepare so when it comes time to start applying, you’ll have an advantage over others.
“Students can still get good experience even if they aren’t yet qualified for an internship. For example, sophomore Leadership and Management majors who are interested in human resources might work in a part-time administrative position in a human resources office so they can get a sense of the field, work around people in the profession, and gain some exposure to typical responsibilities and projects,” Anderson said.
“That experience can also be helpful, then, when applying for internships in the future.”
Just because an internship may not be in your field of study doesn’t mean it isn’t beneficial and worth your time.
“Jobs that are not directly related to students’ majors or fields might still be useful on the resume if they demonstrate ‘transferrable’ skills like leadership, supervision, communication, etc.,” Rich said.
“They might also be helpful if they show long-term employment over two or three summers, or during two academic years.”
After you’ve found an internship you are interested in, there are steps you should follow to help make the applying process a little easier.
Even if you can’t make it in to the Career Center for advice, Rich and Anderson have put together a booklet that explains the process step by step.
“Make sure you follow directions exactly and apply before the deadline,” Rich said.
“Make sure your resume is flawless and always include a cover letter, even if not required. Follow up to make sure your application was received and prepare for your interview.”
Internships are not the only way to strengthen your resume.
In addition to getting practical experience, getting involved on campus is a great way to start.
“Take advantage of opportunities on campus for joining professional organizations, doing research, leadership roles, such as becoming an RA, peer mentor and OL,” Rich said.
“You can also participate in sports, and always try to maintain as high a GPA as possible.”
To start your internship search, the best place to go is crusadercareers.com. Researching and contacting a company is also a great option, but the Career Center has made it very easy for students to find internships.
“Our webpage has a major by major list of where other Capital students have had internships. These lists will give you some ideas of places to contact.”
“EasyColumbus.com also has an internship page, as well as the state of Ohio careers.ohio.gov,”Rich said.
“We also encourage you to contact your faculty. They often hear about internships that we don’t have posted. Become a friend of Cap Jobs on Facebook for information about internships, too.”
kshlakman@capital.edu
