Learn About Your Options.
What better way to learn about a prospective field or career than to do an internship? Obviously, I am a big believer in internships. I did my first internship while at FAU at a law office in West Palm Beach. It was an amazing experience and I truly believed it helped me to get my first job out of college. Internships allow students to learn, but it also helps them decide if that is actually the career for them. They help them figure out, while still in school, whether the career they envisioned for themselves all along may (or may not) be just what they wanted? The question is how to find one.
I’m not going to lie….if you know someone, now might be the time to put the word out there that your student is looking. My oldest daughter got her first internship at Walgreens because a friend of a friend worked there. The two of them spoke on the phone and my daughter’s resume made its way to the right person. While she did make some money while earning the job experience, it looked great on her resume and showed her that this was the career for her. Don’t worry; many internships do pay.
FAU’s Career Center offers students assistance in searching for internships and jobs, signing up for events and interviews, and career counseling. In addition, they run various career fairs and internship workshops throughout the school year. These are a great resource and often these companies at the fairs offer internship programs. FAU students have access to a database of internships. Students can create an account using their canvas usernames and passwords. Here, students can upload their resume and search for jobs and internships all over the country. And, HaveUHeard which companies were selected as the 100 best internship programs in the U.S.? WayUp presents its Top 100. Vault also has its list of the Top 20 Most Prestigious Internship Programs for 2020.
FAU’s Career Center has partnered with Handshake, a one-stop-shop for all things regarding your future career. Students can create a free account, where they can upload their resume. The resume will be looked over by the Career Center and students will receive feedback. Students can also create a personal professional profile to showcase their talents to employers. Students can also search for jobs and internships.
Check out the Career Event Calendar for updates on the next career fair and workshop. Professional attire for these fairs is recommended as well as bringing a copy of your resume and researching the employers that will be there. They provide a list of which employers will be attending by logging in to their student Owl Career Link.
There are also many websites that list potential internships. Internships.com, as most of the sites do, allows students to put in their city and field of choice and even whether or not they are looking for paid and/or unpaid internships. From there a proper cover letter and resume would be the next step. Occasionally a Skype interview may be requested. Using sites like Indeed or SimplyHired may be worth a try, but spending a lot of time on these to simply hit the “apply” button and having their resume sent into a black hole generally doesn’t prove too successful as most of these positions get filled by students with a more personal connection.
Some websites, like Internmatch.com, allow students to sign up to get daily notifications for new postings about jobs that may be of interest to them. Glassdoor.com and YouTern.com are also useful websites to find an internship. FindSpark.com is better known for its more creative internships and entry-level jobs in NYC. LinkedIn can be an excellent resource. Perhaps your student saw a position at a company they are interested in on one of the above sites and then by scouring LinkedIn they can make a connection. My daughter also had a connection within the company through her sorority. To search for internship listings, be sure to have a detailed and updated LinkedIn page ready to go, then go to the jobs tab at the top of the page and put “internship” in the search box. Refine your search by filling in the boxes on the left side of the page.
LinkedIn can be an excellent source for both networking and landing an internship. A LinkedIn Jobseeker account allows you to view profiles and send InMail messages starting from $29.95 per month. HaveUHeard that LinkedIn has a version specifically designed for students looking for their first jobs? The LinkedIn Students app is free and lets you research jobs, view companies where alumni from your schoolwork, and connect with more people. You can create an account and get started right away without spending a dime.
Some students are creating their own videos or websites to show off all they have done and are capable of. It can be better than a long portfolio that may exceed the amount of space for uploaded information. These are generally used for more majors like graphic design or advertising, and not finance. Should your internship take you out of state, learn about housing options.
Pass on these great tips, tell your friends and like us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Find out more about how to use HaveUHeard as a great resource. Sign up for other great tips at haveuheard.com.
Leave A Comment