About Summer Jobs & Internships
Contents:
Benefits of a career-related job include:
- Professional, career-related work experience
- Chance to test the waters before making a commitment to a
specific career field or academic discipline
- Opportunity to establish contacts in the professional world
Before you apply, develop a goal statement for your search
- What type of work do you want to do?
- What skills do you have to offer a prospective employer?
- What type of employer do you want to target?
- In what type of work environment would you work best?
- What are your greatest strengths and how do you best put
them to work?
- What sort of "corporate culture" appeals to you?
- Where do you want to live? In what part of the country do
you want to work?
- What can you afford?
Internship types
- PAID - Offers anywhere from minimum wage to $6 to $10 or
more an hour
- STIPEND - Reimburses the intern for transportation and other
incidental expenses ($50 - $200 a month)
- UNPAID - Offers no monetary compensation
Time frame / application deadlines
Most internship applications are due three to six months
before the starting date, so you should start the process early.
The standard application procedure includes sending a cover
letter and resume and setting up an interview.
Develop a good resume and write an accompanying cover letter
- Counseling Services offers resume clinics each semester and
has a variety of resources with examples of different resume
styles and contact letters.
- Once you have prepared a rough draft, one of our career
counselors can review it, answer questions, and offer
suggestions.
Develop a list of prospective employers:
- General Resources
- Local Chamber of Commerce
- Telephone Book / Yellow Pages
- Professional/Trade Journals
- Academic Internships
- Newspapers
- Professional Associations
- Directories
- Local Bureau of Employment Securities
- Counseling Services Resources
- Summer job postings
- Summer camp information
- Guides and directories
- Materials in internship files
3.
Resources listing vacancies
- Employment agencies
- Community agencies
- Government services
- Special interest groups
- Non-profit organizations
- In-house newsletters
4. People
(contacts) who may be helpful
- Family, friends, colleagues
- Members of clubs and organizations
- Alumni
- Advisors & professors
Gather information about your prospective employers
- Do you know anyone who works there? Record their names and
contact them to get information about the organization.
- Identify what you want to learn about each company.
- Find written information about the worksite.
- Check out Deb Flanagan's free tutorial on "Researching
Companies On Line"
Target companies
Set a realistic timetable to send cover letters and resumes to
prospective employers. At the same time, set up an effective
recording system to keep track of all correspondence with
employers.
Practice and refine your interviewing skills
- Attend an interviewing workshop.
- Borrow interviewing skills books from the Counseling
Services lending library.
- Sign up for mock interviews in our office and get feedback
from an experienced recruiter.
Follow up your interview
Write a letter or make a phone call indicating your interest in
the position. A thank you note is always a nice touch.
Assess your progress
Review your practices and results frequently to determine if you
need to alter your strategy.
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