Pursuing Job, Volunteer and Internship Opportunities Student Engagement Center: Career Development and Internships 219 Reid

The Agenda Internships -What are they? -What do you want them to look like? -How/Where/When do I find one? Job Searching -Resources that are available to you Looking Good on Paper Looking Good on Paper Alone Just Won’t Cut It

What is an internship? A chance to explore a career -Maybe you like it, maybe you don’t An opportunity to make some money A way to develop some career-essential skills (and build your resume!) An opportunity to network and collect contacts A real-world application of your coursework

What will your internship look like? When searching for an internship or job, you should consider: Experiences you want to have Impact on your career goals Skills you have in this area Skills you want to gain in this area Network-building opportunities What are your non-negotiables? Paid/Unpaid Location

Looking good on paper Resume: Relevance is key! Address specific needs of the organization/company Make connections between your experiences and skills and their needs Resume: Create a master list of all of your experiences; select one page worth of relevant info for a specific position or company Focus on your actions and accomplishments, as well as the skills you gained Cover Letter: Start with a strong, confident statement about your qualifications for the position Address the top 3-5 skills or requirements from the job description. Provide specific examples describing why you are qualified to meet their needs Ask for an interview

How/Where do I start looking? Create your own internship/job -Identify employers, craft a proposal, propose an internship, negotiate -Most likely unpaid, summer funding available Apply for existing internships -Check out NIC https://nic-csm.symplicity.com/students/ -Other internship resources http://www.whitman.edu/content/career_internships How many do I apply to? -As many as it takes to get one Volunteer through Community Service

Looking good on paper alone won’t cut it First Impressions are lasting! How to make a good first impression Networking Professionalism is essential Know what you hope to accomplish Develop relationships with contacts Listening skills are important Collecting the information that you need What’s your Career Commercial? Articulating your strengths, skills, and goals

Important components of a successful job search Confidence in your strengths, goals, and passions Interest in learning and developing new skills An open mind/ability to consider out-of-box opportunities Persistence/Follow-up Always demonstrate professionalism Patience

Job Search Resources What do I do if I don’t know what I want to do? Self-assessment, MyPlan http://www.myplan.com/careers/index.php Appointment with a career counselor Internet resources http://www.whitman.edu/content/career_internships Faculty connections Parent/family contacts Career Consultant Network

Developing your Career Commercial My Interests/Passions How I got interested in “X” industry My interests in the context of my career My Skills/Experiences My top skills in “X” industry My jobs/internships/leadership experiences that make me qualified My Goals What I want to accomplish in “X” industry

When do I start looking? What’s the timeline? Now thru Thanksgiving* & /Winter Break -Identify desired internship components -Update and improve resume -2 hours per week searching Thanksgiving thru Spring Break: -Apply, apply, apply -Interview and network Spring Break thru end of school year: -Finalize your plans * - Some internship deadlines are earlier (Federal Government, large internship programs)

Questions? Susan Buchanan buchansm@whitman.edu@whitman.edu 509-527-5183