Why, and HOW students might want to keep their foot on the career development gas pedal and continue to give 100% to internship & job search and applications.

This is a good time to discuss why students need to keep their focus on searching for, applying for, interviewing for, and getting internships (& jobs). Each of these steps has individual value in terms of career planning. Put together, these steps will keep students ready to get the experience needed to succeed in their fields and succeed in job markets even when the economy is in transition.

Current first-year students will be entering the job market in another 3-4 years and it will be more important than ever, no matter what their major, to have field-related experience during college to be competitive in the marketplace. A quick review of reasons why it is important to do internships (ideally, paid ones): https://images.app.goo.gl/W4FccL5aHtiv9oUw5

It might help students to break down the steps from research to successful internship/job offers:

1. Use internship & job descriptions on Handshake, Careershift, LinkedIn and other online sources, as well as from Informational Interviews students conduct with professionals to assess the types of internships they might look for.

2. Use their draft resume & cover letter to develop customized internship applications/jobs and apply to at least 2-3 internships per week before the semester is over, and through the summer months.

3. Practice and hone interview skills and get ready for interviews (phone and video at the moment and over time, in-person) so every interview is a growth experience.

4. Know that in many fields, students can do internships for academic credit (credit requirements to be eligible should be confirmed with individual academic advisors). If the internship is not paid, this is one way to make it have more value-add (paid internships can also be done for academic credit in certain majors).

5. Plan on internships during summers, and also during upcoming semesters if students plan out their academic load carefully enough ahead of time.

6. Talk to assigned Career Counselors starting NOW.