Tag Archives: internships

Student / Alumni Spotlight – Brian A. Powell

Posted on by | Leave a reply

Ready to get inspired for your job, internship, or career search? Each month we will spotlight an OSU student that has inspired us when it comes to their career development. Check out their success stories—besides inspiration, they also show that academic major does not have to restrict your goals and that there are many ways to define success.

Want to nominate an OSU student or alum for the Student/Alumni Spotlight series? Or do you want to share your own success? Then please fill out this quick form and Career Services will contact the person nominated.brian_powell_linkedin_profile_pic

Name: Brian A. Powell

Major: Sociology (minor in Economics)

Year in school: Senior

Internship: Advertising Sales Representative, University Directories

1.   How did you find out about the internship?

I discovered University Directories during the Winter 2013 Career Fair at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center on campus. The funny thing is that I was not even sure I was going to attend that day, but I ended up going and when I came across the University Directories booth the managers were very interesting and convinced me to sign-up for an interview.

2.   What will you be doing in your position?

I cold called businesses face-to-face in my geographical territory in Corvallis and built relationships with business owners and marketing managers, learned about their advertising needs through asking good questions, presented ad spaces in the campus planner and directory I was selling, and sold them advertising space that fit their needs. I attended a week long Sales Foundations Academy training in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and worked about 50 hours per week for 13 weeks over the summer.

3.   What advice do you have for others interested in finding an internship?

Take advantage of as many opportunities as you can to connect with recruiters and find an internship. Go to every career fair, talk with your academic advisor, make an appointment with Career Services, schedule informational interviews with companies, and do research online. If you are not sure what field you want to go into, an internship is a good way to test the waters to see if the career is a fit for you or if you would rather do something else. Make sure to have a well prepared career portfolio/packet (resume, cover letter, reference letters, sample work) and go into an internship interview knowing what you want to get out of it.

4.   Did Career Services or anybody else assist you with your career development? If so, how?

Career Services was instrumental in my career development. The resume drop-ins were useful for having a trained reader proofread my resume as I made changes to it. I also scheduled a one-on-one consultation with one of the career advisors who assisted me with tailoring all of my documents and provided me with a good strategy. Last, Career Services hosted the Career Fair which landed me my internship. Without the Career Fair, I probably would not have had an internship this summer and would not have found out that I want to go into sales.

Thanks Brian  for being our Student /Alumni Spotlight! If you are interested in learning more about internships or the Career Fair,  there are many resources available to you on the OSU Career Services website.

The Opportunity in Every Opportunity

Posted on by | Leave a reply

There is so much information out there about how to find an internship that’s right for you, one that relates to your field of study, or one that will boost your experiences. We’ve covered topics such as:

But the topics hardly ever discussed are those such as: “what to do with your experience after the internship” or “how to hone in on the various skills and lessons you learned from your experience,” even if the experience wasn’t what you expected it to be.

I’ve done two internships during my time at Oregon State, and one the sumblog pic erica 11 29 2013mer following my junior year of high school. I know you must be thinking, “Wow, this girl started early!” But, with my indecisiveness on what to major in, I had to start early.

See, the important thing to understand about internships is that, while you may be able to earn college credits for them, they above all serve as important tools in your career development. For example, the first internship I did following my junior year of high school was through a class at The Art Institute of San Diego. At the time, head over heels for art and computers, I was interested in Computer Animation. Attending a small, private high school, I had no access to Computer Animation classes or an opportunity to experience with the subject. In doing research, I was able to find a Computer Animation summer class offered by The Art Institute, and found it the perfect opportunity to explore the subject. This experience assisted me in exploring computer animation as a potential career, developing hands-on computer animation skills, and networking with top computer animators in the country (my teacher drew Pink Panther and Spongebob)! What this experience also taught me was that Computer Animation wasn’t the right industry for me. The tedious drawing of each and every movement and shift was something I didn’t have the patience for. While some might deem this an unsuccessful internship experience, I ended up learning a lot about myself, including the types of jobs I saw myself a part of in the future. I couldn’t see myself sitting at a drawing board or computer all day; I wanted to be more engaged with others and I decided a job that allowed me to work with people would be one I would succeed most in.

My second internship experience brought similar results. Still unsure of what I wanted to major in, I continued to take opportunities to assist me in figuring it out. As an IT and Investigations Intern at the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office, I was able to further develop my IT skills, as well as explore Law Enforcement as a potential path. This experience was beneficial, as I was able to note Law Enforcement as a potential degree path and add numerous skills to my resume. I was able to, again, increase my computer skills, gaining knowledge in databases, as well as serve as a right-hand to attorney’s, first-handedly gaining insight on what being an attorney entails.

My third, and most recent, internship was with the Disney College Program. This experience, much different from the two mentioned previously, brought back my desire to work with people. While my second internship sparked my interest in Law Enforcement, the Disney College Program sparked my interest in the Tourism and Hospitality industry. I was working in the Florida summer (so hot!) in outdoor foods, which I knew I didn’t want to do for a career. While the job itself wasn’t interesting to me, I was able to note various aspects of the job that I enjoyed, such as my love for providing exceptional customer service. I realized that I enjoyed the District Attorney’s Office internship because I was serving the attorney’s; I was assisting them in their court cases by printing photos, recording testimonies, listening to and editing testimony transcripts, and other relevant tasks. Assisting guests at The Walt Disney World Resort helped me recognize my natural passion for customer service and the importance of customer service as an element of my future career.

The point here is, that if an internship opportunity arises and sparks your interest, I encourage you to go for it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Even experiences that show you what you don’t want to do, will surprise you in ways you never thought, many times teaching you a little more about yourself. The cool thing about internships is that they exist to help you learn. An internship is defined as any official or formal program to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession. From this definition, it is important to keep in mind that an internship provides ‘practical experience’. You may be interested in the study of a particular field or subject, but it is equally important to gain experience working hands-on in that field, in order to confirm it is right for you. So I encourage you to take advantage of the many internships that are out there, because there is ALWAYS opportunity in EVERY opportunity! And for those of you that have participated in internships you thought were a waste of time, you completely disliked, or weren’t what you expected, I encourage you to look back at those experiences and make note of the things you did learn from them.

 

 posted by Erica Evans, Career Assistant

 

HowTo Find an Internship

Posted on by | Leave a reply

internship signThere are many ways to find internship opportunities and I always encourage students to implement all strategies. Before even starting to find an internship, it is a good idea to think about what you want to get out of the internship. In order to know what you want to get out of the internship, first think about what skills and experiences you need to have in order to get the job you want when you graduate.  Check out multiple job descriptions, talk to people in the field and make a list of those qualifications. Then note the ones that you have and the ones you still need to develop. The ones you need to develop could be incorporated into your internship. For example, maybe you need to know a specific software program, or maybe you need to have experience presenting to others – include these in your learning outcomes for the internship.

Once you have identified the learning outcomes you will feel more prepared to find opportunities and you will appear more focused and confident to those looking to hire someone. Networking is always important, no matter the field, so tell all of your family, friends, professors, advisors, etc. that you are looking for an internship. Don’t just tell them you are looking for an internship, prepare a 30 second spiel that articulates what you want such as the industry, some companies or organizations that interest you, what you would like to get out of the internship, and anything else that you feel is important to include. You never know who someone in your network may know!

Besides networking, other strategies include paying attention to the emails you get from your professors, academic advisors, department, etc. Oftentimes they send opportunities your way but you have to actually read and follow up on the email. If your school has a job database this is another place to look for internships since employers are posting on that site because they want students from that particular school (at OSU it is Beaver JobNet). Career Fairs also often have internship opportunities, so be sure to attend! Depending on your major and field of interest, some companies have actual internship programs and those you can typically find on the company’s website or just do an online search of internship programs in “fill in the blank of your field.” Another great resource for internship opportunities are through professional associations. Every field has at least one professional association or society and many offer a student discount rate to join. Many also have internship postings on their website and you don’t always have to be a member to view them. Some companies are now recruiting through social media. LinkedIn offers job and internship postings and you can also search Twitter for internships in a specific field, for example, marketing internships. Just remember to make sure you have a clean and professional online presence!

These are just a handful of strategies to finding an internship…now just make sure you do at least one internship while in school. You’ll not only build a stronger resume, but learn about yourself and your future career.

Posted by Jen Busick Stewart, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator

Winter Career Fairs are coming up – ARE YOU READY???

Posted on by | Leave a reply

The Winter 2013 Career Fairs are almost here (February 27th, University Wide and February 28th, Engineering)! Take advantage of this last weekend to put the finishing touches on your resume and 30-second infomercial. If you’re still debating whether you want to go or not, here are a few great reasons to stop on by.

  • If you’re a senior and still need to find a post-graduation job, what better way is there to find one than through the Career Fair? The employers come to you, and often they’ll also conduct interviews here on campus, no need for you to go anywhere. The Career Fair offers a large potential for reward with little cost of time or energy.
  • If you’re looking for a summer job, consider stopping by to chat with employers about internships. Internships are a great way to gain real-world experience in your field of study and are often either paid or offer a stipend. Participation in an internship might even help you decide whether a certain career path is for you or not, and could lead to a future job if the company likes you enough to hire you after you graduate.
  • Practice makes perfect! If you’re a freshman/sophomore and don’t feel ready for post-graduation life, use the Career Fair to practice meeting employers and networking. That way when it comes down to actually getting in the game, you’ll have a lot more confidence and be more prepared for what to expect.
  • If none of those reasons convinced you, then hopefully I can appeal to the most basic sensibilities of a typical college student – free stuff. Companies donate awesome prizes to win, and they’ll often also bring free goodies which you can pick up at their table when you meet them.

Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of meeting employers, they’re nice people and some of them are even OSU alumni! Just put your best foot forward and have confidence in yourself, and I’m sure the Career Fair will be a great experience for you.

P.S. Don’t know what a 30-second infomercial is? Check out our helpful guide to creating one and other ways to prepare for the fair.

Reference: http://www.sonoma.edu/sbe/career_fair.gif

Posted by Deirdre Newton, Career Services Assistant

Start Your Summer Internship Search Now – 11 Ways to Get Going

Posted on by | Leave a reply

Welcome back to campus everyone! I know you are busy finding your classes, adjusting to this term’s schedule, and getting re-connected with friends but don’t forget to also start searching for a summer internship. You may be asking, ALREADY??? Yep, many employers hire their interns fall term for the following summer so in order to not miss out on an amazing opportunity, plan ahead! Below are 11 Ways to Get a Summer Internship from DoSomething.org with a few additional suggestions from OSU Career Services.

  1. Make a list. Figure out what you want to do – what interests you, what do you want to learn how to do, or what do you think you want to be in 10 years? Write down a few places or lines of work that come to mind. While you’re at it, scribble down a few basic things to narrow your search – what town or area, paid or unpaid, full-time or part-time, for school credit or not.
    Not sure of your interests? Then you might want to take a career or self-assessment and/0r meet with a career counselor. We offer both at Career Services!
  2. Research. Look into big companies in your area; most big corporations have internship programs. Stumped? Meet with a career counselor and also brainstorm a list of people who have jobs you think are interesting. Here is a great list to get you started. Remember Career Fair is taking place on October 24th (University Wide) and 25th (Engineering) and it is a great place to find out about internship opportunities from companies specifically recruiting Beavers!
  3. Get creative. Don’t want to work in a stuffy office while your buds are hitting the beach? No problem. Look into museums, art galleries, publishing houses, nature centers, eco-research centers, whatever. You may want to check out some ideas on our Alternative/ Adventure Jobs & Opportunities section of the Career Services website.
  4. Hit the pavement. Online research for big companies and orgs is a great starting point, but walk around your city or town to see if any other places spark your interest. Be bold, if something looks interesting, walk in, ask for an application, or leave your info (including a resume) with them. Don’t forget to smile! Need help putting together a resume? Then check out these resources and come by Career Services during our Drop-In Hours.
  5. Don’t give up. So your dream workplace doesn’t have an internship program? The search isn’t over yet! Look up who you can contact in Human Resources or who the managing director of a certain department might be, and contact them! Let them know that you’re interested in interning and ask if the company has a program or a way for you to help and learn a few things. You might want to meet with a career counselor to figure out your internship proposal so that you are prepared before you actually set up that meeting with a potential internship supervisor.
  6. Make sure you can do it! Once you have a few places, ask yourself: Got a ride? OK’d it with your parents/family? Is it realistic for you to get to the internship during the summer? Make sure you can get a ride (or map out your bus/train route), and if you can walk or bike, even better! You don’t want to commit to something and have to pull out at the last minute, so cover your bases.
  7. Get that resume in shape. What’s a resume and how do you make one? Check out these resources and come by Career Services during our Drop-In Hours for feedback.
  8. Make contact. If your internship has a formal application program, write out your application and apply, AND do a little digging to find out who might be getting that app. Give HR a call and ask who handles hiring. Send them a written note or an email explaining why you’d like the job and what makes you good at it. A little extra goes a long way.
  9. Spread your net. It’s tempting to put all your efforts into that dream job, but there are ton of people vying for internships, so make sure you look into at least five options and make contact with them so you have plenty of choices!
  10. Snagged an interview? It’s important to dress appropriately and remember a few simple things. Check out our resources on interviewing and schedule a mock (practice) interview with Career Services. Don’t have the time to practice with someone in person? Then do one virtually through InterviewStream.
  11. Follow-up. If you talked to someone at a company or had an interview, make sure to thank them and remind them you’re out there and would still love to intern with them.

Resource: DoSomething.org

Posted by Jen Busick Stewart, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University
Advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

Q&A Monday

Posted on by | Leave a reply

Question: When do employers hire/recruit for summer interns?

Employers have told us they hire most of their summer interns by the end of December. So, if you want a 2013 summer internship, most employers will hire those interns by the end of 2012. That means you need to be prepared to apply for internships by the fall. Check out more information about internships on the OSU Career Services website and if you need help preparing your resume, cover letter, networking, and interviewing…we can help with that too! And remember Fall Career Fair is on October 24th and the Engineering Career Fair is on October 25th…great place to meet a lot of employers recruiting OSU students and possibly land an internship!

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.