Senior Struggles: still looking for an internship? Try these helpful sites

March 28, 2012

The internet can be your friend when it comes to internship searching.

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

With the job market still recovering, some of us almost-college graduates are opting to spend this summer interning, rather than jumping right into a full-time career. While the Winter Career Expo has already passed, it is by no means too late to find a summer internship. However, many application due-dates are fast approaching, so check out this list of helpful websites to discover postings and research organizations to determine a great fit:
1. InternMatch

  • Free internship matching.
  • Free Resume and cover letter templates as well as interview advice.
  • An internship-related blog with lots of interesting articles and links.

2. InternQueen.com

  • A site started by Lauren Berger who had a whopping 15 internships while in college.
  • Especially helpful for people pursuing a career in a marketing/public relations/entertainment type career.
  • The site breaks down the internship postings into simple, easy to read pages.

3. Glassdoor.com

  • This site is great for researching possible internship positions and getting the details on the company’s interview/hiring process and company culture. As with any user-created content, take each individual review with a grain of salt.
  • The site features millions of companies so chances are, you’ll find the company you’re looking for.

4. Bright.com

  • This site locates your connections at different companies by skimming your pre-existing social network contacts.
  • It will highlight job openings that might interest you at companies where you have connections.

5. Internshipratings.com

  • This site provides internship reviews written by former interns. The same caveats mentioned above about user reviews apply here.
  • Highlights the most important aspects of thousands of different internships: salary, networking, fairness etc.

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Posted by Nell Gable

BP’s Sophomore Experience Program: The Student Perspective

February 21, 2012

Today’s guest post was written by two current students, Joe Miller (’13, Economics) and Rebecca Pollick (’14, Business). Joe and Rebecca spent time in Chicago last summer for BP’s Sophomore Experience Program, and today they share some information about the program. You can apply to BP’s Sophomore Experience Program on Career Center Connector — applications are due by March 14th.

Have you ever wondered where the gasoline you put into your car comes from? From deep underground and under the ocean floor into your gas task, the process of extracting, refining, and distributing oil is essential to the world economy.

You may think that a degree in petroleum engineering, chemical engineering, or business is necessary to start a career in the energy industry, but there is no need to have determined your career path to participate in BP’s Sophomore Experience – just the interest to learn more about the industry is enough to reap the benefits of this great program. It’s intentionally geared toward students with an interest in energy but no previous experience in the field.

We had the unique opportunity to participate in the Sophomore Experience last summer at BP’s office in downtown Chicago. Most all of the 22 participants had limited prior experience in the energy field, and were eager to learn more about how and why BP trades commodities such as oil, natural gas, jet fuel, and gasoline.

We participated in two oil market trading simulations, as well as various games and case studies. One case study called for us to analyze price and transportation cost data to determine where to send various shipments of oil around the United States in order to obtain the maximum profit. Another case study involved determining whether and where to build a new oil refinery in a developing country, based on local politics, environmental concerns, and economics. Completing the case studies was an incredibly eye-opening exercise, as the diversity of our peers led to a variety of viewpoints that were expressed, leading to creative solutions and interesting discussions.

Other activities were designed to exercise our teamwork and communication skills. The Supply Chain Game led to a surprising lesson in how imperfect communication and information can lead to extreme outcomes.

Sophomore Experience participants at a Chicago Cubs game

Some Sophomore Experience participants at a Chicago Cubs game

The Sophomore Experience wasn’t all work, though – every evening we had the chance to try a new Chicago-area restaurant, and even see a Cubs game and take a city tour. We stayed at the JW Marriott in the heart of Chicago and the 22 of us became great friends. We also got to meet many BP employees and hear about the variety of roles outside of trading that are available, from Compliance to Shipping to Finance. If you’ve ever thought that a career in energy might be for you, we strongly encourage you to apply to BP’s Sophomore Experience.

Go Blue!

Joe Miller & Rebecca Pollick

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Freshman Friday: Finding a summer job or internship

February 10, 2012

Every Friday, we’ll be highlighting some helpful information specifically for first-year students. Today we’re focusing on summer jobs and internships. You can view all the previous Freshman Friday posts here.

Many first year students who come into our office have one very clear goal: securing an internship. Having that goal is a great first step, but it’s also important to be clear about the why, what, where and how of the internship search. Without this clarity, finding a meaningful summer experience can be very challenging. Fortunately, if you’re struggling with these things, you’ve come to the right place! If you need help finding a summer job or internship, here’s a few things you can expect to find at The Career Center:

Developing your Story

Our career coaches begin by talking with students about their “story” — their likes, dislikes, values, interests, and passions. We might ask what classes you’re enjoying or what majors you’re considering. We might explore your involvement in campus organizations, roles you’ve taken on, personality traits you feel proud of, or skills you have developed in your first year at Michigan. Reflecting and building on your story helps you to make better choices about industries or organizations you might want to explore. This also aids in defining your goals and purpose for engaging in a summer job or internship.

Assessing fit

To learn about available opportunities, you can tap into our online posting system, Career Center Connector or the many other internship resources linked from our website. You may be faced with first time decisions about the experience you’re seeking, such as organization size, office culture, location preference, etc. We stress the importance of vetting options carefully before committing. One of our previous posts offers some tips and strategies when evaluating options to help you make informed choices about your summer break.

One summer… lots of ways to make it count!

At The Career Center we believe strongly in the value of experiential learning, and encourage students to understand that this experience can take many different forms. This is especially true for freshman since internships can be extremely competitive, with some open to upper class students only. So rather than emphasizing the prestige of an organization or the job title, you should focus on finding avenues that best help you explore. Some students may spend their whole summer with one organization, but others find ample learning opportunities through job shadowing, volunteering, informational interviewing, a part-time job, or a combination of these avenues. Ultimately, students who pursue opportunities with intention have the most meaningful summer experiences.

Putting the pieces together

One of the greatest benefits of a meaningful summer experience is not just the “doing” but the exposure it gives you to help in making more informed choices, in and out of the classroom, when you return to campus. As you experience your first summer as a college student, be sure to reflect (with family, friends, or us) about what you’re enjoying about your summer, and perhaps what you also find challenging. These conversations are a great foundation for a successful sophomore year!

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Posted by genih

Beyond Good or Bad: Evaluating Your Summer Internship

August 30, 2011
Cards with the words "good" and "bad" written on them

Getting beyond simply "good" or "bad"

Student move-in begins tomorrow, the Big House will be packed this Saturday, and if you’re anything like me, you have no idea where the summer went! Life is about to get crazy again in about a week, and before it does, I have one question for you: how was your internship?

It’s something you’ve probably heard quite a few times lately if you were able to get some experience over this summer. You might be sick of answering the question, and be tempted to answer with a simple “good” or “bad.” But not only is that a pretty boring answer, it’s also not that helpful to you. Being able to answer that question with more depth can help you better understand yourself, your passions and interests, and your ideal work environment. It can help you get a better idea of what to look for (and not to look for!) next time you’re searching for a job or internship.

So when I ask “how was your experience this summer?,” what I really mean is this:

  • Does the day-to-day work match up with what you thought you’d be doing? Even if you were stuck with some of the more menial tasks, were your full-time co-workers doing things that you find interesting?
  • What was your favorite project or task that you worked on? What about it did you enjoy?
    Tip: Consider updating your resume with these projects and tasks right now, while they’re fresh in your mind
  • On the flip-side, what was your least-favorite project or task, and why? Is it something that will be part of your day-to-day life as a professional in this field?
  • How well did you get along with your boss? Did his/her management style work for you? Consider things like:
    • How well were her expectations communicated?
    • How much time did he spend ‘looking over your shoulder’ vs. allowing you to work independently?
    • How much feedback did you receive on your work, and how often was it provided?
  • What questions could you ask in the next interview that would better help you understand the day to day responsibilities and what is expected of you?

You likely gained quite a few skills this summer, and earned a nice addition to your resume. But ideally, you also learned a lot about yourself, and have a better understanding of your reasons for (or against) following this career path. Use that knowledge this year to make more informed decisions during your next job/internship search, allowing you to select something that is an even better fit for you. As always, you can schedule an in-person appointment to talk about these topics with a career coach here at The Career Center. Welcome back to Ann Arbor — we hope to see you soon!

Photo credit: Banalities/CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Summer Internship Tips: Get into active mode!

May 23, 2011
yawning cat

This is not what you're going for.

It’s been a few weeks since summer break started, which means that you might have already started (or will soon start) work at a summer internship. It can be somewhat intimidating to jump into, especially if this is your first ‘professional’ experience. Too many interns let that uncertainty and intimidation push them into ‘passive mode,’ and only end up doing things they’re directed to do by a supervisor.

I’m not encouraging you to overstep your bounds, or immediately start to do work that you shouldn’t be doing. But the most important thing you can do during your internship is to take an active role in the experience. First off, make sure you’re asking lots of questions. As an intern, you’re there to learn — they aren’t expecting that you already know everything. And don’t stick to asking questions only of your boss. Talking to fellow interns, as well as full-time staff that work in other areas, will allow you to learn a lot more and gain a better perspective of the organization as a whole.

Asking questions of others is also a great opportunity to meet people, which is another way to take an active role in your internship experience. You’ll likely have ample opportunity to meet other interns (if you’re not the only one!), but you may have to go out of your way to have conversations with others in the organization. Getting to know others will allow you to gain a more complete perspective of the place where you’re working, and of the industry as a whole. It will also get you noticed beyond your specific area, which is great because it is easy to get lost in the shuffle as a new intern. And of course, making a good impression on as many people as possible is helpful if you’re hoping to turn your internship into a full-time offer at the end of the summer.

A final way to take a more active role in your summer internship is to really look for new ways to contribute. This might take some time, as you will first need to get the hang of the tasks you’re given at the start. But as early as possible, start to look for ways you can go beyond those tasks. If your boss seems frustrated or overwhelmed with work, look for ways to take a couple things off his/her plate — that will get you noticed right away. The best way to take some initiative is to go beyond simply asking for more work, but to identify a specific project that you would like to take on, and present it. This shows that you’re not just willing to work hard, but that you are looking for new ways to contribute without being asked to do so. It may not always work out, but you can be sure that your initiative was noticed.

As always, we’re open all summer long to discuss these and other career-related issues. If you’re not in town, we also offer phone appointments with our advisors and counselors. Happy interning!

Photo credit: Jennifer Leigh/CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Hands-on Experience: Internships & Research

December 7, 2010

glass beakersIf you’re a student, you’re undoubtedly very busy. You know that getting hands-on experience in your field is a good idea, but you also want to be sure that the time and energy you spend teaches you something truly useful. In other words, you don’t want an internship that just means fetching coffee or making copies.

Although many students don’t automatically think “research” when they’re on the hunt for an internship, any opportunity that immerses you in the inner-workings of a lab or research project can be valuable, whether it officially lists “internship” in its title or not.

You may think “That’s great, but where do I actually connect with information about this type of experience?” Luckily, the staff at the Career Center can get you started with a few helpful resources.

One place to start is the National Science Foundation, which offers opportunities tailored toward undergraduate students through its REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) Sites program.

The REU Sites Program brings together groups of ten students per site who work in research programs of a specific host institution. Students work closely with faculty and researchers, and are granted stipends for their work.

If you’d like to link directly to opportunities in specific fields — from Biological, to Physical or Social Sciences, you can go straight to a listing of sites by topic. It’s worth noting that this page also offers a search function, if you prefer to search by a particular topic or keywords.

Research is not for everyone; yet, especially if you are medical school-bound, it may be important to give it a try.  Even if, after this experience, you end up deciding against pursuing research as your lifelong interest, you will be grateful for having gained at least some exposure.  In the process, you will learn some important lessons about yourself, your stamina, problem-solving skills, resourcefulness, attention to detail, ability to formulate questions and a lot more!

The Rochester Institute of Technology also has a great compilation of co-op and internship opportunities, some of which won’t require US citizenship or Permanent Resident status.

Good luck researching research opportunities (no pun intended)!

Photo credit: Amy / CC BY 2.0

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Posted by mcherem

Celebrating over 40 years of public service: the Public Service Intern Program

September 22, 2010

PSIP students in the Nation's Capital

Looking for an internship in DC? Not sure what the nation’s capital has to offer? The Career Center’s Public Service Intern Program (PSIP) can help you fuel your passion for experience in the public sector. While an internship anywhere can enhance someone’s skills in the workplace, DC is unique in that an intern can specialize his/her passion for public service. Whether it is networking with this nation’s leaders, deciphering the web of Washington connections, or confirming career aspirations, being an intern in DC is unlike any other city.

While in DC, I learned firsthand how to use my passion for public service in a specific area of interest.  I also learned valuable skills that I will use the rest of my life. While I grew professionally in the city, PSIP taught me useful skills throughout the year, as well. Applying for internships in an unfamiliar city can be daunting and tedious. Being unsure of the opportunities and how to navigate the numerous applications – which consist of multiple deadlines and differently perfected materials – adds to the worry of an internship in DC.

That is where the Public Service Intern Program (celebrating over 40 years of public service advancement!), can help ease you into the application process. Not only does PSIP teach students about the countless internship opportunities in DC, the program helps you prepare your application materials, such as resumes, cover letters, and writing samples. PSIP also helps you submit your applications, and teaches you how to rock an interview over the phone! A major goal of the Career Center’s Public Service Intern Program is to provide its members with the support they need to have a successful internship in DC, even once in the city. PSIPers are offered a group summer housing option in the George Washington Dorms, where they will live with fellow Michigan PSIPers and be surrounded by interns from schools across the country, as well.

As part of the support system PSIP provides, I am just one of two PSIP student coordinators who will be joining the PSIP group in George Washington University’s dorms next summer. By staying in DC with the new interns, I am able to schedule exciting events for the group, answer questions and handle emergencies. Together, we will be planning great events, such as a CIA tour, to help PSIP members make the best out of their summer excursion.

To find out more about the Public Service Intern Program, please visit our website.

If you are interested in applying, you can do so online through the Career Center Connector:
•    Log-in to Career Center Connector. If you do not yet have a password, click “Forgot My Password” and enter your umich e-mail address to have a password sent to you. Then log in and complete your profile.
•    Find the PSIP application in the “Jobs/ Internships” tab for an overview of the program and to access the short essay questions. Type “PSIP” into the search box, and it will appear on the top of the list.
•    Once preparing your materials, upload your resume and answers to the short essay questions in your “Documents” tab. Your essay questions should be uploaded as “Document Type: Other”.
•    Locate the PSIP posting again by conducting a search for “PSIP” under the “Jobs/ Internships” tab, select the appropriate documents (resume and short essay questions) under the “Apply” section and click “Submit”.

Questions? Email applypsip@umich.edu.

Vicky Jennings
Student Co-coordinator, Public Service Intern Program
“Celebrating over 40 years of facilitating public service”

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Posted by vjenn

Making the most of your summer internship: last words

August 18, 2010

Fall is almost here, and that means that for many of you, summer internships are wrapping up. We’ve already talked about ways to make the most of your summer internship, and some next steps. Today I want to add a few final thoughts that build on some of the work you’ve been doing all summer.

"goodbye" sign and stop sign

Wait! Before you leave...

You should have been keeping track of your projects and accomplishments this summer, paying particular attention to how the results you achieved can be quantified. While it’s fresh in your mind, why not update your resume right now? You’ll want to tailor each resume you send to various employers throughout the year, but getting the basics down now will keep you from having to scramble or rack your brain in the middle of a hectic school year to get everything updated.

Hopefully you’ve been fortunate enough to identify a mentor within your industry, but even if you haven’t it’s still important to maintain connections with the professional network that you’ve started to build. Whether you plan to continue with that organization/industry or not, the people you’ve worked with have first-hand knowledge of your skills and abilities, so they’re a natural fit to be able to help you in the future. Send thank you notes (or emails) liberally, and be sure to connect with your former co-workers on LinkedIn. Doing nothing isn’t as bad as burning bridges, but it’s also a waste of a perfectly good opportunity to expand your community of industry professionals.

The last piece deals with reflection. You’ve had the summer to experience what it might be like to work in your chosen profession, and considered what you like and don’t like about it. Now it’s important to evaluate your fit considering things like work/life balance, company culture, and work style. If that dream internship isn’t what you thought it would be, now is the time to consider shifting your career plans. While you don’t want to make that sort of decision lightly, it’s better to start thinking about it now, rather than months down the road when you’re about to graduate and worried about your job search.

(And while you’re at it, consider paying it forward by describing your internship on internshipratings.com. Future applicants will love to know about your experience, whether it was good or bad.)

Remember that The Career Center still has regular hours for the rest of the summer, so if you’d like to come in before classes start to discuss presenting the experience on your resume, connecting with your newly-formed professional community, or further developing your career story and future path, please schedule an appointment online Otherwise, we’ll see you in a few weeks at the start of fall semester!

Photo credit:Peter Kaminski / CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

Making the most of your summer internship: next steps

June 16, 2010
red and grey steps

It's time to step up your internship game

About a month ago we talked about how to make the most of your summer internship. Hopefully you’ve had some time to get your footing, so we’re back this month to revisit the three topics we covered last time, and build on them:

In part 1, I mentioned that you should be trying to take initiative. If you’ve been able to take on any of your own projects since then, it’s important to track them. Toward the end of the summer, you’ll want to be able to make the case that you should receive a full-time job offer, or at least use this experience on your resume while you’re applying for other jobs/internships. If you don’t think about how you’ll incorporate this experience into your resume, you’ll have a tough time articulating it later on, when it’s been months since you’ve thought about it. Come up with ways you can measure the impact that you’re having right now, and write down some specifics about what you’re doing so that you can remind yourself later on when you need to talk about it in an interview, or write a bullet for your resume.

I also discussed the importance of networking, and you might have had the chance by now to meet a few full-time employees that are working in a role you’d love to have 1, 3, or 5 years from now. If the two of you have developed a strong rapport, you should consider developing a mentor/mentee relationship. Brazen Careerist’s Penelope Trunk offers some advice on how to get started:

This person can be any age, but the most effective mentor is someone approximately five years ahead of you in your career. A person at this level will know how to navigate your organization at the spot you’re in, and the person will remember what it is like to be where you are. This person should be someone you admire and someone who has good communication skills.

Be sure to check out her other mentorship-related tips in her post, 7 steps to finding and keeping a mentor.

Lastly, I encouraged you to take the summer to evaluate the company and industry while you’re actually living in it. As a next step, start keeping track of these likes/dislikes and reflect on them. For instance, if you’re finding that your internship leaves too little time to enjoy yourself outside of work, think about what your ideal work/life balance situation would be. Every industry (and company) differs in this respect, so it’s important to think about how much of your time and opportunities outside of work that you’re willing to give up in order to be successful in your chosen profession.

It’s also a good time to dig deep and isolate whether the characteristics that you like/dislike about your internship are due to company structure and culture, or due to the leadership and management style of your immediate supervisor (or both). For example, you may like your boss’ open-door policy, but is that practiced throughout the organization? It’s important to figure this out, because you don’t want one particular aspect of your internship (bad or good!) to completely color your experience in this field if it’s not the norm.

I’ll be posting a few more things geared specifically toward interns this summer, so be sure to subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already. And don’t forget that we’re also available for phone appointments if you’re not in Ann Arbor, so you can still speak to an advisor even if you’re out of town!

Photo credit: judepics on Flickr.

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

The Value of a Summer Job

May 19, 2010

Landscaping

Summer jobs can provide valuable skills if you market them the right way

When I was in undergrad, I thought I was too busy trying to pay for college and searching for a career to look into internships. Many of my friends pursued internships or went abroad, but I needed to be making money in the summer. I had no idea how to find an internship that paid nor did I know what I was looking for, so I always settled with wage-earning positions each summer. One year I worked for a carpenter as his assistant. Another two summers I worked for a landscaping company and picked up some hours at a retail store. The rest of my summers (I was in college for six years, so there were a lot of summers!) I worked in a dining hall here at Michigan.

As I went through each of these experiences, I thought they were only good for the wages that they gave me. I thought that they were just something to help me pay for school and that I was missing out on ‘more relevant’ experiences like internships and study abroad. While it would have been nice to have those experiences, the ones I did have were still very valuable and helped me develop a very marketable skill set.

So how are retail positions, food service positions, and manual labor positions, and the like valuable? Well, what makes any experience valuable? Employers and graduate schools are looking for applicants who have great verbal and written communication skills, who are flexible, can work in a fast-paced environment, are problem-solvers, and have great interpersonal skills among others things (see the 2010 Top 5 skills according to NACE’s Job Outlook Survey of employers). You may not know this yet, but I guarantee no matter what summer job you had, it probably developed and demonstrated at least some of the skills listed above.

I challenge you to think about those different summer jobs and write down how you demonstrated or developed each of the skills listed above. Once you have done this, try to edit this language into bullet points for your resume. Believe it or not, by completing this exercise, you have done most of the work of presenting your summer experiences as valuable ones. This exercise is the basis for writing content for your resume and cover letters and it also helps prepare you for interviews.

Still lost on how to market these experiences? Come into the Career Center for an advising appointment so that we can work together to determine how to best market your experiences no matter how little confidence you may have in them. We can help improve your presentation of your summer experiences and build confidence around the experiences you had whether they were internships and study abroad programs or jobs working at the local pool, mall, restaurant, or landscaping company.

Photo credit: sidewalk flying on Flickr.

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Posted by jungaz

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