A life coach, professor, and student lend advice as summer internships become available for juniors and seniors.
Troy Pavy, a professor of marketing, said, “Applications could open anywhere from January to March or April.”
Because of this, students looking for internships are in a phase of creating resumes, emailing various companies, and making connections with employers.
Magdalene Mastin, director of career development, said, “The most important thing that you can do is meet people.”
One way that students can do this is through visiting career fairs. Upcoming career fairs are the camp and ministry fair (Feb. 26) and the spring student and alumni career fair (March 18).
Mastin says the phrase, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” leaves out an important piece. It is about who knows you.
While having connections is important, no one can guarantee that an internship is going to land.
“I know many people who have applied for 50 or more and haven’t gotten any. It’s always good to just put your name and resume out there for people to find,” Sage Parsetich, a junior, said.
Applying to multiple internships can help a student gain experience and potentially lead them to other internship opportunities.
Parsetich said she’s had companies that have told her if she didn’t get the internship, they would help her connect with other businesses to get a job through them.
Resume building through the Life Calling and Career office and meetings with life coaches, professors and advisors can help students to begin the process of making connections.
Juniors and seniors looking for internships have a lot to consider in the coming months, but Pavy has a word of advice to send them on their way.
“You shouldn’t settle as an intern, identify the things that you want to do and go after them,” Pavy said.
Specific assistance to finding internships can be seen through Handshake, an online job and internship platform, and Life Calling & Career’s recently released virtual platform.
The virtual platform provides a schedule of upcoming events, contact information and available jobs and internships.
The link to that platform is lifcallingcareer.indwes.edu.
