It's that time of year again ... when college
students begin (or at least SHOULD begin)
to look for internships for spring and summer.
An early start is especially important as the
economy continues its volatility. In support of that
early start, we bring you our annual INTERNSHIP ISSUE.
As this issue goes out, it is not yet two weeks
since the attack on the U.S. by terrorists, and the
pain is still fresh. We at Quintessential Careers
stand in solidarity with all Americans and supporters
of the U.S. and in sympathy with all those touched by
this tragedy, including, of course, those in countries
all over the world affected by this diabolical act.
It's hard to focus on job-hunting at a time like this,
yet the terrorist attacks have had a clear and perhaps
sustained economic impact. Economists, reports CBS MarketWatch,
are bracing for large cutbacks that could propel total job cuts
for the year to 2 million. That's why we hope worried readers
will find our article, Job-Hunting in Times of Uncertainty,
timely.
Feature Article: How to Find Your Ideal Internship
Congratulations! By reading this article you are
taking the necessary steps for achieving greater
career and job-search success upon graduation from
college. Internships are invaluable learning experiences
for college students -- and almost a necessity for any
college graduate. Employers are demanding that college
grads have "real world" experience, and internships are
one of the best ways for college students to get that
experience.
So how do you find your ideal internship? It's a
three-step process: Determine Your Internship Goals,
Prepare/Polish Your Job Search Skills, and
Find/Track Down Internship Sources.
The value of one or more internships to college
students cannot be overstated. Internships have
simply become a must for all college students.
Internships help you better understand your
field, help cement (or, at times, change) your
career goals, and give you the experience
employers demand -- even of college graduates.
See the key rules that you need to understand
to make the most of internships here:
Internship Do's and Don'ts.
Bonus Feature: Job-Hunting in Times of Uncertainty
Five Overlooked Strategies to Help Make Your Job Search More Productive -- and Successful
In times when the economy falters, when financial
markets fall, and when companies of all sizes in many
industries announce plans to reduce their workforce,
job-seekers tend to get a bit concerned about the length
and success of the job search they may face. It almost
goes without saying that job-hunting in a boom economy
is quite different (and much easier) than job-hunting
in a slumping economy.
Different, yes. Harder and often more time-consuming, yes.
Impossible, no. Job-hunting is an art that simply takes
more time and work to perfect in uncertain times than
in good times. You will have to work harder and smarter
at finding new opportunities, but they are out there,
and if you take advantage of the five strategies outlined in our
article, you will be much better positioned to land a new job.
Need a speaker for your career-oriented conference or
event at your college or organization? The Quintessential
Careers Speakers Bureau can help! Our quintessential experts
can provide presentations/workshops on a variety of
career-related topics.
InternshipPrograms.com is a site that has evolved considerably
since it became part of WetFeet.com. An internship-seeker used
to have to navigate through multiple layers without much payoff.
Now, however, internships listings are plentiful and much easier to
access. There's a bit of a trick to searching, however.
You can search/browse by location, category, company name,
or most popular internship programs. If you're open to any
location, you might think you should search under your
category plus "Any US location -- Not Location-Specific."
If you do, however, you may turn up minimal internships.
Those with some flexibility in locations should search by
category. In test runs, we turned up loads of internship
listings in most categories, but listings were more
limited when we searched by location and especially limited when
we searched by location AND category.
In addition to searching InternshipPrograms.com's
extensive database of internships, you can post your
résumé to employers who are exclusively looking for interns,
read internship reviews, create your own real-intern
profile, or research companies and careers on Wetfeet.com.
Domain Name Sanity
-- where else can job-seekers get a Website (with the domain name of your choice), enough space to publish
your Web-based resume and career portfolio (20 megabytes), up to 50 email addresses, and lots of publishing
and promotion resources -- for under $20 a year!!
This deal is amazing -- almost too good to be true. If you don't have a Website, but want to put your
resume and portfolio on the Web, take advantage of these services! Fee-based.
Apply4Admissions.com
-- a comprehensive resource for students interested in receiving admissions and financial aid
application forms from schools, colleges, and universities throughout the U.S. and the world -- using
just one application request. Includes both undergraduate and graduate schools. Also has a searchable
database of colleges, financial aid guides, and scholarship searches. Free.
The Education America Network -- developed as a one-stop
portal for education professionals -- teachers, administrators, education specialists, and support staff --
this site is a great source of education employment opportunities in all 50 states. Job-seekers can search or
browse jobs, post your resume, and receive customized employment emails. Free to job-seekers.
Gradhires.com
-- a great Canadian career portal for recent university, college, and professional institution graduates.
Job-seekers can post multiple resumes, search for jobs using multiple criteria, and use a job agent.
Specializes in both entry-level and mid-level employment opportunities from progressive firms throughout Canada.
Free to job-seekers.
Jobs.NET
-- job-seekers from all over the world can browse or search for jobs, post your confidential online resume, and
receive job-hunting tips and advice. Job posting can be searched by just about any criteria, including
keywords, location, recency of posting, salary, job title, industry, company size, and more. Free to job-seekers.
Find even more career and job site additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
D.L. Bowman writes: "My daughter is a junior at the
University of Dayton in Dayton, OH, and she is majoring
in biology. She has a strong interest in forensic science
and would like to get a summer internship whether paid or
unpaid. She has had no luck with the local police department
even though they have a crime lab here.
Where should she direct her energies to next? She has
a 3.5 GPA and is a member of the Beta Biology honor
society and the Golden Key honor society, so she is a
hard worker and has a good head on her shoulders."
Chuck Bogden writes: "I am currently enrolled in college
for information technology. I am looking for jobs in this
field, but obviously to no avail. How can I gain experience
to get a job in this field or how can I get an employer
to go out on a limb to hire me?"
Anonymous writes: "I am a college graduate (psych major)
with experience as an administrative assistant in
human resources and sales. I want to become a corporate trainer
and organizational development specialist. I know there are
graduate degrees offered in this field.
What's concerning me
is that all the want ads I've read for training positions
specify a four-year degree and 1-3 years experience in the
field. How do I pursue a job that requires only an undergrad
degree but expects candidates to already have the appropriate
experience?"
Another Anonymous writes: "I am a 20-year-old who had
to withdraw from college because of an automobile accident.
My therapy/recovery is coming to an end. The free time I've
had has presented the opportunity to question where I want
to go career- and college-wise. I struggled for a year and
a half at a small liberal arts college -- my effort was minimal,
and my grades show it. The accident and long recovery have given
me a greater appreciation for what I need to do to be successful.
I've always been very handy and enjoy taking things apart.
I would probably be a great engineer but my lack of math
and science skills would make it difficult. Any advice on
how to evaluate my strengths/weaknesses and where
I might go from here??"
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
Recruiting Trends reports that employment activity is
expected to remain near historically low levels in the
final quarter of the year. Despite that depressing news,
USA Today recently reported that, even in this
economic downturn, employers are maintaining and even
expanding their internship programs. Aside from the fact
that interns provide cheap labor, companies are offering
internship programs "so they can locate good hires once the
economy rebounds," says USA Today reporter Stephanie Armour.
Armour reports that a study by the National Association of Colleges
and Employers showed that more than 60 percent of companies
planned to maintain or increase internships. Among big companies
hiring multitudes of interns are Texas Instruments and Verizon
Communications. It's all about keeping the talent pipeline open.
Recent research has found that students
consider the following areas most
important when choosing an internship:
Job content related to major
Well-defined project to complete during internship
Working with people I like/respect
Opportunity to see what it's really like at company
Chance to "get my foot in the door"
Having job description/being measured against objectives
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* How to conduct a long-distance job search
* Home-based careers
* How to start a job club
* Maximize your Interent job search
* The importance of company culture
* Letters of recommendation and references
* Career portfolios
* How to handle a request for a salary history
* Should you get an MBA?
* The value of a college education
* Networking timetable for college students
* The biggest myths in job-hunting
* Using key marketing tools to positions yourself in the job market
* Quintessential Career Profiles of YOU, our readers
* Q&As with well-known career experts
* Book reviews
. . . and much, much more!
Don't ever want to miss another issue of QuintZine? Get a free subscription to
the email version of QuintZine by completing our
subscription form.
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RESUMES * JOB SEARCH CORRESPONDENCE FROM TRUSTED EXPERTS * COVER LETTERS
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cover letters, curriculum vitae, thank-you and
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We also can provide critiques and makeovers of
your resume or cover letter. Credit cards accepted.
Quintessential Careers also offers writing services
for those who have been asked to give a speech and
need assistance in researching and writing their
remarks.
