Readers:
Dr. Randall Hansen, a nationally recognized career expert, is the Career Doctor.
Discover more about Dr. Hansen, read about the purpose of this column,
and find previous issues of this column at the home of The Career Doctor.
If you have any college, career, or job-related questions or comments that Dr. Hansen could
provide valuable assistance with, please
feel free to email him at: careerdr@quintcareers.com.
Dr. Hansen writes this column on a biweekly basis.
Anonymous writes:
I am currently a student looking to find an internship or externship. I know I should target a
company and then compose some sort of letter, but I have no idea where to start. Could
you give me a few pointers?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Now is the perfect time to be searching out internship opportunities for this summer,
although for some of the “bigger” internships, the deadline may have already past.
That said, there should be plenty of opportunities for all college students to obtain
internships this summer.
How can college students track down internships? Here are the top four sources:
Use your network of friends, family, former bosses/co-workers -- everyone
you know -- to let them know you are interested in an internship this summer.
Networking is a great tool for uncovering some hidden opportunities.
Use your college’s resources, including the career services office, the alumni
office, and your teachers. All of these folks should be able to provide you multiple
internship leads.
Use the Internet. There are quite a few internship Web sites out there,
some where you can apply for an internship directly.
Use your imagination. If you have a certain niche or a certain set of companies
you would love to intern for, then research those companies and apply for
internships either from the company’s Web site or through a mail campaign
using a cover letter and resume.
In all cases, once you decide to apply for an internship, please make sure your
resume is tailored to each internship opportunity and that your cover letter (in about
three to four paragraphs) makes the case that you are the ideal candidate for the
internship.
By the way, internships are a MUST for college students who want to have the best
employment opportunities upon graduation. Employers want to hire college graduates
that already have a proven track record of success.
And, of course, for students who are not exactly sure of their career paths, internships
are a great way to get a glimpse of a career path - and help you decide if that career
is right for you or not.
Finally, internships are also wonderful opportunities because they grow your skills
and employability, expand your network, and may even give you a permanent job
offer upon graduation.
Use these resources from Quintessential Careers to help you:
Anonymous writes:
I was terminated from my previous job. Could my ex-employer say any
negative things that will reflect on my chances on getting a job?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Possible? Yes. Likely? No.
Given our litigious society, employers are getting more and more tight-lipped
about what they say about former employees - so that it does not come back
to haunt them.
That said, most employers will state that you were terminated, and some may
state whether you were fired for cause or simply terminated… so, you need to
face the fact that in many cases, a prospective new employer may very well
know you were fired.
But I think you need to spend less time worrying about what a former employer
might say about you and more time on how you are dealing with being fired --
and what you have learned from the experience.
From my work with job-seekers, I know that getting terminated -- whether for cause
or downsized -- is tough on the ego, so you need to pick yourself up off the ground,
shake off the termination, and go right back out there and seek new employment.
Don’t let the termination affect your job-hunting. Do not bring it up in your cover letter,
resume, or interview.
But do be prepared to address the issue if it is raised in an interview. Your
prospective new employer is going to want to know what you have learned
from the experience - and you need to be prepared with a good answer. You never
want to sound bitter - and you never want to badmouth a former boss or employer.
Heather writes:
I have a BFA in dance performance and a good bit of professional/semi-professional
dance experience. However, I have chosen to go back to school for my other passion:
conservation biology. I am taking the required science and math courses at a college
now to gain acceptance into a graduate program (without getting a second degree),
but realize I will be competing with students who have not only a BS, but also lots
more experience in the field. I am trying to gain some of that experience this
coming summer by applying to internships or volunteering. I have read lots about
"transferable skills", but the two careers are so different that only one comes to
mind -- dedication! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
Wow. You are truly making a dramatic career change, and kudos to you for
taking the leap (if you forgive the pun) to follow your passion. And you also
deserve credit for realizing that you need to get started now on gaining valuable
experience in your new field so that by the time you are finished with your
graduate degree you will be an attractive candidate to employers.
Transferable skills are an essential job-hunting concept to master for all
job-seekers, but especially for recent college graduates and career-changers.
What are transferable skills? Simply put, they are skills you have acquired
during any activity in your life -- jobs, classes, projects, parenting, hobbies,
sports, virtually anything - that are transferable and applicable to what you
want to do in your next job or career.
Your first step is identifying the set of skills that employers in conservation
biology seek. You can do this by compiling a collection of jobs from various
employers -- and making a list of the key skills they seek.
Your next step is then looking into your past and present for any experiences
where you may have used or mastered those skills.
Your final step is then carefully showcasing those transferable skills in your
cover letters, resumes, and interviews.
I think volunteering is a much more likely option for you this summer than
internships -- because you are still needing to catch up on those core science
classes, but don’t rule anything out until you try. I have found that employers
often interview (especially for internships and volunteer positions) candidates
with diverse backgrounds because they seek a well-rounded staff.
Read more about transferable skills in this section of Quintessential Careers:
Transferable
Job Skills.
Q:
Lindsey writes:
I am interested in technical theatre and I am thinking about majoring in it.
My concerns are what type of steady occupation could I work in after college?
A:
The Career Doctor responds:
First, let me state that only you can answer your question. The ideal
situation for any student or job-seeker is to find a job/career that you
love -- and that is in demand.
Technical theatre is all the stuff that goes on behinds the scenes -- stage
management, lighting, sound, props, wardrobe, scene design, etc. And
as long as there is continued demand for theatre, there will be demand
for the professionals who are responsible for just about everything
but the acting.
My advice is to conduct some informational interviews with professionals
working in the theatre. Informational interviews are where you sit down (in
person, by phone, or electronically) with someone in a job that interests you.
Ask as many questions as you can about how s/he broke into the field,
how s/he sees future employment trends, how you can best prepare for
a career in this field, etc. The goal is information. A side benefit is adding
the person to your network. And in some cases, the interview may
result in you being invited to apply for an internship.
I would also talk to the professors who teach the technical theatre courses.
Ask about careers and ask about the placement of recent grads and
other alums.
I haven’t seen any news indicating the demise of theatre in this country,
but I think it’s a bit cyclical and tied to the economy -- when people
have jobs and are confident about their future, they are more likely to spend
more money on entertainment, such as the theatre. But ask your
professors and the professionals in the field -- they will have the inside
scoop.
