Internships and Career Exploration

Jean Leverich, LSA AdvisingDan Schniedermeier, Career

Center

Career Exploration exercise What career(s) are you considering/interested

in learning more about?

What experiences would help you gain insights and marketability for that career?

What steps can you take to make them happen?

Informational Interviewing What is it?

Interviewing for information, not a job!

Why do it? One of the best ways to learn

information about different industries - information that you might only learn from individuals.

What is an Internship?

An Internship:

Is your summer job an internship?Is your summer job an internship?

a short-term work experience in which you receive training and gain experience in a specific field or career area. An internship can be paid or unpaid and can vary in hours and length.

An Internship is also … An opportunity to gain valuable insights and hands-on

training in a professional setting.

A chance to explore career paths in a variety of fields.

An opportunity to translate coursework into applied knowledge in the workplace.

Potentially an intrinsic part of your academic and professional training.

An opportunity to develop a network and find a mentor.

Why do an internship? What are some reasons for doing

an internship?

What do you want to explore or learn from your internship experience?

What are your goals for your internship?

Steps to an InternshipDevelop your internship goals

-View postings on Career Center Connector and visit “Majors and Careers” link on TCC website.

http://careercenter.umich.edu/students/majors_careers/index.html

-From these listings, identify and prioritize preferred industries and/or job tasks!

Steps to an InternshipPrepare a resume and learn to write cover

letters

-Use online resources such as Optimal Resume to develop documents.http://umich.optimalresume.com/

-Research organizations and specific programs to refine interests and tailor cover letters.

-Come in for advising on your cover letters and resumes before sending them out to employers or internship providers.

Utilize multiple resources to identify internships

-Access online postings via Career Center Connector.

http://careercenter.umich.edu/students/findingjob/c3student/index.html

-Use books from The Career Center library.

-Attend Information Sessions and Job Fairs: Public Service Internship Program (Late September)Job Fair (October 5) Study Abroad Fair (October) Health Career Fair (November) Internship/Summer Job Fair (January 16)Multicultural Job Fair (January 17) Work Abroad Month (February) E-Fair (February)

Steps to an Internship

Steps to an InternshipApply for positions from October through May

-Follow application instructions carefully and check to make sure all of your materials look as professional as possible.

-Maintain accurate records of your contact with organizations you contact and individuals with whom you speak.

-Make follow-up calls 1-2 weeks after applying to express interest, check the progress of your application, etc.

Steps to an InternshipInterviewing

-Learn about interviewing techniques and questions from The Career Center website and take advantage of Interview Stream.

-Research organization and specific internship opportunity more in order to create the best fit for you.

-Talk with a counselor at The Career Center if you have questions regarding accepting or rejecting offers.

The Top 20 “skills” employers seek in candidates

1.Communication Skills - verbal and written

2. Honesty/Integrity 3. Interpersonal Skills -

relates well to others4. Strong work ethic5. Teamwork Skills6. Analytical Skills7. Motivation/initiative8. Flexibility/Adaptability9. Computer Skills 10. Detail-Oriented

11. Leadership Skills12. Organizational Skills13. Self-Confidence14. Friendly/Out-going

Personality15. Tactfulness16. Well Mannered/Polite17. GPA (3.0 or better)18. Creativity19. Entrepreneurial Skills/Risk-

Taker20. Sense of Humor

(NACE, 2005)

Transferable Skills Abilities, aptitudes and qualities

developed in one context that can be applied to many other contexts. Acquired through academic

coursework, extra-curricular activities and work experience.

Major to Career Match Art & Archaeology Classics Asian Studies French & Italian Geosciences Molecular Biology Philosophy Physics Psychology Religion Sociology

TV producer Screenwriter/novelist investment banker Attorney OB/GYN MD HS teacher Journalist Physician U.S. Justice Marketing Bank vice presidenthttp://www.princeton.edu

/pr/pub/mc/

LSA Credit for Internships

Many departments have courses for internship credit for their concentrators. Talk to concentration advisor

Independent Study

What is an independent study?

A special arrangement made with an instructor to complete academic work not normally offered through traditional classroom instruction.

Arranging an Internship as Independent Study Find a faculty member to sponsor you. Determine what academic work you’ll do to

get credit. Get an electronic override from your

sponsor or dept staff Throughout the internship, think about how

your experiences relate to independent study.

Keep a journal Communicate with faculty if you need to modify project

Make the Most of the Internship Keep a journal of tasks, opps, contacts,

projects, etc. Make a list of skills you acquired and how you

developed them Keep a file of materials for use in a portfolio Ask people to discuss their job skills Seek a mentor Ask to take on responsibilities Ask to do something that involves the skills

you want to develop

Questions to ask yourself during / after experience

What did you learn from your experience?

How did you demonstrate the key skills employers are looking for?

What did I like/dislike about internship, and why?

What do I want to do/learn next?

Resources/Next Steps UM Career Center UM-sponsored opportunities

MIW, GIEU, OIP, Ginsberg Center, Office of Student Leadership & Activities, Overseas Opp Office

Alumni Association For career exploration and informational

interviewing Instructors, Friends, Co-curricular Activities

Maize Pages