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Upcoming Events |
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Public Service Town Hall & Career Fair
July 16, 2008 |
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Study Abroad Fair
September 9, 2008 |
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Internship and Part-Time Job Fair
September 10, 2008 |
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Graduate & Professional School Fair-Graduate School Day
September 22, 2008 |
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Graduate & Professional School Fair-Law Schools Day
September 23, 2008 |
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Fall Career Fair 2008 - three day fair
October 15, 2008 |
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Fall Career Fair 2008 - three day fair
October 16, 2008 |
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Fall Career Fair 2008 - three day fair
October 17, 2008 |
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Bioscience Internship and Career Fair
November 6, 2008 |
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Green Industry Career Fair
November 12, 2008 |
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Internships
Develop Your Own Opportunity
Not
finding the right
internship for your
needs? Then
develop your own by finding the right organization,
in the right location,
with
the right
responsibilities.
Have
you found the perfect organization
in NYC but want to live in
DC this summer?
Want to work on a specific social justice
campaign, but they don't post internships?
Are you hoping for legal
experience to prepare for
law school,
but
firms
and lawyers only seem to
hire law
school students?
It's
frustrating and discouraging. Yet, it is
a perfect opportunity for you—an
assertive and committed student— to
develop your own internship.
Top
How
to develop your own opportunity
1.
Find companies, non-profit organizations, or government
agencies of interest
Career-Related Web Links has
several pages with links to useful Web sites. Non-Profit
Organizations and Researching Employers are most likely
to be helpful. McKeldin Library's Research
Port
has several databases of companies; for example Mergent,
Hoovers, and Lexis-Nexis.
2.
Research your targeted employers
From
your research make a list
of potential employers--for
instance five or ten.
Learn
as much as you can about
the organization(s). Ask
your network (family, friends,
faculty, fellow classmates)
what they know about the company.
Scour its Web site and
any
marketing materials. Understand
the mission and goals of
the organization to be prepared
and educated when you speak with
the potential employer. Absolutely,
know their products and/or
services.
3. Contact the organization directly
Not
all organizations post their
internship opportunities on databases
or Web sites. Therefore, if you
find a
company that does the kind of work
of interest to you,
ask if they have internships
by calling, e-mailing,
or writing a letter. Ask
if they hire interns, have
hired interns in the past, or are
interested in hiring
interns.
Your contact might
ignite their interest in hiring
a student intern.
4.
Propose your request
Contact the person who has the authority to hire you. While
there is no prescribed way to make the proposal, consider
this:
• Be
clear and concise when explaining what you want to
do and why they need you to do it.
• From
your previous research, develop a project or responsibility
and explain your ability
to do it. Don't say
you are willing to do anything.
It is ambiguous and the employer
doesn't
want to figure out something
for you.
• Communicate
why you are the RIGHT person for their company using
information about your academic
abilities, interests,
skills, and experiences.
• Include your available days and hours and
whether you are seeking a full-time (likely in the
summer) or
part-time
internship.
• Indicate if you are seeking a paid (or unpaid)
position.
• Offer to send a resume and cover letter for
their consideration and ask for the appropriate address
to send that information.
• Be assertive (not pushy).
• If calling, write a script including responses
to possible comments or questions. The more you prepare,
you will be less likely to stumble on your words.
Top
5.
Follow-up
Follow-up
with resumes, cover letters, phone
calls, e-mails, etc., if asked. No
matter the outcome of your proposal,
send a thank you note.
You never know how a single gesture
of of appreciation and professionalism
can help you. For instance, your
contact is more likely to remember
you if an internship is created or
a
full-time
job becomes available.
Similararities
And Differences between Part
-Time Jobs and Internships
There
is a fine line between internships
and part-time jobs.
The National
Society of Experiential Education
defines an
internship as:
"any
carefully monitored work
or service
experience in which an individual
has intentional learning
goals and reflects actively
on what he or she is learning
throughout the experience."
Though
the primary purpose of an
internship is learning, many
internships pay salaries.
A part-time job is
a means for earning money
that does not have an intentional
learning
component. However, you can
also learn from a "make-money"
job.
For instance, a summer
job as a receptionist in
a law firm could be useful
for someone thinking of law
school. When free be sure
to volunteer to help
staff members (first checking
with your supervisor). A
go-getter makes a great impression
and can
lead to a more career-related
experience in the firm, networking
opportunities, and references
for future jobs.
As
busy as lawyers are, try
to ask them questions about
what they like about being
a lawyer and what they don't
like. In other words, make
your part-time an opportunity
for an informational
interview.
Internships, part-time jobs
and, for that matter, volunteer
positions are great
for strengthening skills,
building a network, and clarifying
your career goals.
Top
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