Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend the RTVF
Internship Workshop. The turnout for the workshop was great with at least 60
students in attendance. Seeing students so eager to gain internship experience
is always a positive for any career counselor. Although Professor Morrow,
Internship Coordinator for the RTVF Department, and the School of Communication
give students a lot of the resources they need to get started, I definitely saw
an opportunity for The Career Center to act as a complimentary resource in the
process. When I was thinking about what I wanted to emphasize during the
workshop, I tried to identify some of the most common hurdles that students
face throughout the internship and job search process. When helping students
through the internship process in the past, I have noticed that they struggle
the most in two areas: communicating their skills, experiences, and
accomplishments and interviewing.
Knowing how to effectively communicate your skills as they
relate to the job or internship is key. Whether it is through your resume,
cover letter, or an interview, you need to have an understanding of all the
things you did, how you did it, why you did it, and what the results were.
How can The Career
Center help?
Identifying and
Communicating Your Skills: As career counselors, we are here to guide and
help you. We do basic resume and cover letter critiques, but we can also help
you to identify your skills and show you how to clearly state them on paper or
in an interview. Setting up an appointment to simply “talk-out” or brainstorm your
past experiences is a great place to start if you feel you are lacking in this
area. In addition to counseling appointments, we also have our Career Planning Handbook which has a ton of information about resumes, cover letters, and interviewing techniques.
Interviewing: The
interview process can be intimidating and overwhelming. Even if you feel you
are a strong interviewer, it is not a bad idea to come in at least once for a
mock interview with a career counselor. Not only does practice make perfect,
but a career counselor can also provide you with valuable feedback about what
you did well and what you could improve on. Doing mock interviews can also
boost your confidence since it is a chance to really polish your answers to
those tough interview questions. Whether you are an interview ninja or just
starting out, mock interviews are for everyone and I guarantee you will learn something
new!
Kaitlyn Riley, Assistant Director |
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