Making the Most Out of Your Summer Internship

As many of you begin your summer internships, it is important to remember to make the most out of your experience. Internships are great opportunities for your to build your network, learn new skills, develop a stronger understanding of a particular field, gain confidence as a young professional and the list goes on! To ensure that you are maximizing the potential benefits of your internship, check out this article posted by The Undercover Recruiter which lists 3 practices that will help you to make the most of your summer internship. Whether you have interned before or not, these practices can help serve as a guide and also provide some checkpoints for you to strive towards as you progress through your internship this summer. 

If you have any questions along the way, remember that The Career Center is open over the summer and here to help you! For our summer hours, click here. We look forward to seeing you! 

Kaitlyn Riley, Assistant Director 

The One Skill Every Student Needs When Applying to Internships

Whether you are finishing up your internship search for this summer or beginning your search for the fall, there is one skill that every student needs to acquire when applying to internships:  investigation!  Yes, you need to become your very own private investigator.  As a student, your time is of the essence, so it is important to use it wisely. Apply, interview and accept only the internships that will be valuable to you!  Here is how you can do so:

1. Make sure the employer is legitimate.  Search for a company website, make sure the contact person’s email address is a company address (not a private yahoo or gmail account), and don’t reply to anyone asking for private information like your bank account or social security number.
   
   
2. Become clear on what the internship is about.  Read the internship description carefully and answer the following questions for yourself.  Is the employer stating what you will be doing and your key responsibilities?  Does the work sound meaningful?  Will you learn new skills?  Can you connect what you are learning at Hofstra to what you will be doing on site?  Will you be supervised and/or is there department in place that is already doing the work that will be required of you?
   
   
3. Ask key questions at the interview, so you can effectively evaluate the offer.  Here are a few you can use:
• Can you give me some examples of the type of work an intern will be doing, such as day-to-day activities and key assignments?
• Will I be supervised?  How will my supervisor evaluate me?  Will I be meeting with my supervisor regularly?
• Does this internship offer any training?  If so, what type of training?
• What do you see as the key benefits of this internship?
• What are the most important qualities you look for in an intern?
• Could you give me an example of an intern whom you thought of as outstanding and what he/she did?
• Are interns included in staff programs such as staff meetings, seminars, or training sessions? Do interns observe site visits, or meetings with clients?

If at any point you are unsure of whether to accept an internship offer, contact our office and speak with a career counselor.  We are here to help!

Deanna Rodin,

Associate Director

Top 5 Summer Career Activities for First-Years

If you’re completing your first year at Hofstra, congratulations!  I hope it’s been a year filled with fun and challenge and growth for you.   I’m sure the time has gone by quickly.   As the semester winds down, you might be considering your summer plans.  With this post I wanted to give you some suggestions for ways you can fit career-related activities in with your summer fun.

1. Intern:  It’s not too early to have an internship.  Don’t rule this option out.  While you may think it’s too soon in your college career or it’s too late in the application cycle, finding an internship is still possible and should be explored.  As of this writing, there are more than 600 internships in Pride-CMS and thousands in internships.com (accessible through Pride-CMS).
   
2. Volunteer:   If you don’t want to spend this summer in a formal internship, volunteering for a local non-profit is a great way to apply your skills while helping a worthy cause.  Find an organization that you care about and ask them about getting involved.  These organizations need help in a variety of ways, so ask about the opportunity to get the type of experience you want to have!
   
3. Informational Interview:   Challenge yourself to find people doing the types of jobs you might want to do after graduation and interview them about their work.  Professionals are typically very open to helping you learn more about their work.  You could do so in person or by phone, and you will be surprised at how much you can learn.  Hofstra’s A.S.K. system is a great place to find Hofstra alums who are willing to speak to you (accessible through my.hofstra.edu)
   
4. Research:   You may not have a good sense of how many different careers, industries and functional areas there are in the world of work.  Here’s a little test – see if you can name a dozen job titles right now.  Not so easy?  Then check into O*Net, Vault and Candid Careers (the later two are accessible through Pride-CMS).
   
5. Reflect:  One of the best tips you can receive is to know yourself better – What do you value?  What interests you?  What brings you joy?  What’s your personality?  What are your dependable strengths and skills?  Having completed your first year at Hofstra, really take the time to reflect on what had the most meaning and in what areas you grew the most.  The more you can articulate about yourself, the better decisions you’ll make in times to come.

Remember that The Career Center is open all summer.  So, we’re happy to help with these tasks and anything else related to your success!

Gary Alan Miller,
Executive Director

Is It Too Late to Apply for a Summer Internship?

One of the most frequent questions that students are asking at The Career Center is “is it too late to apply for a summer internship?”  The answer is “no, it’s not too late.”  Truth be told, though, it is crunch time.  To be successful in finding a quality internship, you will need to plan at least 4-6 months in advance of when you hope to begin interning.   Yes, I can do math and this only leaves you with less than 3 months to prepare.  However, the majority of college students are notorious for waiting until spring break to apply.  It is very difficult to manage classes, midterms, clubs, jobs, and a social life while applying for internships.  So if you want to beat the rush, don’t procrastinate and start now.  The process can be overwhelming.  To help you out, I have broken it down for you in a few manageable steps:

1)   Decide what type of internship you would like.  You can choose by major (i.e. I want to internship in journalism) or by industry (i.e. I want an internship focusing on sustainability).  You can even narrow it down by type of employer (i.e. I want to intern with a political candidate on a campaign).  If you need help brainstorming, take a look at our resource called “What Can I Do With This Major?”  It is important to be open minded, however, searching for an internship without a focus is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

2)   Prepare your resume and cover letter.  Whether you have a connection through your network, you meet an employer at event, you are attending a career fair, or you are applying online, you will always need a resume.  If you don’t have one, use our career planning handbook on our website to draft one and have it critiqued during our quick question hours. 

3)   Schedule a mock interview at The Career Center.  You can have the best resume in the world but it comes down to the interview as to whether you beat out the competition or not.  Our counselors offer individual feedback to help you practice and prepare during our mock interviews.  Schedule one by calling the office at 463-6060.

4)   Search and apply.  There are many ways to go about applying to internships.  I am only going to mention two here.  First, log onto Pride CMS (our online job/internship database specifically for Hofstra students).  Secondly, search on Internships.com, accessed through Blackboard.  Third, attend our Spring Career Fair on April 2^nd. 

5)   Don’t do it alone.  Schedule an appointment with The Career Center so we can support you through the process.  Let us tailor our resources and program recommendations to you.

That’s it!  Follow these five steps by tackling one and moving on to the next.  It is that simple once you get started.  Good luck!

Deanna Rodin, Associate Director

Think Trendy, Get an Internship!

Internships look to be a trend that is here to stay.  A survey by internships.com shows that internships are on the rise.  They are growing in popularity among both employers and students.

Let the data speak for itself:  http://bit.ly/1hnn1o5. 

If you want to get started with your own internship plan, the first step is to come by The Career Center for an appointment.  Call 516-463-6060 today!

Deanna Rodin, Associate Director

Events for the Week of 12/16

The Career Center wishes you the best of luck on final exams and hopes you have a wonderful winter break!

Graduating Seniors, we’ll see you at Cap and Gown pick-up – don’t forget to fill out our survey!

Winter Break Hours:

We are always here to help you along your Path of Pride, even during break!

Quick Questions: Mon-Thu 2pm-4pm, Fri 11am-1pm

Office Hours: 9am-5pm

Note: The Career Center will be closed from December 24, 2013 through January 1, 2014.

MTA Metro-North Railroad Summer Internship Fair

Each summer, the MTA Metro-North Railroad offers a valuable summer internship opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in gaining a first-hand experience in the daily operations of the Railroad. To participate in this program, students must register for and attend a recruitment session. For session times and to register, click here.

Friday, January 10, 2014 between 10am and 6pm in Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY

Scholarship Opportunity with the New York Women in Communications Foundation

Each year, this organization awards scholarships to students who intend to pursue or further a career in communications. If  you have a B or better average and are interested in this industry, you may qualify for one of these scholarships! For more information or to apply, click here.

Applications are accepted through January 31, 2014.                                      

Quick Question Hours:

Come get your resume or cover letter critiqued in The Career Center during our Quick Question Hours!

Monday – Thursday: 2pm-4pm

Friday: 11am-1pm

Looking for information about different careers while building your professional network?

All you have to do is A.S.K.!

Get answers by using the Alumni Student Konnection, where you can communicate directly with Hofstra Alumni in a variety of fields to learn more about different careers and industries that interest you! Use this resource to build or add to your professional network and learn about ways to advance your career search!

To get started:

Log In to the Hofstra Portal at my.hofstra.edu

Click on “Hofstra Online”

Click on “A.S.K. Online - Alumni Student Konnection”

Search by Class Year, School, Major, or other keywords to Konnect with Alumni!

Looking for more information about the career search process?

Visit Candid Career!

Candid Career is a great resource for students, no matter where you stand on your Path of Pride. You can watch videos that show you what it’s like to work in a certain field, learn tips and tricks on interviewing, and more!