Using your Winter Break to Secure your Summer Internship

Securing Your Summer Internship During the Winter

BreakUniversity Career Services

About the PresenterBetsy (Bishop) Gill

• Internship Specialist, Northwestern University

• 6+ years in Higher Education Career Services

Objectives• Find ways to utilize the time you have

“off” from school to prioritize your career development

• Gain knowledge of effective strategies for seeking an internship

• Review some of the Resources available to you as Northwestern Students

What are you doing over Winter Break?

Yes, breaks are for relaxing/visiting with friends, but consider this an opportunity to…

Find Your Summer Internship!

VERSUS

The 3 Main Ways to Find an Internship

• Internship Postings– CareerCat, iNet, Idealist.org,

Internships.com, Internships-usa.com, Indeed.com, Twitter.com, etc.

• Employer Sourcing– CareerSearch, Vault, Wetfeet, Chamber of

Commerce, Professional Associations, etc.

• Networking– Northwestern CareerNet, LinkedIn, etc.

Internship Postings• Be Active on CareerCat

– Update Your Profile & Upload Your Resume

– Look for new postings- search by keyword & note important deadlines

– Apply to Internships you are interested in (but be sure to have your resume & cover letter reviewed prior to submitting)

– Use the shortcuts to “Career Expo Participants” & “Campus Interviews I qualify for”

– Use the “Jump” menu to find links to other resources

CareerCat Home Page

What to Anticipate with Postings• More Summer Internships will be

posted to CareerCat from December to as late as May (based on the need of the company or industry trends)

• For On Campus Recruiting (OCR)- deadlines will be in January and February so be sure to apply early!

iNet• Be Active on iNet –

– Employers post internships for the colleges in the iNet consortium: Duke University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, New York University, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, Rice University, Stanford University, Yale University, University of Southern California, and Northwestern University

– Located under the “Jump” menu of CareerCat or register under the “NU Exclusive Resources” link at www.northwestern.edu/careers

Find the Posting Sites that Work for you! Internships Online:

largest internship site on the web http://

www.internships-usa.com/

Username: work Password: credit

Internships.com: National and international Internship listings www.internships.com Select "Northwestern" Type in "Wildcats"

under promo code

Other Major Sites:

Indeed.com- Google like search for job or internship postings

• Idealist.org- For Non-Profit/Gov’t

• GoingGlobal- For International Work Searches (access through CareerCat)

• MakingtheDifference.org- Federal Gov’t Internships

• National Science Foundation-http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/

• Twitterjobsearch.com- search through postings for work on Twitter

Utilizing TwitterWebsites outside of Twitter to help you

find Internship postings:• Twitterjobsearch.com• Twithire.com

Search using Hash Tags:#Tweetmyjobs#____jobs (fill in the blank with your city or state)#career#employment#greenjobs#hire

#hireme#hiring#hr#internship#jobpostings#jobsearch#recruiting

www.twitjobsearch.com

Using Employer Sourcing

Action Items:1. Start Now! Before you leave for Break

2. Research companies in your area which you could request a tour or visit

Researching which employers or environment is right for you in order to find employment

Involves:• Researching Companies• Creating a list of those to contact• Visiting websites for more information• Contact employers directly through email or phone• Arrange for informational interviews

Other Ways to Find EmployersChamber of Commerce

Hoovers

Wikipedia

Also: Google, Wetfeet, Vault, CareerCat, LinkedIn.com, Crain’s Business, Going Global (International), Idealist.org, Professional Associations

Letter/Phone Call of Inquiry(1) Introduce yourself

Hi, my name is Holly Jacobs. I am currently a student at Northwestern University pursuing a degree in communications.

(2) Identify interest – organization, position, etc… I came across your organization when I was conducting research on advertising agencies in my hometown. I was very excited to learn of your niche in providing advertising consulting to green organizations

(3) Introduce skills This past year, I served as the promotions director for a campus student organization called Green Initiatives. In this role, I was able to increase awareness of our initiatives in campus residences.

(4) Inquire I was reaching out to you because I will be home for winter break and wondered if I could shadow you for a day or find out more about your company over coffee?

Networking• What is it?- Establishing professional or

personal connections with others– To develop a mutual support system– To tap into a hidden employment market– To interact with members of your target field– To explore career options– To market yourself to potential employers

• Networking is consistently one of the #1 ways NU students find internships or jobs!

Who to Network with… • Your Own Network

Family

Friends/Roommates

Student/ Professional

Orgs

Religious Orgs

Co-Workers

Neighbors

YOUAlumni

17

CareerNetNAA

Clubs &LinkedIn Group

Northwestern Alumni Association

• Northwestern CareerNet- database of over 12,000 alumni volunteers to help you with your career development

Register at www.nwuconnection.com To gain access to the Alumni Directory and

Career Network!• Northwestern Alumni

Clubs (also in China, Japan, London, Switzerland &Toronto)

Utilizing LinkedInLinkedIn is a Professional Networking Online

Site

• Originally created as a way to find “experts”

• 40+ million users from 150 countries; 27% of users are HR Recruiters or Managers

• Average age of users is 40

• Average income of users is $110,000.00

Get Started at www.LinkedIn.com

Profile Sample

Groups to Join• Recommended Groups to Join on

LinkedIn:– Northwestern Alumni Group (over 14,000 members)– Northwestern University Career Services Group

(over 630 members)– For International Students: Chicagoland ISEI &

Northwestern ISEI (subgroup)

– Geographic Based: Linked n Chicago, Young Professionals of Chicago

– Job Search Related: Job Angels– Others: Special Interest Groups, Your Greek

Organization has a LinkedIn Group, etc.

Sample Group

Being in a Shared Group Allows You to Send Messages

UCS Recommendations for Networking• Use Proper Etiquette

– Avoid contacting people you do not know without any connection or introduction

– Create a well thought-out and error free message when communicating

– If requesting a meeting…Remember YOU are the one who must be flexible, not your contact

• Maintain Your Network– Avoid long lengths of time with no communication– Show Appreciation- Thank You Messages– Profile/Resume Updates = Perfect time to send an

Email– Send Holiday Cards (Non-religious)

Now What? Let’s Develop a Plan1. If you haven’t already registered for CareerCat,

Northwestern CareerNet & iNet- do so!2. Determine what internship posting sites will be

most helpful for your industry and stay active (set-up search agents/ email notifications)

3. Make an appointment with a UCS staff member to develop your marketing documents (aka Resume, Cover Letters) and discuss your search

4. Create a LinkedIn profile and join relevant LinkedIn Groups, researching the members

5. Choose a few connections on LinkedIn or CareerNet to request an informational interview with them while home over break

Great Ways to Use the Break• Research potential employers and

request day long shadowing by calling their Human Resources Department

• Work on writing effective cover letters and industry specific resumes for the internships you’d like to apply to

• Network, Network, Network– Talk to neighbors, visit with old friends (&

their parents), important local contacts and ask for advice

– Ask “Who else should I meet with?”

Upcoming UCS Events• InterNU- January 7th, 1-4pm, Norris,

Sponsored by ASG and UCS

• MLK Public Interest Fair- January 12th, Noon-4pm, Norris

• Winter Career Expo- January 14th, Noon-4pm, Norris

• Mock Case Consulting Program for Internships- January 28th

• Mock Interviewing Program for Internships- February 2nd

University Career ServicesMain Office

620 Lincoln Street847-491-3700

CareerLabCore Reserve

Main Library, 2nd Floor NorthWeb www.northwestern.edu/careers

Facebook www.facebook.com/northwesternucsTwitter http://twitter.com/northwesternucs

LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/groupRegistration?gid=1926036