Dear Advisor: What do I do!? I don’t have a summer internship lined up!!

I have met with many students in the past few weeks who begin our session with a familiar refrain for this time of year:  “I don’t have an internship!” or “All my friends have internships for summer!” or “It’s SO late, I’ll never find an internship now!”

One of the things that always comes up as we work to dismantle the panic-stricken feeling and replace it with actionable steps is that, frankly, the month of April is still in many fields and parts of the world considered early for summer internships.   Now, I don’t want to give any false hope or reassurance – it is always best to start early so you don’t miss applying for opportunities of interest – but there are, even today, internships open for college students of all years and in a variety of fields.

While these may all not be in your interest area, a search for keyword “Summer Intern” on Indeed.com brings up almost 1,000 hits of opportunities posted within the last 15 days.   But don’t limit yourself to “intern” as your keyword – get creative.  Dig into the Advanced Search page and throw in some keywords that interest you – “Analytical” or “strong communication skills” or “within 5 miles of (fill in your zip code here)”  Also recognize that some employers eschew the word Intern for other job titles, but can offer an experience you may truly value.  I hope this may lead you to an opportunity you’ll want to pursue if you’re seeking at this stage – and to help ensure your resume communicates the best you have to offer, visit a Career Services advisor – we are here and happy to help you!

CS Radio – Episode 42: “Introducing Handshake”

Say how do you do and shake hands!  Last week, we were thrilled to announce to the campus that University of Pennsylvania Career Services will be moving to the Handshake platform this summer.  Michael and Mylène are joined by Handshake’s Director of University Growth, David Shull, who gives some insight into Handshake’s story and philosophy and shares a preview of what students and alumni can expect when the system goes live on June 1st.  Plus, the semester may be coming to a close, but there’s still events on our calendar, so we’ll give you the usual run down.

This is our second season finale.  We may be back over the summer with a special bonus episode, but regular weekly programming will return in September.  Thank you for subscribing!

 

Introductions and FAQ

Dr. Esther Ra, Career Counselor

Hello and happy spring! If you find yourself giddy with a bounce in your step while walking along Locust Walk, we welcome your spring fever. As Doug Larson said, “Spring is the when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.” I have found that certainly to be true this time of year, when Locust Walk is swarmed with banners announcing end-of-the-year activities, and the campus is abuzz with pre-finals jitters. I hope that despite the semester drawing to a close and the inevitable stress that accompanies this juncture, you can take a moment to breath in the sweet, spring air and bask in the warmth of the sun.

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am the newest advisor to students in the schools of Nursing, Education, and Social Policy and Social Work. I am a proud alum of Penn, graduating with my doctorate in Language and Literacy Education from the Graduate School of Education. During my doctoral studies, I had the privilege of working with teachers in the Penn-assisted schools, helping to lift all facets of literacy in K-2 classrooms through professional development. I also worked in the higher education classroom teaching graduate students. Before coming to Penn, I earned my master’s in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University and my Certificate in ESL from Biola University and went on to teach elementary grades in public and private schools in New York City and New Jersey. In addition, after college, I lived and worked in Seoul, Korea teaching English as a Foreign Language. My formidable undergraduate years were spent at Barnard College, Columbia University majoring in English and minoring in Sociology. Yes, I am a Big Apple enthusiast and I still miss “the city that never sleeps.” Currently, I am also an Adjunct Professor, teaching research courses to literacy/ESL teachers at Cabrini University. In a nutshell, that’s me.

Now, to address one of the most frequently asked questions I encounter as an advisor:

FAQ: Should I include all my volunteer work and extra-curricular activities on my resume and/or CV?

Answer: Yes and no. When included and written appropriately, such information can be of high interest to most employers. How one has developed transferrable skills outside of paid employment opportunities, and the kinds of experiences one has chosen to gain shows a potential employer your interests, passions, and causes you hold in high regard.

According to a LinkedIn survey, 41% of hiring managers found that the opportunities gained in volunteering and extra-curricular activities were equally important as direct work experiences[1]. Many times, graduate students have shared with me that they they opted to leave out their volunteer work and campus leadership positions, because it either did not seem related to the job they were applying to or rather seemed out of place on their resume.  Also, they felt that their resumes were too lengthy and these extra-curricular activities seemed to be the least important. This is a common mistake and in doing so, without realizing it, students are censoring their experiences to only show for what directly relates to the job they hope to obtain. If it was required that individuals only put direct experience for a job posting on their resume, it is quite likely that so many would not be able to land an interview, much less be offered a job. When written appropriately, volunteer and extra-curricular activities, can illuminate important transferable skills that can be used in any given position.

Moreover, any transferable skills gained through volunteer opportunities and through campus and community involvement can include an array of leadership, interpersonal, organization, or communication skills. For example, collaborating on a team, or self-management on a project, or relating with specific populations of people are all skill sets that you can apply to in any given job. These are also skill sets that need to be developed over time and nurtured through experience. Universally, they can be valuable in most fields and industries.

In addition, the volunteer experiences and community involvement pieces on a resume may set an individual apart from the stack of other resumes read by potential employers. Undeniably, these particular sections on the resume create colors, rather than appear so black and white. Many times such experiences can spark a point of interest or commonality with an interviewer and strikingly create an unexpected connection with a potential employer.

As a career advisor and teacher educator, I have gained innumerable transferable skills over the years. I appreciate that on interviews I have been asked about the professional book club I initiated as a lead teacher in my district, or been asked to share about my campus student leadership roles. Notably, I have also had the opportunity to share about my favorite work experiences as a volunteer on a Native reserve in Saskatchewan, Canada, or as a volunteer curriculum developer in Padang, Indonesia. Furthermore, though not directly related, I have also had the extraordinary experience of volunteering in Bomet, Kenya on an American hospital compound working on public health initiatives. While none of these positions were paid or even directly related, I gained valuable interpersonal skills, cross-cultural communication, as well as leadership and project management experience. These experiences also conveyed to employers my continued interest in international development work in education and beyond.

As the spring semester winds down, the hustle and bustle of students wrapping up their classes and making plans for the summer are imminent. In the midst of the finals flurry, please take time to stop by Career Services and check in with one of the advisors. Come visit us and we are more than happy to help you frame your volunteer experiences to convey transferrable skills.

It is from experiences such as mine that we get our education of life.”- Mark Twain

[1] https://www.slideshare.net/LinkedinforGood/linkedin-101-create-a-profile-and-learn-the-basics

Announcing Handshake

I am delighted to announce that beginning in June, Penn Career Services will be moving to the Handshake platform for job and internship listings, workshops, career fairs, on-campus recruiting and employer presentations.  This platform is used by 170 schools (including many of our Ivy Plus peers) and 120,000 employers; it offers many features that we believe will enhance the student user experience, including the ability to make appointments with career advisors using the online scheduling system. We are excited to launch Handshake at Penn, as it is intuitive, well-designed and cutting edge in its approach.   We will keep PennLink, our Symplicity system, live through June 30, 2017.  After June 30 you will no longer be able to retrieve any information on past applications and interviews, nor will you be able to access your documents. 

We will be following up by email in late May with information on how to join and use Handshake.  Since both platforms will be live during June, you can download resumes or cover letters from PennLink and upload them to Handshake if you wish.  If, however, you will be busy in June, or traveling without good internet access, you should download your documents now.  They will not be available after June 30.

For now, full-time jobs and internships are still being posted on PennLink.  Many employers are advertising interesting opportunities, so please continue to check PennLink regularly.  And it goes without saying that our office will be open all summer, and we are here to assist you today and in the coming months.  Please let us know if you have any questions. 

Best wishes for the end of the semester. 

 

 

 


Patricia Rose
Director, Career Services

 

CS Radio – Episode 41: “Spring Mix”

This week is a real potpourri – a sort of spring cleaning, if you will, of everything left on the calendar.  We’ll cover resources for relocating for a job, pre-health personal statements, the academic job search and more! It’s our penultimate episode of the season and we have a lot to cover!  Enjoy!