Career Services offer advice for students looking for jobs, summer internships amid pandemic

Students have been expressing anticipatory fear and nervousness regarding locating and securing internships for the summer. Under the circumstances and restrictions of the pandemic, locating internships is more challenging.

To ease this concern, Illinois State University’s Career Services and their student Career Ambassadors offered advice on how to go about searching for summer internships this year.

Career Services as a student resource has aided many students in guiding their ability to put themselves out there and succeed during and post-graduation. They provide an array of different services from business cards and resume-checking to appointment and walk-in-based assistance with anything career-related.

Career Services Internship Manager and Career Advisor Debbie Ungson-Walbert said that they are assisting students with locating internships through available “one-on-one meetings with career advisors regarding goals and interests” and using “internship job boards and other resources posted on the Career Services website.”

Ungson-Walbert said Hire-A-Redbird displays a “free job board for Illinois State students and alumni,” including part-time jobs and internships. Ungson-Walbert also identified micro-internships as highly beneficial to ISU students.

Opportunities can be found through ISU’s micro-internship website.

“These short-term, paid experiences are excellent examples of adapting to the needs of today’s new professionals and remote work environment,” Ungson-Walbert said. 

According to Ungson-Walbert, Career Services offers “internship search preparations, such as customizing resumes/cover letters and practice interviews using InterviewStream, [their] interview practice tool.”

Ungson-Walbert advises students not to limit their searches based on position titles.

“Broaden your search for other possible opportunities by doing research and looking for internships that align with your interests and skills, including virtual internships,” Ungson-Walbert said. 

Career Ambassador and junior Medical Laboratory Science major Kyle Ross talked about his role in helping students around campus.

“As a Career Ambassador, we are generally the trained students that take your drop-ins. We cover resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn, mock interviews and more. We also tend to the Career Resource Hub located in the Bone which allows you to print your resumes,” Ross said. 

Taylor Denby, senior Human Resources Management major and Team Lead Career Ambassador, emphasized the fact that Career Ambassadors give peer-to-peer advice about how students can elevate their resumes and stand out to employers better.

Both Ross and Denby pointed to Career Advisors as essential resources to students.

“If students want more in-depth advice, every student at ISU has a Career Advisor. Career Advisors also assist with resumes and cover letters but are poised to give advice on job searching, interviewing tips, and help with creating or editing a LinkedIn profile,” Denby said. 

“If you’re looking to secure an internship, if you haven’t already, now is the time to make a virtual visit to Career Services and make sure everything looks good. Even if you think it does, it’s always helpful to get an extra set of eyes.”

Ross added onto this, discussing the Hire-a-Redbird portal. 

“The Career Advisor appointments can be made through the Hire-A-Redbird portal. You press ‘Request New Appointment’, select your reason and your availability and you’re good,” Ross said. 

With regard to locating career interests, Denby suggested a personality assessment provided by Career Services called FOCUS, which matches students to different careers that correlate with their interests and skills. It is paid for by the school and free for all ISU students.

Denby also recommended exploring the different registered student organizations on campus to locate where students feel they fit best. As a first-generation college student, Denby experienced confusion entering college and did not want to let down her family and herself.

“When I first got to ISU, I was in a completely different field. I realized that it was not for me and was pretty down about it. I went to my academic advisor with my frustrations, and she recommended taking IDS 106, and that class changed my life,” Denby said.

Professionals are brought into the class for student exposure and students get hands-on experience with different fields. Denby said one of the course’s assignments was to interview a professional from their field of interest.

“After I interviewed two ladies from ISU’s Human Resources Department, I was sold. I changed my major shortly after, and I have not looked back. I’d definitely recommend students take the course if they are unsure about what they want to do,” Denby said. 

Ross said that one of the most important aspects of job-searching involves specific job skills.

“Only on rare occasions will an internship accept you while you barely match their criteria. If one internship asks for communication and leadership and you are able to offer that through past/present experiences, then apply for that one,” Ross said. “It will make the process easier to become accepted rather than applying quickly and inefficiently to multiple places.”

Denby and Ross both recommended LinkedIn as a platform students should be using to create networks and expose themselves to opportunities.

“I’ve had many employers reach out to me on there, and it can encapsulate experiences that go beyond your resume. Career Services can assist you with advice on all these things, but a student should not forget to tap into their own personal networks for advice on potential opportunities,” Denby said. 

“This could be asking family members, friends, coworkers, Illinois State faculty members [or] anyone. You would be surprised at how the people you know can help you. I’ve received an internship that way.”

Ross discussed his own experience with job-searching, saying it is never worth stressing over and that there are always a massive number of opportunities available.

“Switching my major three times has put me in undesirable shoes but I am glad to fill them if it means I can help others confused and anxious like I once was. Take some time out of your schedule to search and apply for internships,” Ross said.

“Do not do it all at once! Since it is almost spring, a lot of summer internships will be starting to close soon, but even then, do not rush your applic​ation. Quality is over quantity.”