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iSchool Career Newsletter, 5/18/2016

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Making Your Internship Successful

With the close of the year bringing finals, projects, convocation, and capstone, it can be easy to keep your mind off what is next. Many of you will be entering the workforce and could be starting your very first internship or DFW. This week, we’ve compiled some suggestions for how to make your internship successful.

Preliminary research. Learn as much as you can about your new company before your first day. Research their mission, vision, “about us” section, and any recent articles that may be reported in the news. Follow their Twitter feed or blog (if they have one). This will help you acclimate to your new role quicker than other interns.

Track your learning. Within the first weeks, sit down with your manager to establish some learning goals and discuss what you would like to accomplish. Come to this meeting prepared with some suggestions but also be open to what your manager recommends. Important- make sure to track any learning, objectives, and milestones you have achieved. Not only is this good to share with your manager, but it will help you formulate your resume and LinkedIn (and possibly your online portfolio). You don’t want to be putting your resume together a few months down the road and forget important accomplishments from your internship.

You may also lose access to some of information you had as an intern (ex: data on how many views the webpage you developed received, how many accounts you migrated to a new ERP system, the number of artifacts and images you cataloged). These are things you can only track while you are still an intern. Make sure whatever you are listing on your resume/LinkedIn/portfolio doesn’t violate a NDA you may have signed with this organization.

Do your job well. Okay this one may seem obvious but it is extremely important. Take pride and ownership in whatever you are working on. If this is your first internship or DFW, it is absolutely essential to perform well. Even if you don’t enjoy this position, you will want to make sure you have established good rapport and references as these will be asked for in your future job searches.

Take initiative. Volunteering to take on additional tasks or projects is a great way to stand out. This could be anything from a small administrative task that needs to get taken care of, to a large project that is outside of your normal job duties. Not only will this help you get recognized, it may help you connect and demonstrate your ability to other employees you wouldn’t normally interact with.

What if your internship is boring? Unfortunately, this can happen from time to time when the internship doesn’t live up to what you were hoping. It’s important to still do the job well- remember this manager might be a key reference for you when you look for your next job. Luckily internships usually have a defined start and end date, so this won’t be forever. If you are not developing the skills you were hoping, what else can you do to get something out of the internship?

  • Network– reach out to other people at the company to learn about their unit/role. Offer to treat them to coffee or grab a lunch with them. See if you can also sit-in on meetings with employees that are not within the same unit as you to learn more about the company as a whole.
  • Take initiative– (more on this above). Are there extra projects you can take on from your manager? What about from other people in the office? Anything you see that needs improvement?
  • Professional development– This will vary heavily by company. Some employers offer trainings and classes at no cost to their interns. One student I chatted with last summer worked at a large tech company that allowed her to take classes on analytics and big data technologies on site.

For even more information on this, check out Alycia’s presentation “Making the Most of Your Internship/DFW”. It will be held in BLD 070 this Thursday (5/19) from 12:30-1:20.

-Dean Kirkpatrick

Resources/References

“PwC’s Careers Site for Students: Making the Most of Your Internship.” PwC. http://www.pwc.com/us/en/careers/campus/internships/make-the-most-of-your-internship.html

Srivastava, Sonal. “Guest Blogger: How to Make the Most of Your Internship.” UW ISchool Office of Student Services Blog. 15 Jan. 2016.https://uwioss.com/2016/01/15/guest-blogger-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-internship/

TOP JOBS/OPPORTUNITIES

  • Program Manager, LabKey Software, apply via iCareers, ID 4592
  • Researcher/Analyst: Exploring Options for Neighborhood Health Link, Center for Community Health and Evaluation, apply via iCareers, ID 4562
  • Assistant Director & Community Health Education Coordinator, UW Libraries, apply via iCareers ID4587
  • iSchool Teaching Assistant Opportunities, apply via iCareers (multiple opportunities)
  • Reference Assistant, Seattle Central College Library, apply via iCareers, ID 4556

UPCOMING EVENTS

iSchool Career Newsletter, 4/28/2016

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Career Newsletter

Negotiating an Offer and Asking for More Time

The job search process can be one filled with emotional ups and downs. Last week, Alycia put together a post on staying motivated in the job search. This week I want to focus on negotiation. With the excitement of finally receiving a job, internship, or DFW offer, it can be very tempting to accept the offer on the spot. Emotions aside, it’s best practice to take a moment to consider all the factors before officially accepting an offer. Take some time to consider negotiating, whether it’s pay, relocation, start date, vacation time, or other parts of your employment agreement.   Continue reading →

iSchool Career Newsletter, 4/21/2016

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Career Newsletter

Finding Job Searching Motivation at the End of the Year

Now that we are getting to the close of the school year, I know that there are a few people that are still looking to find a job by graduation. One thing that hasn’t changed since the beginning of the year is that job searching takes work. For some people, it only takes one try and two weeks, but for others, finding a job can take multiple interviews and months of applying and interviewing. One myth that students often think is that there will not be any more openings this year. This is a false assumption. Job and internships might not be posted at the same frequency as in Fall or Winter, but there will continue to be new openings posted into the summer. You just need to stay diligent about checking for openings. This time of year motivating yourself to get started or continue on with your search process can be difficult. Here are few techniques you can use to be positive and ready to find that next position to apply to. Continue reading →

iSchool Career Newsletter, 4/6/2016

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Preparing for Career Fairs

While spring may not seem as busy as fall and winter when it comes to employer recruitment, there are still a number of events coming up. Just around the corner are 4 career fairs which will bring more employers looking to hire for full-time, intern, DFW, and volunteer positions. Mark your calendars!

Startup Career Fair: April 8th, 3:00-5:00 PM, 1100 NE Campus Parkway, 98105

Roughly 30 fully established and vetted startups will be attending this fair. Make sure to RSVP at the link above (it’s free) and show up early! They already have 2,000 RSVP’s and counting.

UW Tacoma All-Industries Fair: April 13th, 11:30-2:00, Williams Philip Hall- UW Tacoma

A small-ish fair and chance to meet with about 25 companies representing all industries. This fair is free to all students (yes- that includes UW Seattle).

2016 Spring Career Fair: April 14th, 3:00-7:00 PM, HUB Ballrooms

One of the largest fairs on campus, the UW Spring Fair will have employers from all industries looking to hire for a variety of positions (internships/DFW’s too). 120-140 employers are normally in attendance. Be on the lookout for the employers who are hiring technical roles, there should be a lot, but you’ll have to weed through those who are hiring sales/marketing roles.

UW Tacoma Technology Fair: April 15th, 11:30-2:00

Similar to the Tacoma fair listed above, this will be another small fair but focused on tech hiring. Currently there are 10 employers signed up for the fair which could allow for a less crowded and more personable atmosphere. This is also free and open to all UW students.

How can you get prepared?

  1. Do your research: You’ll have a better time at fairs if you do a bit of research ahead of time on the employers that are coming and what they’re hiring for. Spend a few hours going over the list of employers, learning about them, visit their careers pages, look to see if they have postings in HuskyJobs, iCareers, and prioritize who you want to make sure you visit at the fair.
  2. Prepare your elevator pitch. Watch and listen to Don’t Be Awkward to get information on creating the perfect pitch and introductions that you can use when you meet people at the career fair!
  3. Prepare your resumes. You’ll want to tailor your resume as much as possible for the roles that interest you. Prepare several versions of your resume that you can hand out depending on which employers you’re visiting, so that you are still marketing yourself for each position type that is of interest to you. Consider adding an objective statement that specifically states an employer’s name you plan to visit. Put your tailored resumes in folders or use sticky notes so that you know which one to give to each company you visit.

Remember to collect contact information and follow up afterwards with the recruiters and companies that seem like a best fit for you!

Looking for even more ways to prepare? Watch this recording of Career Adviser Alycia McKenzie on Navigating a Career Fair.

-Dean Kirkpatrick

TOP JOBS/OPPORTUNITIES: 

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

iSchool Career Newsletter, 3/2/2016

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Career Newsletter

Informational Interviewing

I read an article the other day by a writer that thinks that everyone should stop doing informational interviews. She thought that they contributed to biased hiring and an unequal “playing field” for candidates. While I am not a supporter of biased and inequitable hiring practices, I did not agree with her thoughts on no longer doing informational interviews. I personally believe that taking the time to speak with someone and learning about their professional experience can be beneficial for both an interviewee and an interviewer. For those of you that haven’t done an informational interview yet, now is your chance to learn all you need to know about doing an informational interview. Continue reading →

iSchool Career Newsletter, 2/18/2016

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Career Newsletter

Career Advice Resources Roundup

Once you start your first job after school, you might think that you no longer need to concern yourself with learning about career development and job searching. You would be wrong. Staying up to date on career advice will help you to always be prepared for whatever opportunity will come your way. There are tons of online resources out there to give you advice on a variety of career topics. To help you sift through the good, the bad, and the really bad, here is my go to list of blogs and websites that provide quality career advice:  Continue reading →