Make the Most of Your Internship
Prepare to make the most of your experience using these tips for before, during, and after your internship.
“I previously had dreams to be an author, but found myself called by the combination of logic, mystery, and truth in science.”
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to build community with other like minded people across the country who are dedicated to working on the same kinds of issues that I am.”
Assess Yourself: What Are You Bringing on Your Career Journey?
Where do you begin when you don’t know where to begin with your career path? What are new opportunities you could explore once you find a field that fascinates you? How do you prioritize which experiences to pursue when there are a few, several, or many options that interest you?
20+ Questions to Jump-start Your Career Exploration
In this resource, you will find questions meant to prompt your career exploration. Take time to reflect on each question as a strong understanding of oneself will be essential in order to effectively navigate the twists and turns of your unique career path. Get to know your values, personality type, strengths and interests. These all deeply inform your satisfaction with career choice.
Employer Handshake Resources
Handshake has helpful tutorials for employers, which we have compiled in this resource. Use the links below to learn about:
- How to Create a User Account, Join a Company, and Connect with Schools
- Posting Jobs on Handshake
- Requesting an Event (Tabling, Coffee Chats and Employer Connection Sessions)
- Registering for a Career Fair
- Requesting an on campus Interview schedule
- Accessing and Managing Event RSVP
- Messaging Students
- Searching for Students and Downloading Public Resumes
Recruiting Best Practices (Students)
Career fairs, meetups, and industry insight events are a great opportunity to gain exposure to a specific industry, job function or sector.
Publishing
There are a wide range of opportunities in book publishing. Some departments you may find include: Editorial, Finance, Contracts, Publicity, Art & Design, Production, Information Technology, Marketing/Advertising/Promotions, Subsidiary Rights and Permissions, Sales, Internet Development, Distribution. A rapidly growing trend in the publishing arena is electronic, audio, and new media formats.
Performing Arts
Like most art disciplines, careers in theatre span widely from performance and creative roles to technical positions to administrative functions and even educational and therapeutic professions.
“I was motivated to fight for environmental justice in my community after hearing about the respiratory illnesses that many children were diagnosed with as a result of the environmental contamination we live with.”
Journalism
Almost every career in journalism begins with writing experience. While many schools offer specialized degrees in journalism, with courses like Feature Article Writing, Digital Storytelling, Investigative Journalism, etc, students can use skills gained from a liberal arts education to prepare for this career In fact, there are very specialized areas of journalism that are advantaged by a background in science, economics, or other disciplines.
Creative Writing
As a practice, creative writing refers to a wide variety of disciplines. Writers who want to publish novels, poetry, short fiction, and creative non-fiction often earn an MFA and support their creative practice by teaching in higher education.
Job Shadowing
What better way to learn about a particular career path, industry, company, or role than experiencing it yourself? If you want to learn more about a specific path before committing to an internship or job, consider “shadowing” an individual who currently works in the field as a way to experience a typical workday in that career.
How to Use a Career Fair as an Exploration Opportunity
Career fairs are a great opportunity to explore and learn more about professional paths and opportunities and to practice networking. By attending a career fair, you’re able to speak with representatives from multiple organizations during one event. In your conversations, you will be able to learn about each organization — its values, work culture...etc. — and the types of opportunities they typically hire for.
Informational Interviews
Informational interviews are a common way to gather information about various careers by speaking with professionals in the field. Through informational interviews, your can explore career paths and job opportunities, as well as gain advice and insight into career industries and companies.
“A strong Davis Projects for Peace proposal is always one that is grounded in a real knowledge of and investment in a community, providing a foundation that gives the student both inspiration and credibility as she strives to make real change.”
How to Conduct Career Research
Regardless of where you are in your career — whether you are unsure where to begin or you are preparing for a final round interview — conducting research can help you learn more about and prepare for potential career opportunities. There are many ways to gather information when you’re in the beginning stages of exploring your options, including career research and networking. In this resource, you’ll find ideas and general resources to get started.
Leverage Your Experience Abroad
Co-authored by Wellesley Career Education and the Wellesley Office of International Study.
This resource provides tips to help you leverage your study abroad experience upon your return.