Another great installment of advice from Brittany Waser ’12.
As winter break is rapidly approaching (and I may have been counting down since returning from Thanksgiving break), most likely the last thing on your mind after finishing exams is resuming your summer internship or job search. While it may seem ridiculous to be thinking of where you will be in June amidst the freezing cold weather of winter, especially for the fast paced world of a college student who may not know what they are eating for dinner let alone what they will be doing in six months, it pays to get started on internship applications early.
I speak from personal experience, as freshman year I made a cardinal mistake when I woke up one day after spring break in March and decided I needed an internship. Evidently, even starting your preliminary search in March is far too late as I grimly realized! Most internship deadlines close by March, and are open as early as October for the following summer. Applying early allows you the added advantage of time to communicate and network with possible employers, and if there are logistical issues for the summer opportunity, you have ample time to work around these. Additionally, as I spoke about in a previous blog post about the importance of networking, persistence is key your odds of obtaining a job dramatically increase the more you communicate with the employer, and the added bonus of planning ahead allows you to accomplish this.
Its not too late to resume your internship search over winter break and investigate all of your options. If you need help in narrowing your search or getting ideas, feel free to make an appointment with a career counselor here at the CDC or utilize our walk-in hours every Mon-Fri. from 1:30-3:30.
So hit the job trail, utilize your resources like the BRIDGE and the Career Insider, and return to campus in January with the relief of knowing your summer plans! To help you in your search the CDC is hosting a January Internship and Job Fair happening on Tuesday January, 25 from 11:00-2:30 in Davis Gym.
We hope to see you there and best of luck!