Summer Internships: How to Land a Summer Interview

Summer internships are short-term experiences that provide a real insight into what it is actually like working in a specific job or career that you are interested in. The time period of summer internships begin in late May or early June and last up until August.  Some internships are paid and others or not, it just varies on the companies that you apply for. Internships provide students with the opportunity to gain relevant knowledge and skills required in the field that they may potentially want to go into, gain more networks, and also build their resume. Being able to gain experiences through internships and making professional contacts are good tools for getting a job right after graduating college.

Make a List: This can help you organize and figure out what you want to do.  It helps you highlight your interest and focus on what you want to learn. Take note of a few companies that you would like to work for and jot down some key points to your search such as (1)What town or area the company is located in?, (2) Is the position paid?, (3) Is this a full time or part time position?, etc. By making a list and comparing your search, you can narrow down your choices.

Do Research: It is good to start off by looking into big companies that are around the area that you intend to stay during the summer. A lot of the times, big corporations have internship programs available to students during the summer months. Do your research so you have a general overview about these companies, their mission and goals, and how you can benefit their organization.

Creativity: You can do more than to be stuck in the office all summer filing paper work. Look into internships within museums, art galleries, nature centers, etc. Branch out and find ways to broaden your creative skills by looking into different internship possibilities.  

Make sure you stick with it: Once you have narrowed down your search and found a few places that spark your interest, ask yourself if you see yourself interning at this company, are able to have sufficient transportation necessary, and/or a place to stay, etc.

Resume ready: While applying to these internship positions, make sure that you update and double-check your resume before sending it in to the recruiter.  UC Merced Career Services offers students individual resume guidance in accordance with their desired major and career route.  Call us at (209) 228-7272 to schedule an appointment.

Spread your networks: Networking with people can help you build professional relationships. Having a large network pool can be beneficial in your internship search and offer you future internships/jobs that may not be listed on the company website.

Laura Li
STEM Career Consultant
Career Services Center

Speaking Up

Gillian Lopez
Management Consultant
Career Services Center

Do you ever get nervous to speak up in class or in a meeting? Have you ever skipped out of answering a question in lecture even though you knew the answer? It’s common to see the same old students answering questions in lecture, but try and challenge yourself one week and practice speaking up in class or at a meeting. Last week I was able to conquer my fear of speaking up in class and it felt really good! I learned that, if you have full assurance in your knowledge, your research, and what you have learned then you should feel confident when speaking-up in class. There are a few good reasons why practicing to speak up in class can also help prepare you for the work world and here’s how.

I am an extrovert outside the classroom setting and in my everyday activities I am very outspoken and lively. However, in the classroom setting I am a little more reserved, quiet, and I prefer to listen to those student’s answers rather than be that student who answers the question. It’s an odd mix, but if you are comfortable speaking up in lecture with a classroom size of 100 students, then you should be comfortable enough to speak up in a work meeting. Perhaps you have a great idea that you would like to share with your boss and colleagues, or maybe you disagree with one of your coworker’s statements. Most managers like to see their employees speaking up and actively participating in meetings. It demonstrates strength in knowledge and it also provides assurance that their employees can advocate on behalf of their company with full confidence.

Another great reason for speaking-up in class or at work is that you get recognized for having a voice. In the lecture I spoke up in, the professor continuously recognized me for sharing my answer with the class. He likes to encourage all students to participate in class by sharing their opinions. At the end of that lecture, he acknowledged my participation in class, because he knew I was previously a shy student. Now I enjoy speaking up in class and other classes as well. You can also get positively recognized in a work setting for speaking up. For example, I’ve shared a few workshop ideas in a meeting and received positive feedback from my boss. If I never had spoken up about my ideas, the events would have never happened. Sometimes you lose more from not speaking up, but you can also gain more credibility from voicing your opinions if done so in a professional and respectful way. When you speak up firmly and with confidence you are more likely to get recognized by your manager and colleagues in a admirable way.

It’s understandable to be nervous to speak up in large or small group settings, but with practice that fear will slowly diminish.  If you understand what you’re talking about then you should have all the confidence to speak up and voice your opinions! Try this week’s challenge: “Don’t be invisible. Introduce yourself and get noticed!” I accomplished my fear of speaking up in class, now how will you?

What is your dream job?

Kristen Nelson
SSHA Career Consultant
Career Services Center

Is this a question you have asked yourself? Maybe you are still asking, and searching for the answer. In my opinion, this is a pretty big question and one I don’t quite yet have a definitive answer for. I have had to recently think a lot about this question because this past week I was invited to hold the first part of a workshop on “Dream Jobs.”

I met with my supervisor who helped me prepare some ideas and also gave me a really great activity to carry out during the workshop. I found the activity particularly inspiring. The purpose of it is to help you develop a clearer sense of what’s most important to you in life.

It starts with a list of about 400 values, going all the way from “Abundance” to “Zeal”. You scan the values and the ones that you naturally notice and stand out to you, you circle. Afterward, you go through the values you circled and pick out the ones you feel are extra meaningful. You then reflect on why these words stood out, how they translate to the values important to your life, and in this case, your dream job.

It sounded so interesting because my idea of a “dream job” and of what I have heard from others always seems to sound like the jobs we came up with when we were little: doctor, astronaut, superstar, etc.  It is flashy and too often its origins are based on money and status. We focus on the job and what it means to others; and less about what it means to ourselves. Perhaps our dreams jobs should be stripped of its connotation of our childhood and the “make-believe” and given a new meaning.  Shouldn’t our “dream job” be a reality, and a goal for a career that makes us happy and supports who we are?

I think that is why I found myself so curious over this list of words, because it showed me I was looking at the idea of dream jobs all wrong. I thought it would be fun if I did the activity myself and shared the results. The list was pretty long and it was fascinating that some words stood out much more than others. Looking over the list, I saw some patterns and differences in how some sections I circled a lot and others not so much. I decided to narrow it down to three values that I just couldn’t ignore. My results were: Balance, Connection, and Inspiration.

These words definitely resounded with me and I could see how they would make me happy in a future career. “Balance” is important because I know I could not have a job that took up most of my life. I need something I could devote my time to and also be able to manage my other responsibilities, like family. “Connection” really stood out to me because I automatically enjoy my time whenever I engage with people.  “Inspiration” was interesting to me because there were other words on the list that were important, but for some reason I kept looking back at it. I think this is because I need to be inspired by what I do. If I don’t have inspiration, I won’t have passion for my work, and will most likely not be very happy.

These words didn’t exactly give me a clear answer of a particular profession, but then again, it wasn’t meant to. It showed me what I find important and if I choose to base my life choices towards being balanced, making meaningful connections with others, and finding inspiration, my dream job will find me.      

Our New Media Assistant

Serena Nguyen
Career Services Media Assistant

I am currently a sophomore majoring in Business Management. Starting the spring semester of 2013, I have worked as a Media Assistant in the Career Services Center. Even though I have worked in the Career Services for a short amount of time, I have really enjoyed working there because I am doing something I love. What else can top that?

In high school, I taught myself how to use the Photoshop program to edit images and create different effect techniques by watching videos on YouTube or tutorials from other web pages. Photoshop became a hobby and I used the program to edit images and improve on my editing skills whenever I had time. However, once I started college, extra time to work on hobbies was near impossible to find. When I saw a position open for Media Assistant in the Career Services Center that required Photoshop as a skill, I thought this job would be perfect for me. Immediately I began the job application and had others review my resume. I was very excited about the job, so I made sure I completed my application to the best of my abilities. I asked one of my friends to help me revise my resume and my cover letter, since writing in English is not my forte.

I did not realize how difficult it would be to make sure my application showcased my talents. Thankfully, my good friends gave me useful tips on what I should and shouldn't put on the resume, since they had gone through job interviews. It was confusing at first, but eventually I got the hang of it. In addition, the assistance I received from the resume revision made me think about all of my previous job applications. The probably reason why I didn't receive any responses from them was because I didn't take my time to look over my resume carefully and have it revised prior to my submission. Afterwards the last thing I needed to do was to submit my application and wait for a reply.

The next morning I checked my email, and was surprised when I received a reply from Career Services. I was happy and excited because I got called in for an interview. The night before the interview, my friends helped me figure out the proper attire to wear during an interview. I went in for the interview on my last day for the fall semester of 2012, and then went home to Los Angeles right after.

In less than a week later, I received a phone call from my future manager telling me I had gotten the job. I was overjoyed. I called my parents, texted my friends, and my cousin to inform them that I now had a job. Getting a job, made my winter break that much more relaxing.

And that concludes the story on how I was able to land a job on campus. My tips and advice for you are very simple.

●      If you don't know how to find the information about a job, or have no idea where to start, I suggest you visit the Career Services Center, or email them careerservices@ucmerced.edu for questions.

●      If you already know where to find the jobs listing page on the UC Merced website, then start looking for a job that is interests you. You need to make sure that you will be able to have fun with this job.

●      Work on your resume little by little and have someone to help you revise it prior to your submission. If you can bring in your resume during the drop-in hours or schedule an appointment at the front desk, people from the Career Services Center will gladly help you with your resumes and cover letters.

●      Make sure you know the application deadline for the job because you don't want to submit it at the last minute. You never know what can go wrong with the internet.

●      After you submit your application the WAITING game begins, remember to be patient!

●      Once you land an interview, prepare for it ASAP. Don’t wait for the last minute.

●      In the Career Services Center, they will be able to help you with your interview, and even give you a mock interview upon your request.

●      On the day of your interview, make sure to dress appropriately, it is okay to overdress rather than underdress to let your future employer know that you are serious about this job. One last thing, Be confident! You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Campus Involvement as Resume Builders

Gillian Kay
Career Services Management Consultant

One great thing that I love about UC Merced is the countless leadership opportunities and campus involvement that are available to all students. I’ve encountered a sophomore who became president of her sorority, to a junior who serves as a resident assistant for over 80 freshmen students. Getting involved on campus or in the Merced community is something all students should consider doing while going through the collegiate experience. Campus involvement can vary from research, to part-time jobs, clubs, and activities.  Getting involved is so important because they are stellar resume builders especially for candidates who have had no previous work experience.

My first leadership role on campus was at my first job, the Career Services Center. When I first started applying for jobs I had no previous work experience to put on my resume. However, I had plenty of leadership experience in community service and student government during high school. My high school leadership experience portrayed to recruiters that I had relevant skills that could be applicable for the position such as teamwork, time management, and event planning. So if you don’t have any work experience, start changing that today by joining a club on campus that interests you because who knows, maybe employers would also like to know what you like to do and what you are involved in.

Employers consider leadership and volunteer experience as a substitute for real work experience because essentially the skills that they look for in a prospective employee can be found in different ways like through a campus club. The most popular skill that recruiters look for in a prospective employee is communication, and the best way to enhance communication is through campus involvement. Being a part of two organizations and a part-time job has really strengthened my correspondence and communication techniques. The most common forms of communication that I use on the job or as Chapter President are emails and phone. Having professional correspondence skills are critical because you are not only representing yourself, but a company or organization. In other words, you are being held to a higher standard and that’s what some companies and departments on campus look for in their prospective employees. This example displays how a simple skill like communication can be built from previous work or organizational experience. If joining an established club on campus is not for you then consider creating one at UC Merced.

Entrepreneurial and innovation are prime skills to have on your resume, especially in today’s economy. Creating a club that you are passionate about is almost like starting your own company. You have to create a plan, propose the idea to certain officials, look for members, do some paperwork, and the list carries on. Creating a club on campus not only gets you involved but others too, and the dedication put forth into creating it displays an entrepreneurial spirit and leadership skills to hiring managers. Getting involved on campus can benefit you in so many ways from the work force to personal skill enhancement.