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The Student News Site of Utica University

The Tangerine

The Student News Site of Utica University

The Tangerine

Career and Internship Tips

Source: utica.edu
Source: utica.edu

The Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) at Utica College strives to help students find internships and even get their resume put together.

But the office is finding many students are not coming in for help and do not realize how much the CCPD actually has to offer.

Employer Relations Coordinator Michael Badolato said students also do not realize career services are also available to them via the CCPD’s Career Connect website.

“It’s a web-based employment site or tool that students can use, and they are already in it by virtually being a student here, they just need to go in and create their password and then they have access to it,” Badolato said.

The site allows students to research jobs, internships and volunteer experiences. The site features a newsfeed on the front page where different jobs and events are featured. Articles are available with helpful tips as well.

“Not that we don’t want to help students [in person], but it allows them to do some things on their own and take care of some of that leg work and then walk in when they are already prepared,” he said.

Assistant Director of Employer Relations and Campus Employment Kailea Murray said that the cool thing about the UC Career Connect is that all of the employer partners and contacts out in the community are also posting their jobs and internships on the website.

“That is step number one, and step number two to finding an internship is, of course, students can come to our office anytime,” she said. “We work alongside students the whole time during their internship search process, so we will of course go through UC Career Connect and everything that is available there, but if there is a specific something that a student is looking for, we just help them reach out.”

The office can help craft an email and also help students with what to say when making a professional phone call. They have contacts to all of the major local employers. Occasionally, students will want to go home and do an internship and the office will also help assist with that by teaching them how to search for an internship online.

Badolato said a lot of the internship search process takes place online.

Many career pages on a company’s website will have internships listed. Students can go to a careers page on a company’s website and can see internships listed. He emphasized that looking for internships and coming to see the career services office should not be done the last two years of college

Murray said that resumes are also extremely important during the internship process and must be ready before even thinking about applying for one.

“The first thing that any employer is going to ask is, ‘Can we see a resume?’” she said. “If we reach out to them, if the student reaches out, if they apply online, that’s like step number one,” she said.

She said she often finds people are not sure how to put a resume together and that is what the office is also for. Most of her internship appointments turn into a resume appointment.

Badolato suggested if a student does not know how to write a resume, to put the information down in whatever format and the office will help craft it.

“It is a collaborative effort,” he said. “You’re the one who had the job, we don’t know. But we ask questions that make you think, ‘Yes, that should be on the resume.’”

Murray said many people feel intimidated because they do not know what a resume should look like.

“Really all it should look like is what work experience you have and we can help you,” she said.

Badolato added that the CCPD has many different internship opportunities in different industries, such as health care, business, criminal justice and construction management.

“I think students think the internship has to match their field of interest or study, and it doesn’t,” he said. “Sometimes getting that professional work experience is good, and it’s a higher level than, let’s say, a part-time job they did at home. These internships, many times, lead to full time employment when they graduate.”

Badolato said it is a shame that many people are not aware of the importance of experience and preparation for the future. He stated that internships allow students to see what they like and what they do not like, so it is very critical for them to get students coming to their door.

“It’s like a test run, and so I think when you go and do that it gives you a little bit more clarity,” he said.

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