When students come to the Career Center asking for help with an internship resume, you know you re doing something right. Your reach should expand beyond just identifying the right major or starting the job search process. All those steps in between, including landing a great internship, should take up a significant part of your wheelhouse as well.

Walking students through the minutiae of internship applications can feel like prepping a job application with some training wheels. And you should take the opportunity to draw those parallels. If your guidance is beneficial now, the student can apply what they learn to a future job search. It s also more likely that they ll return to the Center and recommend it to friends!

But remember that an internship resume does serve a different purpose and audience than one for a full-time position.

These are the qualities your student body must understand and what you can do to deliver that information:

Elements of an internship resume:

Landing an internship is high-stakes. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) conducts research for an annual Job Outlook. With its 2020 findings, NACE reported that having internship experience can play a significant role in determining who lands a job. Between two equal candidates, the one who completed an internship for the organization or in the industry will be offered the position. So you must ensure the resumes are top-notch.

Work experience, skills, and education

These sections will look reasonably similar on the internship resume and job resume. Be sure to mention that the strategies you propose to make the skills pop and work experience details engaging can apply to the resumes they ll work on in the future.

Depending on the student s comfort level with resumes, teach them how to cater to a specific position. If they have never seen a resume before, this information may be too overwhelming to process. But the more intermediate or advanced levels will gain a lot from going through the internship s priorities with you and reflecting them on paper.

Relevant coursework

If the student you re working with doesn t have any part-time jobs or babysitting gigs to mention, encourage them to replace the work experience section with relevant coursework. They can discuss what they did in the course, what they learned, group projects they led, etc. But be sure to address that coursework should not be the focus of the resume after the internship.

Of course, a year or two after college, there can still be some information on courses. However, the responsibilities and achievements at the internship they land should take the spotlight.

Academic accomplishments

Academic accomplishments are impressive, but taking up room with three awards from senior year in high school two years ago isn t worthwhile.

A college student s most recent achievements should be from college. Tell students to limit the section to the name and year of the award and maybe a brief explanation of what it represents if it s not self-explanatory. Any more details are unnecessary and if the info is limited — don t include this section.

Evidence of leadership

Regardless of whether an employer is looking for interns or full-time hires, they re prioritizing candidates with leadership skills right now. According to the 2021 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends, 60% of executives say leadership qualities are pivotal at all levels to prepare for unknown futures.

Therefore, dig into the student s history to identify moments in campus engagement, at a part-time job, or while volunteering where they exemplify those leadership qualities.

Recommended reading: Encourage students to start professional development sooner rather than later.

How to Promote Professional Growth from the Career Center

References

Like job applications, there s no reason for a student to include references on the internship resume unless the company specifically requested them.

Ensure students do have a list prepared of professional references however. Club or academic advisors, professors, coaches, and volunteer coordinators are excellent options as internship references. Friends from school are not.

Options for conveying this information to students

You can always advertise that career counselors are happy to help with internship applications, but that will only get your reach so far. Not everyone is thrilled about signing up for one-on-one coaching because of the time it takes out of their day and the courage it takes to ask for help.

Here are some other ideas to start your brainstorm:

Classroom workshop

Coordinate with professors to run a classroom workshop. It s the best guarantee to reach the most students. In addition, the workshop can help those who have not planned to visit the Career Center begin to trust your expertise. First-year seminars, Honors classes, or life skills electives like personal finance are the best fit for these workshops.

Newsletters are great because you can include more detailed information in one place. Instead of reviewing the surface level of just one topic to cater to the lowest skill level, you can dive deep with monthly installments of the series.

With newsletters, however, you re fighting against attention span. Students get lots of emails, and you need yours to pop to keep their attention and get the information across. If you have the time, include infographics, recent research, or embed a YouTube video.

Worksheet

Develop a worksheet with a summary on internship resumes, a true or false section, and a fill-in-the-blank resume template.

Having a grabbable resource makes it easy to get the information across when you don t have the time to dive into it. And including those interactive elements increases the likelihood that students will look at it and retain the information.

Put the PDF on your website. Include it in emails. Drop off copies with professors to hand out in class! If you re able to be extra generous, offer a prize to students who bring a completed worksheet to the Center.

To connect with students even more, use these methods, too!

Back to School Means New Changes and Creativity for Career Counselors

The post Teaching College Students about the Internship Resume appeared first on Blog Job Hunting Career Management Solutions | CareerShift.

Published May 4, 2022

8 Things Graduates Should Know Before Joining The Workforce

The following career advice is what I believe to be the top eight things recent college graduates should know before joining the workforce. I am sure there are additional tips you can bring into the workforce but these are a great start to ensure you begin on the right foot.

1. Get Better At Time Management

Recent college grad looks for a job

Time is finite. Once it is gone you cannot get it back. Once a deadline is missed there is no turning back. If you missed an assignment, you risk a lower grade. But in the working world, it can mean losing a job project and the company having to incur financial losses. Learn time management skills and you end up being more productive, effective, and efficient.

2. Do More, Talk Less

Recent college grad talks during a work meeting

It’s far too easy to be convinced by those who say you can talk to impress people. And I do not deny that, but eventually, your work has to be the proof that you are a good worker and you are dependable. You need to decide if you will do more and talk less or do less and talk more.

3. Be Present

Recent college graduate meets a coworker

Being present means two things to me. Firstly, it means to be on time every time. This ranges from a small internal meeting to meeting your deadlines. It means being there when you are needed. Golden opportunities present themselves when you are present. Secondly, being present means focusing on the work that needs to be completed. It also means being mindful and fully aware of your surroundings.

4. Give Your Work A Routine

Recent college graduate looks for a job

Develop some form of routine and be disciplined to stick to that routine. This is related to time management but goes beyond the time management that you do in the office. Have a routine for your life. Give yourself time. Block off time for yourself to read or even do the chores like laundry, etc. Start to be more organized than you were in college. Stick to this career advice even though it does not relate to career building. You will soon see the wisdom of it.

5. Be Nice

Recent college graduate happy at work

Learn to be authentic and avoid politics. Of course, sometimes it is tough not to get involved at all. But you can learn to avoid it and be real and authentic. Stay true to your values. These are the anchors that hold you when people change and agendas change. Be nice to people regardless of rank and designation. Smile often. Say “please” and “thank you.”

6. Compete With Yourself

College students look at their phones

Compete with no one else. Of course, no matter what is said and done, you will always be peeping at the next guy to see how he is doing in his career. Sure, peep. But don’t be overly affected by competition that you forget to look at yourself. Be the best you can be in this long cross-country marathon; it is filled with detours and stops. When you focus too much on your competitors you may get lost. It’s one of those career tips for recent college graduates you need to experience to know what it truly means.

7. Create, Don’t Just Discover

Recent college grad works from home

Life is as much about creating as it is discovering. I hear far too often recent college graduates saying, “I need to discover myself.” But is life all about discovering yourself? It is and it is also not. Life is as much as creating the “you” you want to be as it is in discovering the “you” that you are. The truth is somewhere in between. So, when you get a job that is less than satisfactory for you, use it as a pedagogue to discover yourself. More importantly, use it to give you hints at creating the self you want to be.

8. Realize There Is Fun In Learning

Recent college grad shakes hands with the hiring manager

There is a lot of fun in learning. If you understand being present in my earlier advice, then you will know work-life presents so much you can learn and be paid for it. Learn to love what you do and learn to love learning. Because the chance to do what you love may be far and in between. When you find fun in learning then you will be constantly improving yourself. Learn to love books and all sorts of books. There is no need to stick to books in your own industry.

These are the eight things I consider solid career advice for any recent college graduate. A new phase of life has just begun. It’s a long road of work from now on. There is no need to rush your career progression. Take time and enjoy life while honing your skills as you move along.

Here at Work It Daily, we understand how difficult it is to find a job and grow your career as a recent college grad. If you’re struggling to find a job that’s right for you, we can help.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.