Who else hates awkward moment when the first snow reminds you to start looking for a summer job? Yes, unbelievably we are approaching the best time to start thinking about preparing for summer jobs and internships. Luckily the application process doesn’t begin for another couple of months but this is the perfect time to determine where, what and how you are going to snag that perfect position.
The best way to start is by determining what you are actually interested in doing and how you can utilize the skill set you have acquired during your time at Mount Holyoke and through other job experiences. Simply think about what you find most appealing—do you enjoy the thought of sharing a cubicle with a bunch of other interns or potentially working under a man who resembles Steve Carrell? Does research interest you? Perhaps you are a more hands-on girl, willing to experiment or use the world as your playground? These answers are sometimes best determined by your potential major or your dream job. If you aren’t sure, just imagine yourself in 10 years: where do you want to be and what do you want to be doing?
Once you’ve come up with some basic keywords that describe what is it you are interested in pursuing, then you can begin to figure out the location and how exactly you are going to find such an arrangement. Thankfully, Mount Holyoke provides some great resources that will help you with every aspect of this process.
The Career Development Center, commonly referred to as the CDC, is readily available for your questions and concerns. “People come in and are surprised about the extent of the resources we provide,” said Danielle Desjardins, a junior and a peer career assistant. The CDC has an extensive library filled with student reports of internships from past years. These reports range from international jobs and internships to science research. Each binder includes student reviews and interviews on the companies and programs they worked for. These binders, chock full of useful information, are a great resource as you start to determine the field you want to work with.
In addition to a collection of books and student reports, the CDC also provides resume consultations so that you can prepare a top-notch piece of paper that will succintly summarize your accomplishments and skills and give them a favorable spin. They also provide guides on resume formats and styles as well as sheets that explain the importance of a cover letter and how best to create one. The students at the desk will help you set up appointments with career counselors who can direct you if you need further assistance.
Tired of the CDC? Never fear! There is plenty of individual work you can do as well. Mount Holyoke provides several online resources including LyonNet, LACN (found using LyonNet) and JobX. Each of these sites can be found through the Mount Holyoke website at http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cdc/. LyonNet has frequently uploaded internship opportunities that range in locations all over the world. LACN is the Liberal Arts Career Network, a collection of job postings provided by the career development centers of many liberal arts colleges. For jobs or research positions on the Mount Holyoke campus, go to JobX, which lists a catalogue of the most recent postings available.
So Mount Holyoke has given you all of these resources and still you haven’t found what you want? That’s all right: if you have a will, there will be a way. Simple searches on Craigslist, appropriate keywords on Google (such as “summer internships located in Boston, MA” or “magazine publication internship”) and idealist.org may directly link you to a company or business that matches your interest. Professors and department heads can also help. Rita Kerbaj, a sophomore, found an internship in Northampton through her Spanish professor.
Don’t feel daunted by the internship/job process. Yes, it’s labor intensive and yes it’s hard to imagine that in six months you’ll be donning your corporate clothes and passing for a professional woman. But time flies fast in our little South Hadley bubble, so take the opportunity during Thanksgiving recess and J-Term to sift through all of the information provided for you and learn about your resources. In the immortal words of Mary Lyon herself, “If you jump in, you will ride very fast.”Â