In the highly competitive atmosphere that is Johns Hopkins University, doing well in courses and participating in numerous organizations is often not enough for students to add to their resumes. In fact, finding a summer job or internship is usually a key component of many a student's CV.
Although internships can be difficult to find, and often do not compensate participants for their labor, the JHU Career Center provides invaluable resources to facilitate the internship search process.
Making an appointment at the Career Center can be a difficult endeavor, as it can take as many as three weeks before there is an opening with one of the counselors. However, the information and tips received by actually making a formal appointment are priceless.
Go prepared with a sample resume and an idea of what type of internship you are looking for. Once this is accomplished, the counselor will demonstrate their fantastic Web site, which includes several methods of searching for the perfect internship. Additionally, by making the acquaintance of a career counselor, your name may come up in a conversation with an employer, providing those crucial networking skills.
If you are unable to find time for an official appointment, the Career Center holds drop-in hours each weekday for a quick fifteen-minute appointment with a counselor. This is a great time to get a resume checked out, or discuss the contents of a general cover letter.
Freshman Laura Peralta remarked that "the Career Center's suggestions for sprucing up my resume really made sense, and I now feel confident that I will have an internship this summer."
Before your first appointment, you are required to set up an account with the Career Center, via Monstertrak.com. Monstertrak, a spin-off of the job database Monster.com, is one of the most useful internship searching tools. It provides a forum for employers to search for prospective employees and vice-versa. Clicking on the "Job and Internship Database" will allow you to input where you'd like to work and the type of job you'll need.
It then shows the results, providing contact information and a way to apply online. The Web site allows you to house up to ten resumes and one cover letter, which can be used in any combination when applying for certain positions.
The Web site also contains a section unique to Hopkins, crafted by the Career Center. The Hopkinsnet allows students to search for alumni in their fields of interest. Another exercise in tweaking networking skills, dropping a line to alum could yield a great internship. The "Internships USA" link will take you to an online database with hundreds of internships grouped by categories. Since this is through Monstertrak, it is possible to apply online when possible.
The Career Center also provides paper materials found in the Center itself for internship opportunities. They include massive binders, again grouped by category, which contain contact information and blurbs about each prospective job. However, some of these can be outdated, so be prudent when looking through them.
If you are unsure if you are on the right track when crafting a resume, or if you have no clue what is meant by a cover letter, fear not -- the Career Center has created handouts on how to write a proper CV and/or cover letter, which can be found both in the Center and online.
These dittos provide a framework for resumes and a formula for cover letters. By following these guidelines and then reinforcing them with a glance-over from a counselor, you are well on your way to getting that elusive internship.
One of the most important things to keep in mind when applying for a summer internship is that it is necessary to apply to several of them.
Since most college students will want a head start in the business world, whether it be for the experience or for the graduate school resume, finding an internship becomes competitive. By applying to many prospects, you increase your chances of getting a great one that fits in with what you are interested in doing. Be sure to look for the compensation offered, if any, and the travel stipend if you will be using mass transit to arrive at work.
Career Center Hours: Monday -- Friday 8:30 a.m.-- 5:30 p.m., open until 7 p.m. on Wednesdays
Drop-in Hours: Monday 1-3 p.m., Tuesday 10-11 a.m., Wednesday 1-4 p.m., Thursday, 1-3:30 p.m.
