In December of 2008, I responded to an article by Wake Forest University president Nathan Hatch in which he laid out, among other things, the importance of enhancing college career centers in order to allow them to focus on career development, not just job placement. At the time, I absolutely agreed, but also offered my thoughts on how, from a macro perspective, such enhancements could occur. I just finished reading through a Chronicle of Higher Education article from earlier this year that lays out the dramatic overhaul that has been made to the career development program at Wake Forest under the charge of Andy Chan. The university as a whole has placed a priority on vocational and character development and has backed that with about $5-million! I must say, I’m impressed by Mr. Chan’s efforts and President Nathan Hatch’s obvious commitment to their students’ lifelong career development. It will be wonderful to see other campuses take similar steps. Congrats to Wake Forest University’s Office of Personal and Career Development, Pres. Hatch and Andy Chan.
Follow Andy on Twitter and check out his blog, Heart of the Matter.
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It helps to have already begun to think through some of the ways in which an internship might meet academic requirements before you meet with faculty about the possibility of getting credit. You don’t have to have it all figured out, but it can help guide your conversation, especially you are applying to internship sites that are relatively unfamiliar to your faculty. Internship Basics is a series of articles that answers some of the fundamental questions college students ask about interning.
In the next Internship Basics post, we’ll answer the question, Can I Paid? Guest Author: Cathy Eng, CARW, Owner of Resume Rocketeer, Inc. In this competitive job market, there are scores of applicants who are perfect for every job, and are willing to spend extra time tailoring their resume and cover letter to each job to which they apply. If you are serious about your job search, it is essential that you do the same. Why? That’s because hiring managers know the difference between a blind applicant and someone who took the time to individualize their resume to the experience and skills required for the job. The best way to do that is to use the job description to match with the skills you have to offer. According to the National Society for Experiential Education, an internship is “a carefully monitored work or volunteer experience in which an individual has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience.” Let’s break this down a bit: “Carefully monitored” – you should be supervised, ideal by someone knowledgeable about not only the work you will be doing, but also about the larger career field. |
