On Nov. 8, 2022, the University of Connecticut’s Career Center released a pre-recorded webinar with tips and strategies on how to apply for co-ops and internships. The webinar included helpful information on how to effectively search and apply for job opportunities and make a positive impression on employers.
The webinar also provided quizzes and interactive questions for students to assess their level of understanding of how to successfully search for co-ops and internships.
First, it covered the key differences between co-ops and internships. Co-ops are always paid, do not count as academically accredited full-time employment and are several months long. Internships, on the other hand, are one or two semesters long and qualify as accredited part-time employment, though they are not always paid. While the main goal of co-ops is experiencing the realities of a full-time job, internships focus on providing learning experience.
Before applying to either, students must consider the main four aspects: values, interests, skills and personality. Correctly assessing these for yourself helps find career opportunities that fit one best.
Employers’ most commonly desired skills and qualifications were covered in the webinar as well. Some important attributes that would benefit a resume are skills in teamwork, problem-solving, analytical and quantitative analysis, verbal and written communication and leadership.
A lot of common misconceptions were addressed; for example, networking should not be perceived as something stressful — it is just meeting people, introducing yourself, sharing information and finding what you have in common. Communicating with potential employers is not much different from meeting peers and fellow students on campus.
Students should know that many jobs are not advertised — over 73% of jobs are in the hidden job market and can be found through networking rather than public advertisements. It is also important to know that employers hire people and people look for jobs in opposite ways; while employers find most of their employees through personal connections, those looking for jobs do the opposite by mainly focusing on public postings.
However, there is an exception: utilizing the platform Handshake can be very efficient in a co-op and internship search for college students because employers that post on there specifically want college students or recent alumni.
The best and most effective ways to search for career offerings and opportunities are attending career fairs, info sessions or personally approaching organizations to create your own experience. The UConn and Career Center websites also include plenty of helpful resources.
The Husky to Hire webinar can also be helpful in editing your resume. Resumes should be tailored to each position you apply to; only include information relevant to the specific position or adjust its order to maximize relevance.
It is also important to keep track of where you apply; a suggested method is to create a table or a graph with columns like location, position, salary, earning credit, application type and deadline. The webinar also recommended to wait a week or two before following up and keep looking for more opportunities until you get an official offer that you are willing to accept. However, know to move on after two full weeks of waiting — do not waste your own time.
