As the deadline for many internship applications come closer, students have the opportunity to use a number of on-campus resources.
Offices like the Career Achievement Network offer interviewing tips, resume building and access to career coaching from faculty. Students can schedule mock interviews, as well as attend various career fairs where they have the opportunity to network and meet future employers.
Jess Kibler, a freshman studying finance, said resources through the College of Business and the Honors Tutorial College give her an added advantage. Kibler said although she had a prior internship, she was in the search of another that would meet specific requirements for her major.
“I think (an internship is) incredibly beneficial, of course the process to get one can be very difficult,” Kibler said. “However, … a lot of times internships lead to jobs, especially the internship that you get between your junior and senior year.”
Additionally, COVID-19 has made the return to professional workspaces for students difficult due to health concerns. Kim Jeffers, associate director for Experiential Access and Engagement at Ohio University, acknowledged the safety concerns of in-person internship opportunities for students and the plethora of resources available at OU to help them succeed.
“How a student gets into an internship varies with what their major is,'' Jeffers said. “At one point, they're deciding they want an internship because, maybe, they need to talk to an advisor .. to find out (if) they really want an internship, or do they just need to get some practical experience to help decide what they want to do.’’
She also noted that when COVID-19 began, internship supervisors had to figure out what was best for students and how to keep them on track.
“I was still the internship coordinator when COVID hit, so I had students that were enrolled in internships,” Jeffers said. “I think everyone that was supervising internships had to regroup, figure out where their students were, were they safe? Were they able to complete the internship?”
Peyton Farrell, a sophomore studying marketing, said she is still on the hunt for an internship that could combine her marketing and photography skills.
“I haven't really looked too deep into it yet, but I do have one in mind,” Farrell said. “I am hoping to pursue a career in photography. ... Ideally, I want to have an internship under a photographer, and there's one I have in mind who did offer me an internship at one point. She also comes from a marketing background and said that really helped her build her business.”
