The idea of acquiring an internship can be daunting for students. Oftentimes, it’s a student’s first experience with employment.
With more and more employers seeking employees with workplace experience before they hit the job field, the race is always on for students to make the transition from the classroom to the field.
That is why internship fairs are so invaluable. And on Wednesday, outside of the Commons Dining Hall, the Fulton School hosted Fulton School Internships 101, an opportunity for students in the Fulton School of Liberal Arts to meet with internship coordinators, the Career Services staff and learn exactly how to obtain an internship.
Most students don’t realize how many opportunities are just within their reach.
Augusta Viccellio, director of sales and marketing for Global Experiences, has found the prospective intern to be the best determinant if an internship will be right for them.
“There's some companies that we partner with year after year, but it really depends on this specific intern and what they're looking for in an internship,” Viccellio said. “No two interns are the same. Their backgrounds aren’t the same, and their interests aren't the same.”
Not only do the interests of students wildly vary, the requirements to obtain an internship vary from program to program.
Some programs may require a specific class taken before an internship, and others may require a certain amount of credit hours.
Oftentimes, students don't know how to get an internship, or if they even need one to graduate.
“That's why we created this internship fair,” Anello said. "It was kind of born out of a lot of students being confused on what they needed to do to get an internship and what the process was."
The key to finding that “perfect fit” internship? Be transparent about what you want in a career, Anello said.
“We do a lot of backwards planning through the advising process where, let's say you want this certain job, I'm going to be able to figure out internships for you,” Anello said. “The sooner you come to an internship fair, even if you're a freshman or sophomore, we can figure out when you're going to take that internship and where you're going to take that internship.”
Backwards planning is what allows so many students to attain their career goals and gain valuable experience at high-profile employers.
This is a big reason why SU students often intern at some of the most well-known companies and institutions in the world, but also make a big difference in the Salisbury/Eastern Shore community.
“Basically anything you can think of,” Viccellio said. “Everything from small companies to big international companies like Edelman and Google, the Red Cross to small local companies.”
“We had a student just go to NASA and do an internship,” Anello said.
However, students still worry about landing that coveted internship.
For students seeking help in becoming a better internship candidate, the Career Peers program based in Career Services exists to make their application and resume as strong as possible.
Career Peers like Kirstyn Duggar, Johannah Cooper and Karen Jimenez are ready to help students at every step of their career development.
“We have different office hours, and we’re able to review students' resumes and cover letters and then kind of help them find internships or opportunities here in the community,” Cooper said.
“You want to get a student's perspective, because we're in their shoes,” Duggar said.
The students in Career Services themselves remember what it was like to have little idea of how to establish a career.
“I want to be the student that I wanted to talk to when I came here to get the student aspect of what it's like to be in the Fulton School and to be a student of Salisbury University,” Jimenez said.
Students seeking a Career Peer can visit Career Services inside the Guerrieri Student Union, Room 133.
By K.B. MENSAH
News editor
Featured photo: Emma Reider image.