Searching for an internship or job has many inherent challenges, but during a global pandemic, they seem to be astronomical. Now that many companies and organizations are closing temporarily or minimizing staffing, traditional hiring has changed to reflect the times. Though you may need to exert more effort in finding internships/jobs now, the skills preparation required for success remains the same as in the past. Fortunately, the United States government and many large companies are currently hiring personnel. If you are interested in applying for a U.S. government job, visit https://www.opm.gov/.
In terms of preparing for an internship or job search, you want to consider the following:
- Update your resume and cover letter
- Develop your on-line professional profile (e.g. LinkedIn)
- Craft your ‘elevator pitch’ and practice interview questions to develop interview skills
- Research career opportunities through on-line search engines and college/professional contact lists
- Attend online career and networking events at universities and within your community
Currently, internship/job interviews are being conducted through virtual platforms. This online interview approach, through phone and video technology, has been used in the past for pre-screening applicants early in the recruitment process. The same interview preparation that applicants relied upon in the past still applies today.
The Center for Career Development at the University of Connecticut has numerous career on-line resources that can aide students/alumni with developing effective internship/job search skills. Utilizing the following career resources may increase the probability of achieving career success:
| Resume & Cover Letter Writing Guide | https://career.uconn.edu/resources/resume-cv-cover-letter-guide/ |
| Resume & Cover Letter Samples | https://career.uconn.edu/resumecv-samples/ |
| Career Communities | https://career.uconn.edu/resources/career-communities/ |
| Husky Mentor Network | https://career.uconn.edu/resources/husky-mentor-network/ |
| LinkedIn- Building Your Profile | https://career.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2018/09/Building-Your-LinkedIn-Profile-Supplement.pdf |
| Handshake (search for internships/jobs) | https://career.uconn.edu/resources/handshake/ |
| Experiential Learning Search Engines | https://career.uconn.edu/common-search-engines-experiential-learning/ |
| Career on Demand (brief videos on all career topics) | https://careerondemand.uconn.edu/ |
| Career Webinars | https://career.uconn.edu/resources/career-development-webinars/ |
| Big Interview | https://uconn.biginterview.com/ |
For additional career information, please contact the UConn Center for Career Development at career@uconn.edu.
