To prepare for the upcoming Virtual Career and Internship Fair, the Grand Valley State University Career Center held two events this week that helped students perfect their resumes and understand the importance of internships. 

The first event this week, “How to Find an Internship,” took place via Zoom on Feb. 16. Career Advisor and Internship Specialist Rachel Becklin was the host of the event. She began by discussing the benefits of an internship and how to figure out the best time to complete one.

“There’s the professional development of getting experience and it’s a way to test it out,” Becklin said. “You can ask yourself, ‘Is this something I really want to do?’”

Many employers have different preferences for the experience levels of their interns. Becklin said students should begin searching for internships at least a semester before they are ready to complete one to ensure that the employer they’re interested in is looking for interns around their age and education level.

GVSU and the Career Center offer various virtual resources to aid students in their internship search. One of those resources is the Experience Matters page on the GVSU website, a virtual collection of internship and co-op experiences written by students. Resources like these can give students a sneak peek at what to expect when they complete their own internships.

“Another person’s experience could help you determine if you’d like to do a certain internship,” Becklin said. 

Handshake was another useful tool, Becklin said. The site can easily be overlooked by students, but the more they interact with it, the more accurate its job and internship recommendations become. Similar to Handshake in many ways, LinkedIn is another great resource for browsing jobs and seeing where other GVSU alumni are working.

Many students come to college with an idea of what job they want to pursue after graduation. More often than not, however, those same students end up in completely different roles than they expect. Part of finding a suitable job or internship is attending events like the ones put on by the Career Center.

“Be open-minded about different careers and events to attend,” Becklin said. 

The event concluded with testimonials and internship tips from GVSU students, who spoke about utilizing connections to make progress in the job and internship search process.

“Don’t be afraid to make connections with your employer, it could get you a lot farther than you’d think,” said student Megan Logan.

The second event, the Resume and Cover Letter Workshop, occurred the following evening in Mackinac Hall. The Psychology club and the Career Center came together to host the event just in time for the Career and Internship Fair. 

“This event was in perfect timing for the fair,” said Psychology Club President Hallie Dykstra. “Students will benefit from having a polished resume. Having a resume to upload on Handshake is very important.”

The Career Center is always looking for new ways to reach students and partnering with a popular club for this event did just that. Career Connector and Psychology Club eboard member Emily Murray fostered the collaboration between the club and the Career Center that led to the workshop. 

“Emily thought it would be beneficial to do it for more students,” Dykstra said. “Resumes are really important. Every student needs one.”

The event included a presentation on resumes followed by a workshop where students could work on their resumes with help from Career Center staff. Students also had the opportunity to take informal headshots for LinkedIn and other scenarios that require professional pictures. 

Students who could not attend last week’s events but still need to prepare for the fair can visit the Career Lab in person or through virtual appointments. The Career and Internship Fair takes place Thursday, Feb. 24 and students can register on Handshake.

“It would be highly beneficial for anyone to go,” Dykstra said. “For anyone nervous, it won’t hurt to give it a try, you never know what opportunities may arise.”