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The Early Bird and That Worm!

By Burt Nadler, director of the College Career Center

Does the proverbial early bird really get the worm? Does starting early impact job or internship search success? What should you be telling students, and when? With mounds of snow all around, and few birds in flight, or worms in sight, we still ponder.

Students and soon-to-be grads must begin their search by stating realistic and attainable goals. Transforming statements like "something major related" and or "an economics, international relations, public health or English internship or job," into language of the worlds of work is essential, although difficult for most. pResearch (research before job and internship search) is required of goal expression and attainment. The sooner this is done, the better. The earlier our birds of varied academic feathers determine what kind of worms they seek and where, the more strategic and, ultimately, effective they will be.

Internship and job-search goals must be expressed using the three Fs! Can your student answer the following before taking flight?

Fields: What career fields (more than one is fine) are you interested in? What career fields have you identified as related to majors, minors, clusters, or career curiosities? Have your reviewed, conducted pResearch, and met with a Career and Internship Center counselor to discuss goal articulation and how to create targeted documentation (resumes, cover letters, networking notes)?

Functions: What functions exist within fields of interest? What internship and job titles are associated with these fields? Can you describe what interns and recent grads do in these fields? Have you met a “career role-model” and can you describe what he or she does?

Firms: Can you identify 10 companies, institutions, or organizations where you wish to intern or work? These can simply be in a location (city, state, or country) where you wish to intern or work. But, as early as you can, firms must be related to fields and functions!

Targeted resumes, letters, networking notes, and follow up communiqués must reflect focus! Goal-focused and, thus, most effective, internship and job search actions must reflect focus! Have you asked your student about their goals? Have they visited the Career and Internship Center to finalize "targeted" documents? Has your student attended one of the Center's internship and job search focused seminars?

Sadly, too many begin their search like chickens with heads cut off, aimlessly responding posting after posting, without sense of focus. Quantity of contacts yield frustration; when quality could yield interviews and, ultimately, offers. They begin wide net social networking"rather then information- and consideration-targeted networking. Most worms are too small to catch in wide nets and social networking although fun, is not strategically sound. And, too many birds believe “interest in” catching worms (finding specific jobs or internships in selective and attractive fields) will suffice and yield nourishing gastronomic (fulfilling experiential) desires. In reality it is “qualifications for” not interest in, that yield targeted worm-catching (job and internship search) outcomes, and clearly how candidates are judged. Or, like ostriches, some stick their heads in the sand of procrastination. Fine and focused feathered friends who can express field, function and firm focused goals are ready act upon the four Ps to catch worms of any shape, size, and style, at any time! Acting upon the four Ps will ultimately yield offers!

Postings: There are many internship and job-posting sites, including our “big three,” CareerLink, CareerShift, and the Nationwide Internship Consortium, as well as company web sites. Students who respond to postings effectively, yet don’'t limit themselves to these resources, enhance their potential for success. Appointments with a Career and Internship Center Counselor and attending one of our many seminars inform eager avian about posting resources on http://www.rochester.edu/careercenter/students/internship/index.html and http://www.rochester.edu/careercenter/students/jobs/index.html#5. Postings are responded to using targeted resumes and letters of application or networking notes. Counselors review and revise these documents in person and via email to help students create the best communiqués possible. And, we do promote many parent- and alumni-connected postings within our CareerLink system, so please share opportunities with us and encourage your students to learn how to access these and how best to apply to all postings.

Places: Online resources including CareerLink, CareerShift, Google Search, and printed directories of top firms, as well as Vault.com (we have pre-purchased access to this collection of publications and other resources) help internship and job seekers identify a “hit list” of firms to contact, using geographic as well as field and functional criteria. Direct contact with these firms, often via individuals in functional areas of interest; not necessarily human resources, is strategically sound and often successful. In reality, places and people are interconnected; and networking is statistically and strategically how most find internships and jobs.

People: Contacting individuals via networking notes, and follow-up phone calls; seeking consideration, advice, or referrals is the most effective worm-catching (internship and job search) strategy. A Career and Internship Center counselor can share with students how best to use the Rochester Career Advisory Network (RCAN), LinkedIn, CareerShift and other resources. Professors, family, friends, previous employers, as well as alumni and alumnae are truly amazing contacts that can lead to internships. Affirmative responses to communiqués similar to the one below do yield undergraduate and post-bac internships as well as job offers.

I am very interested in your CITE FIELD, FUNCTION AND FIRM. After you review the accompanying resume I hope you find me worthy of consideration for an entry-level position, post-bac internship, referrals, advice or, simply, career information. While eager to find a post-commencement position, an internship would also be an appropriate way to reveal my competencies. This would involve completing as many special projects as I can, and also serving in administrative support roles. While payment would be appreciated, and is much needed, I would be happy to volunteer ten to forty hours per week. Are there any special projects you or your colleagues might wish to complete over the next few weeks or months? Would you let me shadow you one day per week and provide administrative support on other days? Is there someone else you would encourage me to contact? If no job or internship consideration or referrals is available, can we meet so I can conduct a brief information conversation and learn about your career biography?

After you review the attached resume, I hope you will allow me to volunteer within internship roles. Are there any special projects you or your colleagues might wish to complete over the next few weeks or months? Would you let me shadow you one day per week and provide administrative and project-focused support other days? Is there someone else you would encourage me to contact? If no internship consideration or referrals is available at present, can we meet or continue email communication so I can learn about your career biography? If you agree to my serving as a volunteer soon, I can apply for Reach Funds, stipends made available through my school's Career and Internship Center. Thank you.

There is no date past which internships or jobs cannot be attained. If our worm-seeking birds perceive internships as affirmative answers to networking queries, as we do, we must agree that internships and post-bac options can be found at any time during the summer (really any time throughout the year) and result from communication, not simply application efforts.

Programs: Pre- and post-bac internship and academic programs are options to explore; even for seniors. Examples include: Dream Careers , Washington Center for Internships, Masa Israel, IES, and many, many more. Although their hidden, “fifth P”—price tag—may at first appear shocking, investment in these options do truly pay off for those who participate. And, undergraduates should explore overseas internship programs though our Study Abroad Office. Counter intuitively, the earlier (freshman and sophomore year), internships are completed through “sign up, pay up and show up” programs, the stronger the impact on future efforts.

The Career and Internship Center offers weekly seminars that address critically important internship, job search, and networking topics. Accessing the Career and Internship Center's web site reveals times and dates; as well as when networking programs are held.

While we still don't yet know if early birds get the worm, we do know that ever-curious, effectively communicative, and strategically targeted internship and job seekers do succeed. Focused feathered friends do, with strategies and skills taught and facilitated by the Career and Internship Center, and with the help of many (including parents) get internship and job search worms. No matter when they begin, their ability to succeed depends on their capacity to express goals and on their abilities to implement targeted strategies. We encourage you to encourage them to take flight soon, starting with a visit to 302 Meliora Hall, the Career and Internship Center.

Any questions about internship and job search please e-mail me at bnadler@mail.rochester.edu.