Students blog

Searching for an internship or a job as a college student can certainly be very stressful. There are many moving parts from building a perfect resume, marketing yourself, meeting the right people, and sometimes being lucky enough. While considering all factors that are supposed to go right to land a position, it is hard to stay mentally sane. Do not feel alienated if you feel pressure, it is common to get stressed when starting your career.

I am a college senior, and I have been down the “applying to a job” road several times before. One thing that all jobs have in common is interviewing. Interviewing is one of the important steps to landing a job. So here are some tips on how to stay poised while applying and interviewing!

1. Identify What You Want

There are an astonishing number of jobs out there; meaning that there are many paths for you to choose. When applying you need to list out your goals and intentions. Do you want something to make some money? Do you want an educational experience that relates to the industry that you are interested in? Do you want to meet new people and network? There are no right or wrong answers, all you need to do is sit down and brainstorm a list of your priorities.

2. “The Perfect” Resume

Many people may apply for the same opening you did, especially if it is a huge corporation. To make the hiring process manageable, many firms tend to process resumes through a “software”. This is not a reason to be intimidated; all you need to do is make sure you use keywords in your resume that demonstrate both hard and soft skills. And the last thing you want is for your resume to be thrown out because of spelling errors, so make sure your grammar and formatting are a hundred percent accurate. Run your resume by a friend or a family member to make sure it is the perfect version of your resume.

3. Research The Role

After you submit your resume, you may get a call for an interview. This is an achievement itself, but now the real work begins. Make sure you research your firm and the role. This helps you better formulate your answers and tie them back to why you are interested in the role to begin with. It shows the employer that you are interested in the job because you spent time learning about it.

4. Prep

Interview prepping can be difficult as it is impossible to know what questions you will be asked. However, good preparation is simply knowing yourself. Think about all the times when you had to be a leader or made an impact, take these stories, and convert them into potential answers that demonstrate various desirable skills. Interviewing is all about marketing yourself; the better you tell your story, the more memorable you will be.

5. Stay Poised

In addition to preparing for the interview make sure you eat well and get a good night's rest. It is important to take care of yourself physically and mentally because it reduces stress and nervousness.

Interviewing for a job or internship is daunting, but with enough preparation, you will be able to speak eloquently in front of your future employer. When you are familiar with what stories you want to tell and ideas you want to express, the interview will start to feel more like a conversation.

Want to read more on this topic from other students? Check out these blogs on finding and securing an internship, making the most of your internship experience, and more advice on interview prep.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

Most college students have been asked, “do you have any internships lined up?” While internships are certainly not for everyone, they are common among college students. They are a great way to learn about areas you may be working in down the line. Finding and securing an internship is arguably one of the most stressful parts of college. However, it can also be one of the most rewarding parts.

The Search

Often, the hardest part of finding an internship can be the search. This can be a daunting task when you don’t even know where to begin. The easiest place I found to look was simply Google. If you type in, “Summer 2022 Internships in (whatever you are looking for)” there are a ton of results. If something interests you, then apply! You can always turn down interviews later down the line, but you might as well keep your options open. If you have a better idea of what you want to be doing, then skip Google and try searching on LinkedIn or through a job search website through your university. I found that many companies through my school’s portal were more responsive than just cold applying on Google. If you know exactly what you want to be doing, then go directly to your favorite company’s website. Normally, you can navigate to a careers page, where you will be able to see all their open job opportunities and internships. There are many ways to find internships, but I think a combination of all of them is the best strategy.

Resume

Now you have narrowed it down to a few opportunities that interest you. That is great, but how do you go about standing out from all the other applicants? Your resume is vital to securing an interview. It is very important to have multiple people read and edit your resume. One small grammatical error is all a company needs to toss your resume in the trash. Have your parents, grandparents, friends, and professors edit it. My strategy was to have family and friends go over it first to catch the grammatical errors. Once I knew it was free of these errors, I had trusted adults at my university edit it. It is a better use of their time to find ways to improve the content and phrasing of your resume rather than finding grammatical or formatting errors that your family could have caught. The more eyes on your resume, the better.

Interview Process

Finally, the interview process. This is where you get to stand out and show your personality. Interviews are for the interviewer to judge your fit in the company, but also for you to judge whether you want to work for the company. I found that my best interviews were always the ones where I connected with the interviewer. In terms of preparation, repetition is the most important thing. Practice with older students and friends in mock interviews. This will help you get used to speaking about yourself and your experiences. Finally, just be yourself! It is important to ask genuine questions and try to get to know the company. If the role is meant for you, it will naturally work itself out.

The most important thing through the whole process is remaining positive and confident in yourself despite rejection letters. A rejection to a company does not reflect your ability to do an internship. There is a job for everyone out there, it is just a matter of finding the right one. Good luck!

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

When first starting college, I always looked forward to having a relaxing senior year; however, that did not turn out to be the case. What I hoped to be an easy semester turned into me taking 12 credit hours, managing a Pearson micro-internship, working as a Pearson Campus Ambassador (PCA), and interviewing for full-time jobs. My life became incredibly busy. Although it seems like a lot, my past experiences taught me how to manage my time wisely.

Increasing Responsibility

This was not the first time I had to handle a chaotic schedule. During the Spring semester of my junior year, I took 18 credit hours, worked as a PCA, and completed an internship with a search fund. During that time, the best thing I did to manage school and work was to prepare for exams at least a week in advance. Since I would have multiple exams a week, internship deadlines, and PCA projects all coinciding, I couldn’t spend all day studying for an exam anymore. Learning how to space out my studying was extremely integral to my being able to manage other responsibilities on top of school.

Helpful Habits

The habits I built during that time made me confident that I could handle all that senior year had to throw at me. I’d learned how to space out studying so I could balance my academics and maintain my GPA, while still being able to keep up with other commitments. Another habit that helped me was to put all due dates onto a Google or Outlook calendar. I have a hard time keeping up with a written planner, however I am always on my laptop. Having those notifications pop up for things like internship meetings, job meetings, and even classes is super helpful. I keep up with all my deadlines and make to do lists for day-to-day tasks. Being organized is genuinely the most important thing to manage several projects at once.

And something interesting I learned during these heavy semesters is that I work more efficiently when I have more to do. Having many deadlines helps me get things done faster because I know I don’t have much time to procrastinate. When I was in high school and my only focus was on school, I wasn’t as efficient with my time because I didn’t need to be.

Although taking on more responsibility may seem daunting, it has proven to be rewarding. Both my PCA position and Pearson internship have provided me with so much experience to talk about during my job interviews.

Take Time for Yourself

Now in my final semester, I’m finding that carrying out a job search can feel like a full-time job on its own: preparing for interviews, updating my resume, and applying to jobs in between classes and during lunch. The best thing I’ve done for myself this semester is build time in to take breaks, like hanging out with friends, exercising, and treating myself to some ice cream. Taking care of your mental health is important to maintain your best self. I’m extremely thankful for all of opportunities I have had throughout my college career and hope to apply what I’ve learned during these busy semesters post-college.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

So, you finally landed that internship you’ve been working so hard to get. You have done the hard part by getting the offer – now it’s time to actually start the job! Here are some tips I’ve learned on how to make the most of it.

Ask questions and be curious

Asking questions is crucial to optimize your learning during your internship. Employees understand you are an intern and are there to grow and learn. They except you to not know what you are doing at first, so don’t feel like you are being bothersome or asking to many questions. There is no such thing as a dumb question! Take advantage of your time and ask all the questions.

Take initiative

There will be moments during your internship where you don’t have much to do or are having to wait on people to complete something. Take this time to take initiative and show people how active and willing to learn you are. This skill is something employers look for and is a great time to put into practice.

Communicate with your manager

I’ve learned how important this is during my last internship. I found that the project I was working on was not what I wanted to do or what I wanted to learn. I learned that it never hurts to speak up and say something. I was able to communicate with my manager about what I wanted out of this experience, and she was happy to work with me on a new project.

Connect with other employees

Not only are you there to work, but you are there to learn about the company and see if it would be a good fit for your future. The best way to learn about the company is talking to its people! Set up coffee chats, talk with people in roles you want to learn about, and take advantage of being an intern. Learn about the pros and cons of the company, how people like living in that location, and what made them chose to work there.

Learn what you want in a full-time role

As a rising senior, it has been important for me to learn about what I want in a full-time role. What would be salary be? What are the benefits? Is there room for career growth? Promotions? Ask about entry level roles, company structure-- everything! This is a great way to learn about what you like and don’t like so you can take it into your full-time job search later.

However you chose to spend your internship experience, make the most of this learning opportunity! Even if it doesn’t turn out how you hoped it would, it’s a great resume builder and opportunity to learn about what to look for next.

Do you have a compelling story or student success tips you’d like to see published on the Pearson Students blog?  If you are a college student and interested in writing for us – click here to pitch your idea and get started! 

We all know how difficult it is to get an internship. Most times, you need job experience before even getting your first job and this standard has only increased. To add on, COVID-19 has made internship hunting harder: no coffee chats, in-person recruiting events, and many companies can’t even afford to hire. However, COVID has also allowed us to work from anywhere. After going through the recruiting process myself, I’ve gained some experience that I feel can help you maximize your time and get an internship when you feel like it’s impossible. Keep reading to find out!

My Background

For reference (and ethos), I had a consulting and small banking internship two years ago and had the opportunity to attend some small conferences. Currently, I’m interning at an investment banking firm. I received neither of these opportunities through traditional resume dropping or online applications. With all this being said, I hope the advice I give in the rest of this blog holds some merit.

Build a Network

The single most important thing you can do to help you stand out from other candidates in lieu of in-person career fairs is building your network. Since you won’t be able to talk to recruiters in person and Zoom fatigue gets even the best of us, you have to take things into your own hands to, basically, create a career fair of your own.

Firstly, NETWORK. NETWORK. NETWORK. And did I mention network? Utilize your connections and if you don’t have connections… find some! Simply searching “[school name] [company] LinkedIn” into google will give you at least 10 connections to reach out to. However, don’t just rely on LinkedIn (most professionals won’t check it often). Instead, try to find the email format of companies. The most common ones are firstname.lastname@company.com and firstinitiallastname@company.com which can usually be found in SEC filings. Next, draft up an interesting, but short, introduction email asking for a short phone or Zoom call. This builds a more personal connection and they now know what you sound like!

Make an Impression

Now, what do you say on the actual phone call? After briefly introducing yourself, give a quick elevator pitch (no more than 1-2 mins) as to why you’re interested in the field and why you want to talk to this person specifically. After that, try to let the conversation flow naturally and ask good questions. Besides the obvious, sometimes even “what’s your day-to-day like” or “why do you want to work at [company]” are a little generic. Instead, ask about specific projects that are happening within the company. Did your contact just publish something? Ask questions that prove you’re genuinely interested.

Ask for Referrals

Lastly (and this is the most important part), ask “is there anyone else at your company that you think I could benefit from talking to?” This way, your network doesn’t stop here, and you can use this person as a referral for the next. It’s like making your way up to the boss level in a video game. If they say yes, great, reach out to the person they recommend or wait to be referred. If they say no, then no worries, on to the next; there are 10,001 more people to reach out to.

Now, you have a whole long list of people to refer to in your interview; people to vouch for you and flag your resume for interviews and mentors to help guide you through the rest of the recruiting process. COVID-19 era job hunting is going to be difficult but keep pushing and something will come from your efforts!

Pearson Students: How did you land your first internship? Share in the comments below!

When summer is coming to an end, you may not be thinking about what you’ll be doing a year from now. However, it is never too early to start preparing for the internship search and making a plan. Many companies are beginning to recruit earlier and earlier to secure the best talent. There are certain steps you can take to prepare yourself for securing an internship.

Determine your interests

The first step of your internship search is to determine what you are looking for. This entails figuring out which industries you are potentially interested in, like finance or health care or retailing. Reflect on your past schoolwork and major to help see where your skills lie and determine what kind position you are seeking. Determine what the size of company and culture you are looking for. Evaluate your past experiences, such as clubs, projects, or classes that you enjoyed and could translate into a career.

Research

Once you have an idea of which industry and role you want to get an internship in, start researching. As you discover specific companies you want to work for, create a list with the company name, then add internship opportunities and application deadlines as you find them. If you want to work somewhere with a very competitive internship program like Amazon, Google, or Facebook, ensure you have some companies that have less competitive programs. Research the type of interviews associated with the role you want. For example, some internships have multiple interview components. Finance interviews typically have a behavioral component and a technical finance component, whereas many engineering interviews contain a math test and consulting interviews have a case study.

Prepare

Once you know where you want to work and what to expect in the interview process, you need to prepare. Networking is very important and can help land you your first interview. Reach out to family and friends to see if they know anyone in the industry or company you are interested in. Check your school’s career events. While events this Fall may be virtual, many large companies will still have recruiting opportunities for students. Contact graduates from your college who work for companies you’re interested in on LinkedIn and have a coffee chat. Set up an appointment with a career coach at school and do a mock interview so you are ready when the time comes for you to interview for an internship.

It’s never too early to start preparing, setting goals, and doing your research. Small things like these can help put you a step ahead of the other applicants. Hopefully starting early will help you land your dream internship. Good luck!

Everyone hears about study abroad options when in college, but did you know that you can intern abroad, too? As someone who loves to travel, I wanted to study abroad in my college career. However, I realized that I was too involved in my extracurricular activities to take a full semester off. Also, the thought of being gone for four months made me nervous. 

Luckily, a friend told me about a summer internship abroad program through her school. I was intrigued and decided to look into some programs that were available at my school. Since my school didn’t offer a program in the city I wanted to be in, I applied to a program from a different school as an autonomous student. 

After applying, I received an acceptance email along with the details of the program. I was excited for this opportunity; however, I knew this wouldn’t be the cheapest way to spend a summer. Most internships abroad are unpaid. Fortunately, my parents were excited and pushed me to take it for the professional and personal experience. I was officially participating in an eight-week program based in Barcelona working a global business internship for university credit. 

Now, several months after I returned, I can say it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I was lucky to have parents who supported me, adventurous friends who inspire me to take risks, and the opportunity to do something like this for my career and personal growth. I recommend this type of program to any business student that wants to get work experience and see the world over a summer vacation. Check out the intern programs that your university offers and see if there is a fit. If there isn’t a perfect program, don’t get discouraged. Check out online programs and other universities to find your match!

If you are a college student seeking an internship, you know how stressful it can be. Countless hours of searching, networking, and researching companies is what it takes to land an opportunity. All the time spent may lead to only a few interviews and many rejections. It can be very stressful.

I began looking during my sophomore year at UT Austin. Between going to career expos, attending info sessions, and other networking events, I felt like I was doing all I could. Seeing all my friends who were juniors at the time get offers and interviews, whereas I was struggling to even land my first interview was hard. My heart became heavy as I began to feel demoralized that no company was going to give me a chance since I was a sophomore.

Until one day, my friend who was also a sophomore came running to me and told me how he got an internship offer from Dell. It surprised me that he was able to get an offer being a sophomore and I realized it was OK seeing other students land internships before me. I could not be hung up on it, but instead had to change my approach.

Companies look at who you are as a person and how passionate you are about the company and position. Applying to smaller companies and companies where my experience would be useful was where I began next in starting my journey. I ended up landing an interview with two companies. I knew I would have to be engaging and show my passion during the interviews. With a lot of advance research I was able to connect my interview responses to current news or my experiences, plus I was able to show a wide range of knowledge. I got offers from both companies and accepted an internship with Travelers insurance company.

My internship was in the oil and gas department and the 10-week summer program was amazing. Learning so many new things and working with numerous different teams was the highlight. It was an experience where I faced a lot of challenges but I also got a fun learning experience out of it. Although I loved the company and the people, I realized this was not what I wanted to do after I graduated. I ended up receiving a return offer that I wanted to accept so badly to have a safety net, but I knew I had to say no and continue searching to find something that was more aligned with my career.

Through this process I learned to put all that you have into pursuing your hopes and dreams and to not feel discouraged when you do not see results right away. I also learned to not just settle for anything that comes my way, but to see what the right fit for my future is. For students seeking internships, do not stress over the search; take a deep breath and take it one step at a time.

Do you think you are ready for an internship? Having real world experience in a specific career is the best way to find out what you love and what you want to do for the rest of your life. An internship can present endless opportunities that help you grow and prepare you for your future. You can learn a lot about yourself, like are you a “9-5-sit-at-a-desk” worker or an “on-the-move, meetings, on-your-feet” kind of person? Experiencing both kinds of jobs for four months will let you know what you desire to do. 

Everyone wants to do well in their internship and make a good impression. If you’re lucky enough to still have an internship opportunity this summer, here are three great ways to help you succeed: be teachable, be willing to step out of your comfort zone, and have a great work ethic.

Learn

Over the past summer, I was lucky enough to have an internship the sales department of a health insurance brokerage. Being my first internship, I had no idea what to expect and was incredibly nervous to start. But once I started, all my nervousness and doubts left me as I started to become accommodated to a brand-new work environment. The most important thing I did this summer was to learn from other people and be vulnerable. I knew I was not the most informed with the industry I was working in, but being able to ask questions and learn from professionals around me was a privilege. I learned more about sales in the past four months from the people I worked with than I had in my entire life. The desire to learn and grow in the workplace is an important trait to have.

Step Out of Your Box

A popular line that I love is, “you can never grow being comfortable”. Stepping out of your comfort zone is a necessity when getting a new job. You shouldn’t avoid situations that will challenge you in prosperous businesses. There were many things that I had to do this summer that I was nervous to do, like cold call prospects for my company and present data in front of clients. But after completing these actions, I am so thankful I did them because I was able to grow and learn from the experience. Never feel intimidated of being uncomfortable.

Work Hard

Lastly, use your internship as an opportunity to grow and strengthen a great work ethic. Any job will teach you all the things you need to know to be successful in that job. But what they won’t teach you is how to work hard, be proactive and take initiative. These are the traits that people look for when hiring and should be incorporated into your daily work life. You will impress your boss exponentially more by being proactive than by just doing things that you are told.

So whether you are getting ready for your third internship or your first, be coachable, be comfortable being uncomfortable, and take initiative during your job. These three things will help you grow to your full potential in any industry that you want to pursue. Make the best out of your internship and build connections with coworkers that can last forever!