How Grad CCD Helped Me Land an Internship
The first few months of grad school can be overwhelming. There are cases to read, assignments to complete, group meetings to attend, and networking to get a summer internship. Did someone say internship? That’s when the panic sets in. Your resume has to be updated, cover letters have to be prepared,and you have to shortlist companies and job roles to apply to. I was exactly where you are until I booked my appointment with Babson’s Graduate Center for Career Development.
Landing an internship in today’s crowded job market can be challenging. Here are three ways I leveraged CCD to land my summer internship with Helen of Troy:
- Resume Building: My first appointment with CCD was to refine my resume to tailor it to the role I was looking for. Every time recruiters see an experience on your resume they ask, “So what?” CCD helped me answer that question while making my resume more action-oriented. Each bullet point delivered a strong message and highlighted an achievement–this led to great conversations in interviews.
- Application Strategy: The best way to land an internship is not by applying to every job opening you find. The majority postings require you to submit a cover letter (another reason to meet with the writing specialists) and you don’t have the time to customize a letter for each one. The best next step is to meet a CCD industry specialist who will guide you with the best strategy you should use to apply for internships. They will also put you in touch with Babson alumni working in similar industries who you can connect with to learn more about specific job functions. It’s networking 101.
- Interview Preparation: I had my resume tweaked, my cover letter perfected, and sent applications to the right companies. My final step in the process: the interview. The first thing I did after landing my first interview was connect with CCD. I blocked some time with Jay Robie, Associate Director, Relationship Manager for Health Care/Life Sciences, Consumer Products/Retail, Sports and Hospitality. We went through the job description and noted which past experiences I should discuss to highlight similarities between what I had done and what the role required. He also helped me with a “cheat sheet” of questions interviewers have asked in the past and what answers they were looking for. I also scheduled some time for a mock interview with an industry professional through CCD. Of course I was still a little nervous before I went in for my first and second round of interviews but this process definitely helped me be prepared and more confident during the interview.
Coming from a different culture and not having worked in the United States before made me feel landing an internship would be challenging. However, working with CCD at every step made it much more simpler and easier.