Internship Information

The internship search process begins with knowing yourself and what you hope to achieve after graduation.  At the Career Design Center, we have a variety of resources to help you determine your career goals and to facilitate the process of learning about yourself. Below you will find links and resources to help you get started.  

Step 1 – Conduct a self-assessment and identify your:

 

• Research careers that meet your interests, skills, and values Skills and abilities Interests Values Experience Strengths and limitations
  • Take a free career assessment on Focus2!
  • Research with What Can I Do With This Major?

Step 2 – Explore your career options:

 

• Utilize the Career Design Virtual Resources
  • Firsthand provides in-depth intelligence on what it's really like to work in an industry, company or profession—and how to position yourself to land that job. Take advantage of your FREE access:
  • Career Advisor Network is a free online platform that connects alumni with current students and other alumni for one-on-one conversations about careers, job search, networking, and more!
  • CareerShift helps job seekers successfully navigate the published and hidden job market to find career opportunities. Employers are vetted by CareerShift for authenticity to ensure you have the best employer pool to conduct your job and career research.
  • O-net  contains hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy.
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook provides information about the nature of work, working conditions, training and education, earnings, and job outlook for 1,000+ different occupations in the United States.
• Research careers that meet your interests, skills, and values Conduct informational interviews and start networking through LinkedIn and the Career Advisor Network.
• Obtain career-related experience through related employment, related volunteer work, internships, pre-professional organizations
• Meet with a career coach. Visit the Career Design Event Calendar for information about how to connect with our team.

Step 3 – Set your career goals:

 

• Clarify and be able to articulate what kind(s) of position(s) you prefer, what kind of organization you would like to work in and where you want to be geographically
• Determine if additional education is needed to meet your goals
• Develop your job search plan and consider devising back-up strategies

Step 4 – Develop and conduct your internship search campaign:

 

• Have your resume and cover letter critiqued
• Contact Career Design to participate in a mock interview
• Join professional organizations and community groups
• Think like an employer in your field and ask yourself, “How do they meet their hiring needs?”
• Network with family, friends, professors, past employers, and neighbors
• Research organizations in your field
• Utilize the Office of Career Design web site for job listings on Handshake.
• Send resumes and cover letters to target employers
• Attend job fairs and participate in recruiting events
• Interview with organizations of interest to you and send thank you notes
• Consider a temporary assignment or contract work Consider “stepping-stone” jobs
• Consider graduate school or additional training in your field
• Track your activity carefully
• Students seeking internship credit for on and off-campus experiences are strongly encouraged to have adequate health insurance. If you do not have health insurance, you may contact Cynthia Wagner cwagner@ccsi.org to discuss affordable options.

Search process differs slightly for international students. Use these links for your career search purposes, and reach out to Career Design at careers@geneseo.edu or 585-245-5721 with any questions. 

Working in United States Resources

 

• Department of Labor: Companies Filing for Labor Condition Application
• Firsthand - 10 Job Search Tips for International Students: Browse for internships where employers accept international students