University of Richmond's career development center uses remote access to help jobless college students find hidden, mid-summer jobs
July 13, 2007
With summer half over, jobless college students might think the opportunity for summer career development has past. Leslie Stevenson, director of University of Richmond's Career Development Center, says it isn't so.
Students can still make good use of summer to gain meaningful experience that will help them successfully compete for a career later on. Short internships or volunteer work this summer might pay off better in the long-run than a few weeks of lifeguard duty or burger-flipping work.
A student's college career development center should be able to help, even during summer when students are far from campus.
"At University of Richmond, our Career Development Center will help students remotely, whether it's through email, instant messaging or over the phone," Stevenson said. "We do everything from resume critiques to finding opportunities and helping students get connected—anything we do in our office we can do electronically over the summer for students who are not here on campus."
A mid-summer job or internship search is different. Most employers won't hire a college student in July, knowing they will return to school in August. Rather than look for a traditional job, students should consider shadowing a professional for a few days or weeks, working one or two short internships, or volunteering their skills on short-term projects. By doing so, students can use and strengthen their skills while gaining actual experience that can be listed on their resumes.
Stevenson said employment Web sites rarely advertise those kinds of opportunities. Instead, she recommends talking with career development center professionals about individual skills and long-term career interests.
"We talk with the student about his or her interests and work with them to find relevant, short-term summer work, internships or volunteering," she said.
Students also should speak with relatives, friends and others who work in a career field of interest and ask about the possibility of joining them for a short period.
Although finding short-term paid work in mid-summer is tough, getting valuable experience toward a future career is not.