The recent pandemic has changed the postsecondary climate and with it, the learning experience of countless students across the globe. Lectures and classes have moved online, college festivals and graduation ceremonies are virtual, and campus community is often digital.
The pandemic has also changed another part of post-secondary life—student internships and work placements. Internships and work placements are essential for gaining industry experience and securing well-paid roles.
Colleges and universities are working hard to adapt to our current working world. A survey by Prospects Luminate reported that many colleges are going out of their way to make viable jobs during pandemic visible and sharing reassuring and motivating messages.
What can you do to secure a work placement?
Quite a bit!You can ensure you are well-prepared for the job. Depending on your post-secondary institution, you can also seek assistance from your school’s Career Services Center for additional interview tips and suggestions.
Here are some great suggestions to make the best of the current situation and prepare yourself for the right student placements during COVID when they come.
1. Be hopeful for your future
Many employers worldwide, including industry giants like Google, Disney and Amazon are still committed to recruiting students for work placements.
Many companies are adopting time-appropriate recruiting strategies, including virtual onboarding programs and flexibility around joining dates. This includes policies that facilitate a planned transition from a physical office to a remote working set-up. Additionally, there are strategies being set up to facilitate those changing jobs during the pandemic.
This is all to say: be optimistic. Keep applying for suitable internship positions, and something interesting will come of it.
2. Utilize the career support services of your post-secondary institution
Now that fewer work placement positions are available, the competition around them has geared up too. This means half-made job profiles and incomplete resumes don’t stand a chance at all.
An excellent place to start upgrading your resume will be with your post-secondary institution’s career services department. Most career centers offer job assistance programs like virtual practice interviews and curriculum vitae (CV) writing workshops which can help you polish yourself as a candidate.
Apart from relying on your post-secondary placements, you can also visit your preferred employers’ websites and familiarize yourself with company buzzwords. This way, you can better demonstrate your ‘fitness’ for the job in your interviews.
3. Utilize your free time for networking and growing industry contacts
There is no substitute for networking when it comes to job-hunting. You can get the best insights into a company’s recruitment process by interacting with those who have gone through it themselves.
When applying for an internship somewhere, try to talk to the current interns regarding their work experience and efforts to land in the company. There are many networking platforms like LinkedIn that can help you reach out to them.
Apart from current employees, you can also connect with some industry experts to get your dose of motivation and career tips and tricks. You will receive hands-on and authentic advice about what you can expect from a position.
You can do so much more to secure an internship or work placement in your preferred company. Organize your job search process meticulously and keep updating your knowledge through relevant programs. Also, remember not to take rejection to heart and use the feedback to further improve yourself.
