Summer interns choose their own adventures, with powerful results.

You’re looking to learn more about a career and gain practical experience by becoming an intern. Do you apply for every available position online and wait to hear a response or do you research contacts, build connections and take action to find – or to build – your dream internship?

This summer, students across UMBC took action, seeking out faculty, staff, alumni and peers to find opportunities for experiential learning in Baltimore, around the country, and internationally.

“Be persistent,” said Joshua Dixon ’17, mechanical engineering, who worked as a research and development engineer for Power Transmission Solutions. “Find an opportunity in the area of what you want to do and be persistent.”

All that effort paid off. This summer’s interns found positions where they could gain hands-on experience and have a tangible impact on issues that matter to them. They conducted research in nationally recognized labs, made meaningful contributions to non-profit organizations and federal agencies, and worked for some of the world’s top corporations, including GE, Amazon and Delphi Automotive Systems in China.

“Find something that pushes your envelope all the way open, that you have a passion for, that’s a little unconventional, and then go do that,” advised Vanessa Barksdale ’17, social work, who interned as a caseworker for International Social Services.

Well-prepared and passionate, UMBC interns to stand out from the crowd. A 2014 National Association of Colleges and Employers report found that the number of internships held by college students was expected to decrease by 3.4 percent in 2014. However, UMBC’s internship, co-op and research placements have steadily increased, in large part due to student effort, faculty involvement and staff guidance.

Kerry Kidwell-Slak, associate director of internships and employment at the UMBC Career Center, explained, “Our goal is to empower students to explore the possibilities while developing their professional skills. We find that many of the students who are successful in acquiring summer internships do so by demonstrating initiative and making the most of the resources around them. These students talk with their friends, family and faculty members, log in to UMBCworks often, have active LinkedIn profiles and attend networking events on campus and elsewhere. Their drive sets them apart to employers.”

Are you ready to choose your own internship adventure? Here, a few 2014 summer interns who enrolled in the Career Center’s Internship, Co-op, and Research Practicum offer advice to get their fellow Retrievers started.

(9/2/14)

The Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) is a referral and recruitment program that identifies students with disabilities who are interested in employment with the federal government. The WRP is one of the main paths to:

·         Find an internship or permanent position at federal agencies

·         Explore careers in the federal service

·         Gain interviewing experience

A recruiter will be assigned to UMBC to conduct phone interviews with interested candidates. Candidates that are accepted into the program will have the opportunity to be interviewed for federal and private sector positions. Participation is open to any students with disabilities at all levels and majors, and degree programs. Veterans with disabilities are especially urged to apply.

To qualify, an eligible candidate:

·         Must have an intellectual disability, severe physical disability, or psychiatric disability which makes the candidate eligible to use the Schedule A hiring authority

·         Must be a United States Citizen

·         Must be a current, full-time, degree-seeking, post-secondary student, unless you are taking a reduced course load due to a disability OR are in the final semester.

•    Candidates who graduated prior to October, 2013 are not eligible to participate this year.
  

The Career Center highly recommends all interested participants take advantage of the Career Center’s many resume and interviewing resources such as the following:

•   Drop-in resume reviews; Monday-Friday, 2-4 PM

·         Resume, interview prep, and mock interview appointments with career specialists
·         Online resume samples and tips- http://careers.umbc.edu/skills/resume/
·         Online resume and interviewing how-to videos and workshops- http://careers.umbc.edu/workshops/
 

To register to participate visit https://wrp.gov/registerstudent. Registration closes on October 8th. For a video further explaining the program visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YeckdUKHH0

For more information on how you can participate, contact Caroline Bodnar at carolc@umbc.edu or 410-455-2216.

Attention all UMBC student employees!

What could be better than having an on-campus job?

Having an on-campus job and getting a notation on your transcript that tells employers you made the effort to enhance your professional development!

Make your campus experience count! Enroll in PRAC 102 Building Skills for Career Success TODAY!

Enrollment is limited to the first 100 student employees. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by!

Click HERE to enroll in this zero credit practicum.  Also, obtain the Syllabus below (SEE DOCUMENT DOWNLOAD).

Open to all levels and majors.

Must be a UMBC student employee working at least eight hours per week on campus.

Supervisor endorsement will be requested.

QUESTIONS, please contact Caroline Bodnar at the Career Services Center at carolc@umbc.edu or (410) 455-2216.