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Applying to a Job or Internship? Resources are Available!

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Are you starting to experience the stress of applying for jobs and internships this summer? Do you wonder where you should apply or when? Maybe you feel like your resume and interviewing skills are not up-to-par?

You’re not alone. Many students in the Electrical and Computer Engineering program have expressed that concern. The purpose of this article is to inform students of the many resources available to them and provide a few helpful tips when navigating the internship and job search. Most of these suggestions came from Tony Jewkes, the career advisor for the department.

Resources

CAREER STUDIO

Over the past year, the staff of BYU have created the “Career Studio,” which is a resource where students can receive help on anything career-related.

About it, Tony said, “Students can walk in with their resume and have it looked at by a career mentor. They can practice interviewing through mock interviews and get some basic career advice and counsel. They can stay in there all day and have the resume looked at again if they want to. That’s a very good resource.”

Located in 2590 WSC, this office houses many professionals who are willing to answer questions and review application materials. No appointments are necessary.

ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING CAREER ADVISOR

As mentioned previously, Tony Jewkes is the career advisor over the department. He is a valuable resource when it comes to the specifics of the engineering field.

“I keep regular office hours—I spend a couple hours per day meeting with students one-on-one and talking about their needs,” Tony said. “They can come to student services and set up and appointment with me.”

Additionally, he added “A lot of times though, I will be asked by professors to come and present in their classes. Those are two ways I can really help and coach whether it be in large groups or small ones.”

If you think that would benefit you and your classmates, talk to your professors to see if they would be interested in having Tony come speak to your class.

ONLINE RESOURCES—UCS.BYU.EDU

Along with the Career Studio, BYU employees have created a vast online resource for students. This website has all the information you might need for applying to jobs and internships.

The following are some of many resources available on the website:

• Career Assessment Tests

• Question and answer session with professionals in the field

• A guide to using LinkedIn

• Common interview questions

• Information for conducting informational interviews

• Mock interview technology, and much more

Specific Tips

RESUMES

In the engineering field, resumes should be clean, professional, and straight-forward. The career services website has some templates students can download and fill-in. Focus on experience, if possible.

“Experience has always been king. They want to hire someone who’s actually done something. School work is important—they do pay attention to GPAs, but experience trumps GPA as long as you’re up to their standard. Experience tells them you’ll come in and be familiar with what they do,” Tony said.

When talking about experience, begin each bullet with an action verb, such as assembled, evaluated, organized, etc. instead of passive verbs, like did, had, and was. Also important to most students, the website gives suggestions on listing missions/callings for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

NETWORKING

Tony believes that the most effective way to find a job is through networking. Networking can take several different forms. LinkedIn is one of the greatest resources. With over 200,000 BYU alumni on the site, reaching out can bring significant success. Informational Interviews, which are basically sessions where students ask an expert in their field to answer some questions, are good for two reasons: Students receive more information about their field, and experts have a contact when they are looking to hire interns/employees. Most job opportunities these days are not posted on job sites, so it is crucial to be looking for connections.

“That’s why start networking as soon as you can,” Tony said. “Freshman and sophomores— now’s the time to start looking for internships. Most companies will hire juniors and seniors, but still start searching now. Some companies will hire you now. It’s never too early to start thinking about.”

CAREER FAIRS/STEM FAIRS

Another excellent resource for students, this year’s STEM Fair (February 7) will welcome around 130 employers. The career fair this week (January 24) will also host a large number of employers. Come with a polished resume (reviewed by the Career Studio) and a 30-second elevator pitch.

Keep in Mind

INTERNS TURN INTO EMPLOYEES

The role of internships are changing. Previously, internships were only to help students gain experience so they can find a job elsewhere in the future. Nowadays, internships are used to help employers decide if they eventually want to hire their interns for full-time positions.

Tony said, “Internships are becoming so much more utilized, not just for the sake of having one, but as the primary hiring mechanism. When employers hire for interns, they have the long view of looking at hiring for a full-time person. I would say that the percentage of your typical engineering firm, their goal is to hire 75% of their interns, in that ballpark. The internships have you do real work with a supervisor along with other workers. They want to see how you perform and fit. It’s great because students can decide if they love the work or not.”

THE WAY IS ALREADY PAVED

BYU students are wanted across the nation. Alumni have left a strong legacy, which means employers want to hire you.

“BYU’s got a great reputation with employers. That’s why they keep coming back. They say that they like the leadership of students. The students are smart. They know how to work. They’re dependable. They work well on teams. They’re dressed well. They present themselves well.“

While it can be challenging to navigate the internship and job search process, there are so many resources available to you. Good luck in the application and hiring!