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On the Internship Struggle Bus?

Securing an internship is crucial towards gaining practical experience. However, the process can be challenging, and many students can find themselves struggling. If you’re facing difficulties in finding an internship, here are a few practical steps to enhance your chances and make the most out of your internship search. Diversify Your Search Strategy One common […]

What is Your Story?

When starting on a job search or making a career change the biggest question is answering what is your focus or what is your story? This can be a difficult question when you are interested in many different things, trying to transition to a different industry OR every job you see “looks good.” If that […]

The Art of Cover Letters

To stand out as a candidate cover letters must be catered to the specific job and/or employer. It takes time, but since employers are using key search words to filter out materials it is worth the effort. Here are some tips on how to make your cover letter stand out from the crowd. First step […]

Secret Ingredient to a Proactive Job Search: Target List

The most important step to a proactive job search is having a target list. So few fail to create it and instead rely on being passive by spending the majority of their time applying to jobs online. The harsh truth is that companies won’t find you. You have to find them. You do this by […]

Common job hunting mistakes to avoid

NOT PUTTING IN THE NECESSARY TIME This is probably the biggest problem for any job hunter. Finding the time can be a major struggle, but don’t beat yourself up! Schedule the job search into your calendar. It could be 30 minutes in the morning while having breakfast or 30 minutes over lunch. You must invest […]

Networking Without Expectation

I have a confession to make. I hate the word “networking.” It conjures up images of fake smiles and unrealistic expectations. The word I like to use instead is “conversation.” Networking is a conversation without expectation. If you go into situations with this mindset, the conversation will be more genuine because you are in a […]

Cover Letter Tips

To stand out as a candidate cover letters must be catered to the specific job and/or employer. It takes time, but since employers are using key search words to filter out materials it is worth the effort. Here are some tips on how to make your cover letter stand out from the crowd. First thing […]

5 Tips for a Proactive Job Search

Looking for a job can be a daunting task. Here are some tips for a productive job search… Keep up on industry news. Take time to read up on news that applies to the career you are interested in. Keeping up on the industry will benefit you in interviews and give insight on the industry. As […]

Art of Networking: 3 Key Ingredients

In order to master the art of networking there are three key ingredients that must be part of your strategy. Think of it like trying to bake a cake. You have flour, sugar, and salt. However, if you forget one of these ingredients the cake might not turn out that great. Same with networking! CREATE: The […]

Who should I address this cover letter to?

Let’s start with who NOT to send your letter to. Avoid salutations like, “dear sir or madam, “to whom it may concern,” and other generic openers. If there is no one listed on the specific posting you’re applying to, it’s time to flex those detective muscles and do some poking around. A great place to […]

Common job-hunting mistakes to avoid

Are you falling into one of these traps? NOT PUTTING IN THE NECESSARY TIME This is probably the biggest problem for any job hunter who is still in school. You simply can’t put in the time. Don’t beat yourself up – you need to get out of here before you can start any job! However, […]

What to do AFTER applying to internships

Two words: follow up. In most cases, the people who show they want the internship the most are the ones who get it, so you need to be following up with the internship coordinators/contacts at the companies that you’ve applied to. Don’t call or email inquiring if they “got your stuff,” and don’t sit back […]

Not getting a response from companies? An application checklist

If you have submitted a lot of applications for summer internships, there are a few reasons why you might not be getting the response you want. It definitely could be a case of pure competition or that the company is taking its time reviewing applications. However, it is worth taking some time to sit down […]

Turn today’s job posting into tomorrow’s job offer

Many graduating Newhouse students feel as though they need to start applying to jobs at the start of spring semester (or even earlier!). This is usually because of family pressure or because their friends and peers who are enrolled in other SU schools and colleges are doing so. This is a great time for a […]

Am I too late to apply for summer internships?

The short answer is no… but you should get a move on! While there is no industry standard for when a company seeks, interviews, or hires interns, there are a few rules of thumb: More competitive internships (bigger companies, household names, industry leaders) may have earlier deadlines. This is because many people apply, so they […]

Why your networking contact might not be responding

It’s easy to become frustrated when networking, but you have to remember that you can’t control timing. You can’t control who gets back to you or how soon, and just like you can’t control which jobs will be open when you graduate. If you’re networking because you’re graduating, be sure to remind yourself that finding […]

Can I accept one internship while waiting to hear from another?

Submitting applications to multiple companies for summer internships is to be expected, so it makes sense that you may find yourself in a situation where you have an internship offer, but haven’t yet heard from your first choice. What to do? Students in this predicament often wonder whether it’s ok to accept the second choice […]

Everything you need to know to get an internship

General internship-hunting tips If you would like an overview of where to find internships, how to utilize internship resources that exist on campus, and learn best practices for a successful, proactive internship search, attend the Newhouse CDC’s Finding an Internship seminar. A full list of dates and times for these seminars is ready by the […]

How to handle relatives over winter break, especially if you’re graduating

If you’re feeling a slight sense of dread about going home for the holidays, especially if it comes from not wanting to deal with the questions about “what’s next?” from relatives, know that you’re not alone. There are a lot of students in your shoes right now! Your best defense will be having a thorough […]

Five things for your winter break to-do list

Winter break will be very soon and some students worry that they will feel antsy or look back and wish they could have done more with their time. Whether you have plans to intern or work on a project over break, or if you just want to make sure you get in some quality rest […]

What to do when everyone else seems to have industry “ins” but you

It can be difficult not to feel at a disadvantage when all of your friends or classmates seem to know someone at companies in the communications industry. It’s frustrating, especially when networking and having someone “on the inside” can be so helpful in getting your application noticed. While we can’t change who your family knows, […]

Internships for Credit 101

There are a lot of questions swirling around interning for credit, so today’s mission is to provide answers to as many of those as possible! Not every internship requires or offers credit – some will be paid, others may offer a one-time stipend or cover costs like transportation or meals. You’ll never see a paid […]

It’s the most wonderful time… to do some networking

(The title of this is supposed to be sung the kind-of-holiday song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Pat yourself on the back if you read it that way!) One of the most important parts of the networking process is keeping in touch. As we often point out, what’s the point of doing […]

Managing summer internships with fall deadlines (and other application conundrums)

Overall, we encourage you to be targeted when applying for internships. If you are going to apply to summer internships now, ask yourself one important question first so that, if you’re faced with having to accept/decline offers while waiting to hear from opportunities that have spring deadlines, you’ll know it’s worth the stress! The question […]

Give yourself the best shot at a spring or summer internship

The best way to position yourself for a spring or summer internship to get started now! Spring internships start recruiting in fall semester, but so do some of the more competitive (bigger companies, industry leaders, household names, etc.) summer internships. A great first step for all students is to attend the Newhouse CDC’s Finding an […]

Getting career help over winter break

The Newhouse CDC is here to help! By and large, the staff of the Newhouse Career Development Center will be available to students during winter break. We will offer the usual services (appointments, scheduled appointments, drop-ins, etc.) through the end of fall semester, with the exception of a few days for the Thanksgiving holiday. After […]

Interviewing soon? Be prepared!

It’s completely normal (and expected!) that anyone who hasn’t done a lot of interviewing would be at least a little anxious. The good news is, there’s a fix for that – two, actually. The first is practice. Rehearsing beforehand and then just getting experience with interviewing over time will make you much more comfortable with […]

Applying to internships with early deadlines? Keep your options open

Before anything else, stop to consider if you’re just cranking out internship applications to crank out internship applications. We encourage you to be targeted when applyings. Do the internships seem to be structured to allow you to get the kind of experience you want? Are they located where you need to be (or remote to […]

Preparing for networking conversations

Many networking conversations will start out over email, but it’s a good idea to try to get “face time” (in person or online) with a contact in order to really strengthen that relationship. A few basics: – Confirm the time/date as it gets closer to serve as a friendly reminder to the contact, e.g. “I […]

What’s covered in Newhouse CDC seminars

The goal of our seminars is to address certain topics on which we get a lot of questions from students. Since we’re a small office (of four!) and have more than two thousand students to serve, we use the seminars to help as many students as possible in one “go.” We realize that students have […]

What to include in your portfolio

Future internship companies and employers are going to want to see examples of your work, which means that it’s never too early to start thinking about what you should include in your portfolio. There are many sites these days that will allow you to set up a site for free. As I am writing this, […]

Is it too early to start networking?

We know that networking is an important part of finding a job or internship, but if you start now, will you run out of things to talk about with my contacts? Is it better to wait until you are closer to graduation or your internship application deadlines? The short answer here is, ‘”no!” You have […]