This week’s BLOG post was submitted by RuYue Mao, an international student and candidate for the Master of Public Administration (May 2015), and a former Career Peer volunteer.
Where to look for positions
It is important to identify the right places to find an internship, since it differs with different majors. My first internship was with the City Council of Harrisburg. I found this internship opportunity posted on the Nittany Lion Career Network.
Looking at opportunities on the school website is always a great starting point, because postings there demonstrate the employer has an interest in Penn State students. Similarly it is wise to pursue opportunities introduced by your academic department. Other resources include the organizations related to your major. It is important to search for opportunities on their official websites, since they may not post their internships on other websites.
As an example, in my own major, it would be useful for you to check the following websites, which are particularly relevant for students who are pursuing careers in public service:
http://publicservicecareers.org/
http://serviceinternships.com/
Other websites to try include various levels of government websites, senators and congressman, non-profit organizations and think tanks. Those sources are all worth trying for internship opportunities!
Prepare for your interview
In my perspective, interviewing is all about preparing. I particularly recommend the Penn State Career Guide , available free in our career office, which covers most of the questions you might encounter in your interviews. Just practice before you meet with the employer. For my internship with the city council, my interview questions included:
“Tell me about yourself”. (actually I got the question in almost all my interviews)
“What did you learn in your major and how do you think they are related to this internship?”
“How do you see yourself in five years?”
“What do you want to get from this internship?”
In my other job interviews, I also got questions like what is the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced? What is the biggest advantage you have compared to other job seekers? How flexible is your work time?
Basically, I think it is helpful to consider two questions before an interview: Why you? and Why this company/organization? It is important to think about why the company should hire you but not others, and why you choose to work for the company. I believe you can answer most of the interview questions once you figure out those two answers.
After an interview
I will do follow-up emails within 2 days after my interview. The follow-up email is not to ask my results, but to thank them and to clarify some of my answers during my interview, which might be important because I am not as fluent as a native speaker. Therefore, I want to make sure the employer got my message. Another important reason is to show my strong interest in the opportunity and my willingness to provide any other material if needed. I also express my appreciation for this interview opportunity. I sent my follow-up email the same day after my interview with city council. They told me when I went to work with them that they felt I truly did value this opportunity and was very enthusiastic about it, which partly make them decide to give me a chance.
More Tips, especially for international students
I particularly understand the difficulties for international students in looking for an internship. Based on my experience, I think two things are the most critical: One is to convince the employer that you possess the character and skills to excel in the position, even though you are an international student. Another is to demonstrate your competitive advantage compared to your peers.
For the first thing, usually the concern comes from your communication ability. You can demonstrate this point by preparing for your interview, and highlighting related activities on your resume, which can show you have a good communication ability in a diverse cultural environment.
For the second thing, think about your native language. It might be possible to find some international companies which have needs for fluency in your mother language. Also, if I am interested in a particular type of job/organization, I will write a paper about it for a class. Then I will send the paper to the employer along with my resume and cover letter. This strategy helped me get some interview opportunities in the past.
Readers, what ideas do you have to share with your fellow students? Comment here or email: cspector@psu.edu