My Student Doesn’t Have a Job or Internship Yet. Now What?

Rightfully so, you may be concerned if your student does not have something lined up to do this summer. Our statistics show that students who have work experience during college have a $5,000 higher starting salary on average, and from our experience, they tend to have an easier time finding a position. Life can be unpredictable, however, and there may be many reasons why your son or daughter hasn’t been able to secure an experience. The good news is, all hope is not lost. They can still be just as competitive as any other student as long as they use this time wisely.

There are several ways students can maximize their time if they do not land an internship or if they do not land a full-time position immediately after graduation:

• Participate in a virtual experience program (many are free) through Forage: https://www.theforage.com/course-catalog.
• Pick up new skill sets through online courses and tutorials on LinkedIn Learning and other sites.
• Learn another language.
• Create a website or online portfolio.
• Ask professors if they can help with their research.
• Volunteer (virtually) in the community.
• Manage a website or social media platform for a local organization.
• Create sample communications, marketing materials, or engage in other work through student groups.
• Conduct informational interviews with alumni to start building relationships.

Once students have engaged in some of these activities, they can add them to their resume.

Think About/Suggestions:

Specialize Training

• Finish the BCG Digital Transformation Virtual Experience Program and engage in market research, case development, impact assessment and prioritization, economics, scaling, and a final project.
• Complete Java Basics and HTML intermediate courses through LinkedIn Learning.
• Develop a website to compile sample work here: www.samplewebsite.com.

Career Development

• Conduct five informational interviews with media industry experts to learn more about SEO, Google AdWords, and topics relevant to the field.
• Practice case studies with a small group of peers and have findings reviewed by an industry expert to receive feedback on solutions shared.

Projects & Research

• Contribute to research focused on media accuracy, fact-checking, and misinformation basics by identifying news sources to investigate for common themes.
• Compile an article and submit it to AdAge for review.

“Your story is what you have, what you will always have. It is something to own.” – Michelle Obama

Please encourage your student to connect with our office if they have questions. We look forward to meeting them

Career Center
Georgia Institute of Technology
career.gatech.edu | Follow us on LinkedIn

 IG: GT_Career_Center