Collegiate Times

Kevin Peterson, junior mechanical engineering student, in Hancock Hall.

As students begin to think about life after graduation, an internship becomes an important step toward the working world.

Kevin Peterson, a junior mechanical engineer major, is already pursuing his third internship this summer and knows the process well.

“Everyone has to start somewhere. Everyone starts without experience, and there’s only one way to get it,” Peterson said.

Peterson is involved in the Student Engineers’ Council at Virginia Tech, which serves as a way for engineering students’ voices to be heard in administrative processes.

With their fellow students’ interest in mind, SEC members participate in events such as the Engineering Expo in the fall.

“It’s the second largest student-run career fair in the country,” Peterson said. “We normally get 300 companies give or take a few.”

Having participated in this career fair many times, Peterson has had a good amount of experience dealing with key aspects of internship hunting like resume writing. It’s normal for him to read over more than 20 resumes of fellow classmates before the career fair.

Although Peterson now has a decent understanding of what should and should not be on a resume, he still needed help his freshman year.

“I went to Career Services to have them look at my resume. I was also part of one of the engineering learning committees, Galileo, as a freshman, and they told us to go to career fairs and get resume reviews,” Peterson said. “Career Services was a great asset though. They can always find a better way of saying what you want to say.”

Likewise, Steve Kark, the internship director for the English department, believes utilizing Career Services is the best way a student can advance themselves. Although Peterson took on an internship after his freshman year, Kark recommends students begin their search after their sophomore year.  

“(Freshmen) may not have narrowed in on a major that’s more comprehensive,” Kark said. “On the other hand, if you’re someone who feels you have to work during the summer, then that’s understandable.”

However, Kark and Peterson agree that the general internship process is typically similar for every major. Most major companies will ask students for a one-page resume and cover letter. Students can also meet recruiters on campus, or research different companies and businesses online.

The only differences between majors are the qualifications and specific skill sets students have to put on an actual resume. A company may expect something completely different from an art major than they would a science major.

For instance, Kark mentioned how writing experience for English majors is extremely important to certain employers but may not be as vital toward an engineer’s internship.

“In our department, we’re developing a small program in workplace writing like grants, proposals and documents. We also have courses in user documentation for manuals and instructions,” Kark said. “Many people use writing for practical purposes.”

However, Peterson said what he had to put on his resume was slightly different.

“I’ve been hearing from companies that a 3.0 GPA is the cut off. My two most recent internships won’t actually talk to you if you don’t have a 3.0 as a minimum,” Peterson said. “They want to see leadership positions, and it helps if they know about them because they want to know more. It also helps if you’ve created your own organization so you can show them your creative and imaginative side.”

Continue Reading: 12 Next » 

A version of this article appeared in the Feb 7 issue of the Collegiate Times.