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Jordan College Advising and Career Development Center

Internship & Job Search Strategy

Regardless of whether you are seeking an internship or career opportunity, you need to be strategic in your approach. Rather than simply looking on a job search website with the attitude of “I’ll take anything,” take these steps to increase your internship/job search success.

All good things take effort.  So does your internship/job search.  The more time and effort you put into the process, the greater your results.

Need assistance in refining your career options?  Visit the Jordan College Advising & Career Development Center in Ag Science 110 or call 559.278.4019 to schedule an appointment.

Start now to develop contacts in the industry area you want to pursue.  Sources of networking contacts include:

  • Family
  • Friends
  • Faculty
  • Internship Providers
  • Former Employers
  • Fresno State Alumni
  • Fresno State’s Career Development Center
  • The Jordan College Advising & Career Development Center
  • Career Fairs
  • On-Campus Networking Events
  • Professional Association Meetings and Conferences
  • LinkedIn

Don’t know what organizations are out there?  Check out Buzzfile.com. While it won’t tell you if jobs are available, it will let you know who the employers are in any industry area and you can narrow your results by geographic location.  Click HERE to watch a video on how to make the most of Buzzfile.com. 

Be sure to explore small and medium organizations.  They employ nearly half the people in the United States.

You need to be familiar the following:

  • The company’s major products, services or programs.
  • Key people in the organization and the organizational structure.
  • Size in terms of sales, people served and employees.
  • Key opportunities and/or challenges facing the organization.
  • The company culture.
  • The company’s competitors.
  • The industry as a whole

To get this information, use the following resources:

  • Visiting the company’s website
  • Viewing the company’s LinkedIn profile.
  • Follow the company through their social media - LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and even Pinterest.
  • Through your network: professors, friends who work at the company and alumni.
  • Google news items about the company.  When you do you Google search, click the “News” tab to get the best results.
  • Utilize websites like Glassdoor.com, Indeed.com and Vault.com.

Identify the head of the department or the organization where you want to intern or work.  While Human Resources contacts are great, they don’t make the hiring decisions.  Those in leadership potentially have the ability to create new positions or approve the development of internship program if one does not exist.  

This is where your networking pays off.  If you’ve been diligent in creating your network, connecting with this person is very doable.  

When you approach this person you want to be very upfront about your goal to obtain an internship or job.  If she or he tells you that nothing is available, turn the meeting into an informational interview. Say something to the effect of “If I can’t get an internship (or job), I would love to get some wisdom.  Would you be open to scheduling a 20-30 minute meeting so I can learn more about your career path and what you would recommend I do as I pursue my career?”

If you present yourself well during this meeting and make a positive impression, the hiring manager may be interested in creating an opportunity for you or refer you to someone who has a current opportunity available.  At minimum, by making the right impression, you can be someone who is top of mind when the hiring manager does have an opening.  Employers prefer to hire people they already know rather than hiring a complete stranger.

Researching the organization and effectively communicating your skills, knowledge and experience in relation to their unique needs increases the likelihood that they will want you to join their team.

In addition to using the proactive and strategic internship and job search strategy described above, you can still look for opportunities via the Internet.  The disadvantage of just using the Internet to locate opportunities is that you will be competing with everyone else who is applying to those positions.  Your goal is to become a known (and sought after) quantity to the employer prior to applying, which will allow you to stand out from the crowd.

Additional Resources and Job/Internship Boards 

Check out these web-based resources and Job/Internship Board links to locate internship and career opportunities:

Internship Opportunities (General)

Agricultural Internships (General)

To find additional internship opportunities, conduct a Google Search using terms like, “Plant Science Internships”, “Undergraduate Veterinary Internships”, etc..  It’s highly recommended that you also regularly visit the websites of organizations of interest to see an internship has been posted on the company’s career opportunities page.

Also there are sites that provide internship information in the following academic disciplines:

Agricultural Business Internships

Animal Science Internships

Agricultural Communication Internships

Culinology Internships

Dietetic & Nutrition (Undergraduate) Internships

Industrial Technology Internships

Plant Science Internships

Viticulture & Enology Internships

Know of another website that should be featured on these lists?  Email our career services director.

Before pursuing any internship opportunity for academic credit, you must meet with the appropriate faculty member from your academic department to receive approval.

 

 Career Opportunities (General)

Agricultural Careers (General)

Animal Science Careers

Agricultural Communication Careers

Agricultural Education Careers

Culinology Careers

Dietetic & Nutrition Careers

Fashion Merchandising Careers

Food Science Careers

Plant Science Careers

Viticulture & Enology Careers

Know of another website that should be featured on these lists?  Email our career services director.

Additional Student Employment/Internship Opportunities

In this section, you will find the previously sent out email blasts from the Jordan College Career Development Center’s Internship Coordinator. There will be employment/internship and scholarship opportunities located in these email blasts as well as workshop events and informational events pertaining to career advancement or scholarship opportunities.

Please click into the links below to access a PDF version of previous emails sent out.


Please check back for the following week’s email blast...