<p>Lately i've notice many undergrad students have multiple references. Their application is filled with pass internships, research & job experience during their years in college. I am an incoming sophomore and i have yet to find one internship or job, and i am worried that by the time i finish college, ill have no reference. I plan to join some EC at my school but i am worried my lack of experience in the real world will hinder me from getting a real life job and grad school. What do i need to do?</p>
<p>rising sophomores do not have full resumes of internships and work experience. You still have plenty of time. If there are research opportunities on your campus, look into those. There are probably some jobs available near your school (or on campus) as well. Try for an internship next summer. Some summer intern applications are due as early as October. It takes time to build your resume; you can’t do it all at once.</p>
<p>Thank you for the info. I recently visit my school’s job placement website and registered, most of the job position posted there are linked to other sites. I can only assume they are legitimate but i turn in many apps but yet to hear replies. The website is very helpful as it provides easily axis to building your own resume and cover letter sheets. I’m sure my school is somewhat connected to all of the jobs, but i been extremely patient and i’m starting to think i’m wasting my own time.</p>
<p>you aren’t the only one who gets the “this is a waste of time” feeling… many job seekers have this. One of the reasons that the national unemployment rate is higher is because people finally give up, and just stop looking for a job, because they believe that they have no chance.</p>
<p>Don’t let the “thanks, but no thanks” or the lack of response get you down. I have an excellent internship this summer, and had I applied to like 8-10 places when I got my offer in December (and I had a list of 20-30 more places to apply). Some of the internships that I didn’t get would not have been as good as the one I was selected for. Some of them I never heard back from.</p>
<p>Remember that you can only do one internship at a time, so you only need one of your many applications to come through for you. And, your chances of getting an internship that you don’t apply for are zero, so it is always better to apply. Don’t depend on your school. If there is a company or field you want to work in, check out their websites, look for internship postings, or google “company name internship” and see what comes up!</p>
<p>And, just because you get rejected one year, doesn’t mean you should not apply again the next year. One of the summer internships I was rejected for, I applied again for the fall session, and was given an offer.</p>
<p>ah, thanks. since i am only a rising sophmore, i am still undecided on my major. I am currently in the liberal arts program for general ed/transfer. Will it work if i apply to ANY jobs or internship available on the site and hopefully find my career path this way? I realize this could be a waste of my time but on the other hand, it can really help expand my resume and possibly many job opportunities as well. I can only prey it opens doors u for me even if it is unrelated to my future major.</p>
<p>I mean, you can apply to any internship, but you have to realize that there are tons of them out there, and if you don’t choose a type/field, you will be applying all over the map.</p>
<p>Don’t stress about finding jobs that are related to the field you want to pursue. If you are undecided on your major, you probably don’t know with certainty what field you’re going into, so that is one thing to consider.</p>
<p>The other thing is that employers don’t expect their new hires to have all sorts of experience for entry level positions. When you are applying for internships, employers know that you probably don’t have industry experience… that is what you do an internship to gain! When you apply for jobs, you will probably be looking at a lot of positions with “Associate” or “Analyst” or “Trainee” or something like that, since they are designed for people without mounds of experience!</p>
<p>The best thing you can do is to not do nothing. If you apply for a job as an ice cream scooper or golf caddy, you will still have a relationship with a superior, and that superior can be a reference for you on your resume. As you continue in your educational career, you can continue getting different, better jobs to bolster your resume, and hopefully at some point you will find a few people to use as solid references.</p>
<p>When I graduated college, I had NEVER had an internship – let alone a powerful one – but I had participated in a lot of extra curriculars, done research on campus and had more jobs than I can count, including one that I held steadily for three summers. That left me with six or seven people who could be solid references, and three who I chose to use.</p>
<p>Relax on finding serious experience as a rising sophomore, and concentrate more on getting experience of some sort, even if it is incredibly basic. You will be more qualified for better jobs if you’ve got experience than if you have none.</p>
<p>Thank you for the through responses, chris & soccer.
How did you manage to find research within your campus? i read that many students seek it from professor within their field of studies. Is that true? Given that i don’t have a major in mind as of yet, should i still seek for research? or, should i wait another yr. Extracurricular wise, I don’t just want to be a participant but rather a leader. How can i achieve this?</p>
<p>ps. I am so thankful for the people in this community. You guys never let me down with through answers and, i am forever grateful.</p>
<p>I would recommend you wait on research until you know what you want to study… the professor will probably ask why you want to do research / why you are interested in his/her field.</p>
<p>As for extracurriculars, first you become a participant, then you become a leader. I would say it is very very rare for a first year member of an EC to have leadership responsibility. Just think, if you were the other members, would you want someone who has been there a few years to be in charge? Or a new guy who has no idea what is going on?</p>
<p>Research just kind of happened for me. I was taking a course that had a heavy research element, and the topic I chose happened to coincide directly with the field that my professor has spent his post-doctoral years studying (this happened entirely by chance!). After writing a 40 page term paper, my professor sent me an email, asking if I would be willing to do some paid research for him, and I wound up working under him for a year. Most people I know who did/do research found their opportunities through similar means.</p>
<p>With regard to extra curricular leadership, again that just kind of happened. I joined a whole slew of different groups freshman year; the ones I wasn’t particularly invested in, I quit. By the middle of freshman year I had a pseudo-leadership position, and I got elected to the board of governors for sophomore year… stayed on the board for three years. Realistically, getting on leadership of college groups is by showing investment in them. Your peers see that you care, and they believe you would make a good leader, so you get leadership positions. </p>
<p>It’s the same with anything in life – show that you care and have competence, and you will excel.</p>