It’s finally that time of year again, folks.

The time when most Penn State students start considering what the next step in their career will look like. For many, the internship search, application, and interview processes can be stressful and daunting. Whether parents, professors, or friends are increasing the pressures of needing to secure an internship, and soon, it is completely normal to wonder, ‘Where do I start?’

Luckily, Penn State provides its students with not only an ample amount of resources to make finding an internship attainable, but also the largest network of alumni who are eager to open their arms to the next generation of Penn Staters as interns.

Penn State-provided resources are the first step through the door into the internship search process:

Career Fairs

Due to its vast alumni network, brand equity, and nationwide connections, Penn State is able to host some of the nation’s largest collegiate career fairs. The largest career fairs consist of Fall & Spring Career Days, which bring in over 300 employers each time. Besides these large-scale opportunities, which cater to majors and students across the university, Penn State also hosts college-specific career fairs. Oftentimes, these college-specific career fairs cater more to the majors that those colleges provide.

In both cases, career fairs provide a way for students to meet employers and recruiters first-hand, in a way in which they can pitch themselves that speaks louder than just a resume. These career fairs also allow students to build rapport with companies and generate a better understanding of the personnel and culture associated with various companies. Furthermore, because of the large scales of these events, students are exposed to numerous opportunities at once, and can take advantage of meeting as many companies as they wish.

Other industry-specific opportunities exist for students on campus, including the annual Penn State Sports Business Conference, which brings in recruiters from across the industry to meet with potential student candidates. Another example of outside career exploration includes the Bellisario College of Communications ‘Success in the City’ event, where Penn State students can apply for transportation to a Penn State-sponsored and organized networking event to meet a conglomerate of employers in the New York City area.

Nittany Lion Careers

Can’t make an opportunity to meet employers in person? No problem.

Nittany Lion Careers serves as Penn State’s single-system recruiting platform for students, alumni, and employers. It’s essentially Penn State LinkedIn.

Through this platform, students can connect with these personnel to explore and apply to job and internship postings, as well as be exposed to available opportunities.

Nittany Lion Career provides more than just job opportunities, as well. Through this platform, students can seek professional help from Penn State faculty regarding resumes, cover letters, or general career counseling to aid professional development.

College Internship/ Co-Op Offices

Every college at Penn State has some sort of internship and career counseling office. Similar to your advisors, you want to use them!

Schedule a meeting with your respective college’s internship office to review resumes, explore career and internship opportunities, revise a cover letter, or just introduce yourself. The better acclimated you become with these faculty, the better they can help you achieve your goals. Oftentimes, these offices have an entire database of internships and companies that students within the college have previously completed or that are connected with the school, and they can guide you to those resources.

Moreover, get your resume in perfect shape. Think it looks good? You can never be sure enough. Make sure you have the best resume that is suitable for AI and human processing, for when you’re ready to apply to roles.

Bank of America Career Services

Another resource available to all Penn State students includes the Bank of America Career Services Center. This center provides yet more opportunities, such as drop-in career counseling, mock interview programs, and various workshops and courses.

The mock interview program is implemented to help students refine their interview skills, as well as build their interview confidence. It simulates what a real professional interview structure looks and feels like, while providing students with ample feedback.

The Career Service Center also provides unique workshops and courses, covering important topics such as how to apply to grad school, test prep courses for the LSAT and GRE, and free practice entrance exams.

Need a new professional headshot? They’ve also got that covered for you.

And the best part of all of this is that it is completely free to Penn State students.

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Other helpful tricks you can use to optimize your journey to acquiring that internship:

Get Involved & Hone Your Interests

Penn State may provide ample career services, but it also hosts over 1,000 recognized student organizations… and a number of these organizations host their own forms of networking and professional development events, workshops, and come with a respective alumni network.

Not only this, but through involvement and various hands-on experiences, you can generate a better idea of what you are or are not interested in, and what you could or could not see yourself doing for an extended period of time.

Having a better idea of what you are truly passionate about can help you narrow down he industries and types of internship roles to apply to.

LinkedIn is Your Friend

LinkedIn is one of the most evolving networking platforms and tools. Free for use, Penn Staters can digitalize their resume via the app while also providing potential employers with digital artifacts, including pictures, videos, certifications, and endorsements on one page. Make your page your own and show off your success… never be afraid to brag!

Likewise, by connecting with other students, faculty, and alumni via the app, you can open yourself up to more exposure by expanding your network outreach. See a Penn Stater working in a position you desire? Connect with them, and send them a message regarding your progress and Penn State and your willingness to learn more about their role and experiences.

Similarly, many companies will post hiring opportunities and job postings through this outlet. In fact, they may publish these announcements before they do so on hiring websites.

Frequently Check Career/Job Websites

Many industries host their own hub of career and internship opportunities. Similar to general career websites such as Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and Glassdoor, which are all still good resources, these websites help candidates by filtering through thousands of job postings to cater to opportunities in your respective career path.

Examples include:

• TeamworkOnline – Sports
• JournalismJobs.com – Journalism and Communications
• eFinancial Careers – Finance
• HealthcareJobsite – Healthcare
• Engineering.com – Tech and Engineering
• ITJobPro – IT
• SalesGravy – Sales
• Architect – Architecture and Construction
• PoliticalWire – Politics and Legislation
• Teachers-Teachers.com – Education
• HotellerieJobs.com – Hospitality

Have Confidence

The job/internship market can be a scary place, and you may often doubt yourself while applying to various positions.

You can never apply to too many internships. And, a no does not define your worth.

You may apply to 50 internships, not hear back from half of those employers, and may receive some rejection, but somewhere is the “diamond in that rough” where your yes awaits.

Yet, it is important to always remember to have grace in this process.

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The path to acquiring an internship may seem impossible at times, but it is certainly attainable, even if it seems like a constant waiting game. Utilizing Penn State’s resources and knowing where to start and centralize your internship search can help ease the overwhelming nature of this process.

Never be afraid to ask for guidance and know you’re not in this battle alone.

For more information, you can visit the Penn State Student Affairs Website.

Good luck this internship season!