Hey everyone! If you’ve been paying any attention, you know that UMBC’s Spring Career Fair is this Friday. And if you haven’t, now you know. It’ll be from 11:30-3:30 in the RAC. Be sure to stop by dressed in business professional and with a few copies of your resume. If you want a longer guide, check out my post from last Fall on what to do before, during, and after the fair. . But this time I’m going to talk about something a little different: why each and every one of you should come to the Career Fair.
If you want a job or internship the answer is kind of obvious. Come apply for jobs! But before you do, make sure you have a good resume. We have online resources on our website, or you can come in and see us in person. Make an appointment or come to drop in hours any weekday from 2 pm - 4 pm. Also look at the Career Fair directory online and decide which companies you want to target. The day of the fair, make it a priority to go to their booths first.
If you have a job or internship look at the Career Fair as an opportunity to practice networking with very few repercussions. You don’t have to worry about getting a job, so a lot of the pressure is off! See it as a chance to talk with hiring managers and professionals in your field, although be sure to tell them that you aren’t looking for employment at this time. And of course, stop by our LinkedIn head shot booth so your picture looks as good as your experience.
If you don’t feel qualified for a job or internship you’re probably wrong (and I mean that in the nicest way possible). Internships are designed for people with little to no experience. If you’re worried that your resume doesn’t have enough content, come see us at drop-ins! We’ll help you showcase what you have. If you feel like you haven’t learned enough, that's okay too. Most employers don’t expect interns to know much at all! You’ll spend a good portion of your time as an intern learning both technical and professional skills. Come to the fair and check out the employers that will be marked “Freshman Friendly.” They are open to people with less experience and happy to take on an intern and train them to do the job right!
Name:Yaw Owusu-Boaitey
Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Colorado State University Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in Molecular Biosciences
Position Title: Research Intern
Major(s)/Minor(s):Biological Sciences
Work Term:Summer 2018
Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.
I had a phenomenal experience in the Colorado State REU in Molecular Biosciences in summer 2018. I had the pleasure of working in the lab of Dr. Erin Osborne Nishimura as part of my first long-term research experience through the REU. My project assessed the impact of two common E. coli dietary sources on the health and behavior of the free-living nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, an unexpectedly charming model organism of study with many useful and fascinating characteristics.My day-to-day responsibilities included media making for the worms and bacteria, worm transfer between various agar plates and growth conditions for experimentation purposes, counting worm populations, conducting protocols to stain for fat levels within the worms, tracking worm movement, and creating weekly reports and updates for my work.
Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?
As a student in the Meyerhoff Scholars Program at UMBC, I received lots of guidance in applying for summer internships, including help with drafting personal statements and a resume. The UMBC Writing Center and Career Center were also instrumental during the revision process for my application materials.I began to research summer 2018 internship positions as early as fall 2017, mostly utilizing resources from the Research Opportunities webpage on the UMBC Undergraduate Research website. I submitted my applications in January 2018, since most summer research internships I applied to had deadlines in February and March 2018.
What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?
Every aspect of the REU program was phenomenal and far exceeded my expectations. My lab members were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and the people I met in the program and in other labs at Colorado State helped me to develop as a research scientist. This development remains incredibly important to me, since I intend to pursue a graduate research degree in developmental biology or molecular genetics. Through the REU, I strengthened my understanding of developmental biology as well as my professional skills. The opportunity to spend ten weeks away from home developing my passion for research also provided me with the space to grow personally and learn about a school that I will consider attending for graduate studies. Lastly, and most importantly, I thoroughly enjoyed working with C. elegans, and its usefulness as a model organism continues to constantly fascinate me. For example, adult C. elegans worms have exactly 959 cells, and researchers know exactly when each cell type will arise during development. The worms take only four days to grow from embryo to adult. They can even be frozen indefinitely and brought back to life!
How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?
My particular project was one that lacks comprehensive study in labs that use C. elegans as a model organism. Most labs culture worms on agar plates seeded with the OP50 E. coli strain as a diet for the worms. If labs want to grow very large quantities of worms, a thicker-growing strain of E. coli, NA22, is instead provided as a diet for the worms. These two E. coli strains are often used interchangeably in C. elegans studies, and worm health under the two diets is largely assumed to be similar. However, sensitive genomics assays, quantitative experiments, or investigations into behavior or intestinal biology may be confounded by even subtle differences in worm development. Thus, we aimed to quantify effects of the two food sources on three key worm phenotypes: worm brood size, intestinal fat deposit levels, and motility. My project excited me and made me feel that I made a worthwhile impact in C. elegans research.
What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?
I would advise students to visit the Career Center, Undergraduate Research website, and other campus resources to browse opportunities they are interested in and keep track of deadlines well ahead of time (for internship applications, 3-4 months ahead of deadlines). I would also advise students to make appointments with the Career Center and Writing Center on campus to prepare the strongest possible application materials, including statements, resumes, and requests for letters of recommendation.
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Want to be the next Intern of the Week? Make sure to fill out this form and stay tuned. New interns are announced every Friday!
PNC
Campus Recruiting is holding two summits in the Spring – one in
Pittsburgh, one in DC. This is a great way to get to know potential
talent and encourage diverse candidates
to strongly consider starting their career at PNC. We really need your
help with sharing this attachment in your networks – refer candidates
or share with your teams who may know of interested students.
Typically, sophomores are the target since we will
flag top candidates at this spring event for intern consideration in
the fall.
Pittsburgh, PA date: March 7-8, 2019
Washington, DC date: March 14-15, 2019
Deadline EXTENDED to apply: 2/10/19
Registration site: http://www.cvent.com/d/fbqt48
Target audience: Sophomores, Juniors, Freshmen (in preferred order)
Students will need to complete an essay and resume to be considered (essay prompt available on the registration site). Qualified applicants receive a virtual interview and the top applicants are invited to attend.
INTERNSHIPS IN Asset Management, Finance & Accounting, Human Resources, Auditing, Operations, Risk Management, and Technology.Welcome back, everyone! I hope your break was good and you all had a healthy and happy start to the new year. With the first week of classes behind us, it's time to get back in the swing of things and start working on career goals once again.
With any luck, you’re not too busy at the beginning of the semester, so it’s a great time to get a few things squared away. First, update your resume. Include projects you completed over break or last semester, a more recent GPA, and a more recent list of relevant coursework to name a few. As always, consider coming into the Career Center for more specific advice. We’re hosting our Resume Rescue event on February 6th and 12th, and we’d love to see you there! Next, begin preparing for our Career Fair! Be sure to put it on your calendar (February 15th from 11:30-3:30 at the RAC) and begin researching companies that will be in attendance. I’ll write a longer guide next week; be sure to keep an eye out for it! Finally, be sure to get a few more job or internship applications in before classes get too hectic. A lot of companies deadlines are approaching fast, so the sooner you can apply the better!
After you’ve done all that, take a minute to plan so your semester will go a little more smoothly. Research the deadlines for your favorite internships. There's nothing worse than realizing you’ll have to wait an extra year to apply. Consider scheduling an appointment with a Career Counselor here at the center to discuss career goals or even have a mock interview. Take a look at our upcoming events while you’re at it! Put them on your calendar now so you won’t forget. There's a lot of fun stuff coming up in the next few months, like an On The Road to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab and a workshop on personal branding. And if you haven’t done so already, sign up for the BEYA Career Fair and Conference. It’s a free career fair with over 50 workshops. Sign up here!
I hope you all had an easy start to your semesters! Join me next week where I’ll be discussing how to make the most of the Spring Career Fair.
*UPDATE: For your convenience, someone will be stationed at the Hilltop Circle entrance to Patapsco Residence Hall to collect your last minute donations starting at 8 am Thursday, March 7th.
"UMBC Suits You" is collecting new and gently used professional clothing as part of Career Month.
Students will have the opportunity to learn about dressing professionally and will then be able to select one free outfit to use in their job search. We are asking staff,faculty, alumni, and affiliates to donate new and gently used professional clothing at collection bins around campus from February 18th - March 6th.
Starting February 18th, Professional Clothing can be dropped off at the following on-campus locations:
Clothing donations will be used to benefit UMBC students and will not be considered as gift-in-kind or donation to UMBC. Clothing donations are not eligible for a tax-deductible receipt. Any leftover clothing will be donated to local non-profits.
Special thanks to Morgan Stanley and Polovoy Custom Cleaners for partnering with us on this endeavor.
Any questions or concerns about this project can be addressed to Caroline Bodnar, carolc@umbc.edu, 5-3975 or Jeremiah Sawyer, jsawyer2@umbc.edu, 5-2391.
***Students be on the lookout for more information about UMBC Suits You Clothing Closet occurring on April 3 & 4, 2019 when you will be able to pick up a FREE professional outfit.***