During the pandemic, many aspects of our lives have been changed to a virtual format. The same is true for internships. Choosing a remote internship allows students to remain safely at home instead of risking their health in a public setting.
Although it may seem difficult to find an internship during the pandemic, the choices for virtual internships are actually increasing as more students are advised to stay at home. In addition to being the safest choice, virtual internships have a few other benefits as well.
Jaskaran Dhesi, employer engagement coordinator at Stanislaus State, mentions that the increase of virtual internships may be a good thing for students. “Students are more likely to participate in national level internships with various businesses and government departments.”
With virtual connections, students will have closer contacts with various businesses they wish to work with as well as have a better chance at gaining experience in those workplaces. Nang Thao, a career coach at Stan, advised that students should work on networking virtually with others closely connected to employers.
Thao lets students know networking allows them to establish connections and relationships with people who can offer insight and recommendations about specific careers.
Additionally, with the structure of the workplace becoming more dependent on technology, these internships will give students an advantage in navigating the virtual platform.
The Stan State Portal offers quick access to career tools such as Handshake and LinkedIn, that can be used to find internships and connections to departments and businesses they want to work at. More information about students signing up for internships can be found here.
While networking in person may not be an option during the pandemic, students can still network virtually through social media platforms, free webinars, and workshop events.
Dhesi encourages students to attend the virtual Career Fairs Stan holds, where they can hear about internships from the source and learn more about them.
When students attend the event, they are given the opportunity to use their tools such as Handshake or LinkedIn to contact employers and find internship opportunities.
At the Don’t Be a Fool, Get Connected Workshop on April 1, Thao introduced a self assessment tool, Focus 2, which students can use to explore the choices their majors have to offer by assessing a student’s interests, personality, skills and values.
“Students can use Focus 2 to evaluate how each major matches with their interests to make better informed major and career decisions,” Thao says.
Opportunities aren’t limited due to the virtual format, they’re just different. It’s encouraged that students explore their options and see where they can get work experience right from their very own home.
Remote internships will offer a completely different work experience, but a work experience nonetheless.
“Be open minded,” Dhesi advises. There are countless opportunities to take, and right now, it’s more important than ever for students nearing graduation to take their first steps into establishing a career.
Students who seek more information about internship opportunities and career information can keep a lookout for future information sessions. Event/Program Calendar | California State University Stanislaus.
