For StudentsToggle Section Navigation

You are here

Home / For Students

Career Support for Spring 2021: Resources for Students

Students — we at CLA Career Services are still here for you. We know this is an uncertain time and that you may have many questions or concerns. We want to help! Schedule a 30-minute appointment with a Career Counselor, available from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or use drop-ins (10-15 minutes each, available starting at 9:00 a.m. Monday through Friday) to get on-demand help from our Peer Advising and Career Counseling teams.

Along with regular appointments: 

Read below for helpful tips on how to manage your career during this challenging moment: 

NOTE: International students, see "Career Services for International Students," as well as Q&A documents for new and current international students.

Gold Bar

Searching for Internships & Jobs: 5 Tips for Success

  1. Seek out support and guidance
  2. Take time to think about your goals and needs
    • Reflect on what is most important to you in the experience you are seeking. Is there a certain skill or competency you want to use or develop? Is there a geographic region you need to be in? Is there a certain level of income you need? Are there types of job duties and/or career fields you are most excited about? This reflection time will help you focus your search and how your priorities may have changed in the last few weeks. Remember that CLA Career Counselors can assist you with this process!
  3. Prepare your materials
  4. Get in the right mindset
    • Planning for career next steps is harder when your wellbeing is suffering. Learn more about how to support your wellbeing during the job search, and/or watch this short video for Tips for Maintaining Wellbeing During Quarantine. If managing finances is causing you additional stress right now, we have put together a list of key resources that might help.
    • Be open to going where the opportunities are, and keep an open mind about different sorts of experiences. Remember that valuable experience can come in a variety of ways. There may be an experience, industry, or organization you pursue that you wouldn’t have considered prior to the pandemic. That’s okay! Your CLA Core Career Competencies make you a great candidate across different positions and fields. CLA Career Field monthly updates are a good way to stay informed on the latest industry information.
    • Be proactive and persistent in your approach. This time is disruptive for everyone, including employers. They may not have the time to do as much recruitment as usual, and some are still figuring out their hiring needs and timelines. Increase your number of quality applications, reach out to organizations, and be understanding if organizations aren’t able to get back to you right away.
  5. Use a variety of search strategies 
Try this! Pitch your own internship: If an organization offered you a position but is now taking a “wait and see” approach, or if you are interested in either developing a particular skill or working with a particular organization, you may want to Pitch a Remote Internship.

Advice from CLA Employer Partners

"I know it can sometimes feel like a black hole and it can sometimes feel like what I'm doing isn't really giving me the immediate results I want to see. But, trees don't grow overnight. You have to plant the seed, you have to water it, and you have to give it sun light and watch it grow. So this is really going to be your time to plant those seeds — connect with recruiters, research jobs and positions, and make lists. Because eventually everything is going to come back full swing and you will be better positioned in a place that you can take that lead and know that you did all the work, and you can have options”

Gold Bar

Tips for Interviewing Virtually

Tips for Virtual Networking

Gold Bar

Pursuing Internships in Spring 2021

How to prepare for a remote internship

  • This Remote Internships: Tips for Intern Success resource provides an overview of how to make the most of your experience working in a remote environment. Regardless of whether the experience is in person or remote, the cornerstone of a quality internship experience still holds true.

Earning academic credit for an in-person internship in Spring 2021

The University is encouraging students to arrange for remote internships in the spring 2021 semester. Many organizations may be able to accommodate a remote experience. For instances where this is not possible, CLA students hoping to earn academic credit for an in-person internship experience will need to request an exemption. To do so, follow these steps:  

  • Search 3896 in schedule builder for CLA internship courses in your major department or view CLA 3896 offered by CLA Career Services.
  • Use GoldPASS powered by Handshake to complete the Request an Experience form. The CLA Site Agreement will ask all of the questions needed for an in-person internship to be evaluated for safety and risk factors due to COVID-19 for the approval process. You will need to provide a link to your organization's COVID-19 Safety Plan.
  • Each internship will be evaluated, and students will be notified through GoldPASS of the decision.

Gold Bar

Tips for Working Remotely

Gold Bar

Beyond Internships:

Building Experience In Other Ways

There are many ways to gain experience other than through internships, and we regularly hear from employers how much they value different forms of experience and transferable skills (such as: communication, taking initiative, teamwork, etc.) on a resume. Think about what your most important goals are for the summer or year ahead and let those goals guide you as you pursue opportunities. Watch this short video, Five Ways to Develop Personally and Professionally to give you some ideas and use the resources below to get started.

Advice from CLA Employer Partners

"Even right now as the landscape is changing so quickly, this is a great time to just learn and better foster and bolster your resume and your skills and understanding of business.”

Gold Bar

The College of Liberal Arts Career Services and the University of Minnesota has no control or responsibility for the: (a) quality or safety of any experiential learning opportunity/position descriptions or (b) the application, hiring practices, or EEO/AA status of any of the organizations listed here. We encourage students to use precaution when applying to, interviewing at, or participating in volunteer, internship, job, or research programs outside of the University. These opportunities are not affiliated with the University of Minnesota and have not been fully vetted.