Career Center continues remotely amid COVID-19
The front of the Illinois Career Center on Wednesday morning is pictured above. The Career Center has continued to provide services remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 4, 2021
Apart from taking hard classes and joining various RSOs, participating in an internship is an essential way to polish a student’s career. Fortunately for UIUC students, the University’s Career Center still has a formidable array of resources to assist students on this journey — even remotely.
“Internships are beneficial because they allow you to build your knowledge and skills,” said Samantha Potempa, senior assistant director for employer engagement at the Career Center.
“They provide exposure to the world of work, and they allow you to make connections to professionals in your field.”
According to Potempa, most students intern during their sophomore and junior year, although some companies also have programs for freshmen.
“Each company has its own qualifications, but there are some general career competencies, or skills, that most employers are looking for,” said Potempa in an email. “You can find them on this website: http://careerservices.illinois.edu/competencies/.”
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Because of COVID-19, all services and programs offered by the Career Center have moved online. The Career Center is still determined to help students build their best career path, according to Potempa.
“Many internships will be virtual again this year, and more and more companies are doing virtual interviews,” said Potempa. “We have resources to help you prepare for interviews such as our mock interview program and Big Interview, a pre-recorded interview software that we encourage you to use.”
Via the Career Center’s Moodle page, students are able to submit resumes and cover letters for professional reviews. Each student can submit up to four resumes or cover letters and one personal statement per semester for reviews. For Curriculum Vitae (CV), the Career Center recommends applicants to drop in the Zoom virtual service or schedule an appointment for a review.
Students can access the Zoom virtual service desk via the Center’s website and would be able to speak with a professional career advisor in real-time.
The Career Center is holding a virtual career fair prep with Addison Group representative on Wednesday, Feb. 10 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and another virtual career fair prep with Global Insight on Monday, Feb. 15 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. These workshops extend further into the semester and their topics include acing interviews and crafting powerful resumes.
“Start applying early, make sure you have a good resume and cover letter,” Potempa said. “We can review those documents for you at the Career Center.”
