College students are often reminded of the job market and are told that they should be preparing to enter the workplace directly after graduation. A common route to securing employment is through internships, but the reality is that many students do not know where to find internships or even how to approach trying to secure one.
Luckily for these students, a non-profit organization known as INROADS assists students with internship opportunities by exposing them to corporate America. INROADS teaches them how to secure jobs by going over interview etiquette, creating resumes, searching for markets that tailor to specific student’s strengths, and offering mentorships from already established professionals. The application process for an upcoming summer internship is already here.
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, an INROADS chapter coordinator and career service specialist hosted an informational session introducing the INROADS opportunity to students. The 35 or so students in attendance were able to learn exactly what INROADS had to offer them and how they could become a part of the organization. Some benefits that were mentioned were the great potential for a full-time career after graduation, a paid multi-year internship at a top company, unparalleled networking opportunities with focused peers, corporate executives, and INROADS alumni, access to scholarships, and a year-round professional and personal coaching and guidance from an INROADS manager.
Questions that arose during the meeting were varying. Students asked, “How should I prepare for an internship? What should I be thinking about when applying to a specific internship? What if the internship I secure is not in the exact job market I wish to pursue following graduation?” There were just a few questions that were asked, and chapter coordinator Jamoul Celey was able to offer guidance to these students.
Celey stated, “The mission of INROADS is to develop and place talented under-served youth in business and industry, and prepare them for corporate and community leadership.” He also mentioned student success stories as well as listing some corporate partners that INROADS collaborates with.
One student who has gone through the program stated, “I enjoy being a part of the INROADS family. It definitely gives me access to a diversity of professionals that I otherwise wouldn’t have access to as a student.”
Another student said, “My internship has allowed me to gain valuable work experience while also building professional relationships and putting myself through college. The same internship corporate sponsor that hired me last summer has already offered me a full time position directly following my graduation!”
Access to this opportunity can be found online at www.inroads.org along with the application requirements and necessary steps to be a candidate for this opportunity. It was recommended that interested students have their resumes reviewed by Career Services before submitting an application.