Having started my junior year at RPI, I am looking ahead to the upcoming summer and trying to figure out how exactly I will spend it. As have most, I have decided to attempt to get that on-the-job experience that is so desired by companies and graduate schools. I have been at a loss, though, lately as to where to start.
I plan on expanding my current world and preparing for grad school overseas by hopefully getting an internship abroad. With this known, I decided to go to the Career Development Center to help me figure out where to start this process. When I first arrived, it was suggested that I make an appointment with a specific counselor who would help me. This was not the case: it was explained to me that there is no real help they can offer to students looking for an international internship beyond a few websites.
The Internet is a big space with lots of false information. I was told to do research to find out the proper way to write a resumé for each country I was applying to and any necessary customs of the work environment for that country. While I knew that I would have to do some research on my own, I thought that there may be some crutch found in the CDC. How is someone suppose to weed through all of the information provided by the Internet and figure out what is correct? It would not be terribly hard to find a resumé from the main countries like England, France, Italy, Spain, and Australia to keep on file and give out as examples.
While it seems like an everyday task to help students looking for internships around the United States, why is it that nothing is offered to the students looking to go abroad, or even back home for our international students? I see countless numbers of posters and e-mails advertising study abroad opportunities, yet to work abroad we are on our own. The connections we have with all these universities should be utilized to help find work overseas for RPI students.
It may seem that students looking for international internships could utilize the other services of the CDC, despite not getting the same aid in the job search as others. Unfortunately, this is not as simple as it may sound. The resumé critiques that are offered need to be modified, as what might seem like a perfect resumé here is totally different from what is acceptable overseas. How one acts in an interview in the United States stands in total contrast to how you act for an interview in many other countries.
I have heard countless tales about how helpful the CDC has been to my friends. A whole department is dedicated to aiding students in getting employment, yet they are not able to help all students. The world is getting smaller and the need to adapt to other cultures will soon be mandatory for a successful career. College is a place to prepare you for the work environment through knowledge and acceptance of diversity. Preparation for the shrinking world needs to be accounted for.
