Internship and Job Search Guide

A. Know What Your Career Center Offers and has Available to You Right Now.

B. Know Yourself –this is the first step in any job search.  

Take a moment to reflect on your previous experiences and activities (academic, work-related, volunteer, hobbies) and think about which elements would be most meaningful to you in a career.This process will help determine what opportunities would be a good match for your current plans and needs, as well as how you might pivot industries, plans or timelines to address current changes.

Sample steps may include:

• Determine your timeline for finding an opportunity based on financial needs, etc. Make a list of your interests, strengths and values.
• Think about transferable skills.  What other opportunities match the skills you’ve built for Plan A?
• Ask yourself:
  • What types of people, services or products do you want to work with every day?
  • What are your salary requirements, geographic location preferences, desired hours, etc.
  • What are your short-term and long-term career goals?

C. Know What Professional Development Opportunities are Available to you

These opportunities can be a good way to continue developing skills that could potentially help you in your career search:

• Schedule an appointment with a career advisor to explore gaps and helpful next steps.
• Coursera, Coursera for Duke or LinkedIn Learning Courses
• Consider volunteering at places of interest which might lead to further employment
• 45 Free Online Classes blog from The Muse

Now that you’ve thought about what you’re seeking, you’ll need to do some research online and also speak with people to determine which opportunities would be a good fit for you.

• Write down a few industries, roles or keywords you might use to explore career options.
• Write down any companies or organizations you follow or that align with your values or interests.
• Look at the LinkedIn profiles of people whose current positions you might enjoy. Where did they start?  Where else have they worked?
• Explore and join our career communities to learn more about opportunities and strategies within certain industries. 
• Create a list of types of opportunities and potential organizations.

Networking is about building relationships as well as seeking advice and information. Conducting informational interviews with people who work in the industries or roles you are seeking is one of the best ways to discover opportunities. Be efficient and have a plan–while people may be happy to help, their focus right now is probably on their own adjustments and employment, so you want their time with you to be well spent. A good place to start might be to reach out to Duke alumni through LinkedIn,  the Alumni Directory or Ask a Blue Devil!

• Think creatively: How could your skills be beneficial to someone right now? For example: Could you help a faculty member set up online courses? Social media marketing? 
• Send a thank you email or note to anyone who helps you, even in small ways.

• Use the Career Center’s guides and samples to create a resume, CV, writing sample and cover letter draft for one of your target employers.
• Have multiple people review your documents and give you feedback.
• Participate in Drop-in Advising or book an individual appointment with a career advisor for additional review.

Utilize technology to search for positions of interest to you. Some sites will even send recommended jobs directly to you. Think outside the box in applying your transferable skills.

Use Duke-specific sites like Handshake

• Set up searches on sites like Handshake, LinkedIn, Indeed, The Muse, Idealist, AngelList, HigherEd Jobs, ImaginePhD in your target industry areas. Save searches and set up email notifications.

• International students may want to also utilize sites like Interstride, myvisajobs and Redbus2us.
• Check out your specific career community to explore industry specific internship/job search boards.
• Participate in in-person & virtual career fairs and information sessions to introduce yourself and follow-up with recruiters.
• Take some time to edit your resume, CV and cover letter for each and every position you apply to.
• Other job boards indicate whether or not companies are hiring and offer other opportunities:
  • Candor
  • LinkedIn
  • The Muse

Virtual Internships and Remote Work Opportunities

To prepare for a remote job, familiarize yourself with the various software/systems (Zoom, GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams), online file sharing systems (Dropbox, Box, Google Drive), project management (Asana, etc.) and other communication tools (like Slack) used for remote work. Understand the employer’s policies about remote work–you may be asked to complete a work plan or submit a list of your work accomplishments at the end of each week.

• Career Center video of Preparing for Online Recruiting Options and Remote Work.

Write out the main skills and competencies required of the position in order to generate relevant examples from your own experiences. Prepare for online or over the phone interviews.

• Review our Interview Guide to familiarize yourself with the process and learn strategies for answering common questions. Have a look at this overview of how to prepare for interviewing remotely.
• Practice by recording yourself or articulating responses out loud several times. Use biginterview, a tool to learn and practice interviewing.
• Schedule a mock interview with a career advisor.
• Always send a thank you email after an interview. 
• Make sure your voicemail message and email address are both professional and that you check them frequently.

Congratulations! When you get an offer call, thank the employer and communicate your genuine interest, but ask to see the details of the job offer in writing before committing to anything.

Negotiating elements of your job offer, when done tactfully and professionally, is often expected and can help you to get what you deserve. Make sure that you have a solid foundation for your negotiation.  

• Review our Negotiation Guide to become familiar with the elements of a job offer and how to be most effective when negotiating with employers.
• Use Glassdoor, Salary.com and your networking conversations to learn the average expected salaries of similar positions in specific geographic locations. 
• Consider what other elements of an offer are most important to you beyond salary, such as vacation time, time/location flexibility, typical work schedule, funds for professional development, etc.
• Once you accept an offer you must stop searching and interviewing for other jobs.  Reneging on an internship/job offer is bad for your professional reputation and Duke’s.