How do I find an internship, part-time, or summer job despite the COVID-19 pandemic?

Question:

Due to COVID-19, it looks like my college campus will either be closed entirely with all learning on-line through virtual tools like Zoom or will be so shutdown that employers won’t be able to host information events, attend campus career events, or interview in-person. I am entering my junior year and so would like to line-up an internship or at least a part-time or seasonal job during the school year and next summer. I plan to search and apply to jobs that are advertised on-line with sites like College Recruiter, but what else should I be doing?

First Answer:

I would check in with your college career services office. Just because your college is closed for in-person classes does not necessarily mean that its administrative offices are closed. The admin offices could be open, and if so, your diligence in contacting them could pay off because other students might not think to contact them.

Whether they are open or closed, now is the time to polish your LinkedIn profile. Make it shine.

Join LinkedIn groups that are associated with the industry where you seek an internship. Does your college have a LinkedIn or Facebook group?

Can you find alumni in your chosen field? Realize that while finding an internship right now is challenging, everyone has a wellspring of sympathy for college students right now, due to the Covid19 predicament. So if you can find alumni, they are likely to stretch further for you than ever before.

— Vicky Oliver, author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions (Sourcebooks, 2005) and Power Sales Words: How to Write It, Say It, and Sell It with Sizzle (Sourcebooks, 2006)

Second Answer:

It is difficult times indeed ahead but the important thing to remember is that you are not alone and tens of thousands of students are going through the same exact situation.

I would recommend using this time to keep applying to new opportunities and to continue your hard skill development. Take e-courses and try to develop a stronger skill set for these internships you are applying for.

I always recommend college students who are looking for internship roles to try and make themselves indispensable by going above and beyond the minimum skill set required for the internship. 

— Lorenz V. Esposito, Digital Marketing Specialist, Potentialpark