Every international student will certainly have some concern in getting an internship during the summer break. Internships can help a student both financially and with job experience. If a student has applied for loans or does not have any special funding, then internships are a big thing!. So, I thought of sharing some of my experiences, which probably will be helpful to any student reading this on how to approach for jobs amidst heavy studying.
Apply Early
It is very important to apply for internships to big companies like Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon etc. which have applications usually open from the Fall Quarter for summer internships. Due to the enormous applications they receive, only a handful number of people get interview calls and the number of offers given will be limited. Hence, it is always better to apply early so that the deadline is not missed. It is always advisable to apply directly on the company’s website and apply to as many jobs as possible which the student feels that he or she is well versed in. Do not restrict yourself to any 1 or 2 companies and is always important to apply to at least 50-100 companies so that one could get many interview calls (due to the enormous competition in the job market).
Attend Career Fairs
Every quarter, UCI calls a number of companies and conducts a career fair to allow students to interact with the employers and recruiters and to give them a chance to submit a resume and get to know candidates very well. This is a chance for the students to showcase their skill set and prove to the recruiter of their worth to the company. There are lots of chances of getting interview calls from career fairs than applying online (although online application is preferred). The fairs provide a great experience to the student and it helps to get to know the current technological trend that is happening in the job market. It is very important for the candidates to research about the companies beforehand and then attend the fairs. The information will be available at this link. After meeting a recruiter, it is very important to write a follow-up email about the experience you had visiting their stall. It is really a nice gesture and a recruiter will think that you are interested in their company !
Apply for Jobs on Zotlink
The UCI Career Center has a student job portal called Zotlink where a number of jobs will be posted by numerous employers around the US on internships/full time etc. Zotlink acts as an intermediate between the University and the Employer and helps a lot for the students to reach out to the employers. Many employers will be interested in recruiting students from UCI as it is a prestigious university. I would advise everyone to go to the above site and upload your resume.
Search for Referrals/Update LinkedIn Profile
Although reference to a job is not readily available, it is highly recommended to search for one through different sources. Networking is one such tool where one can meet people from different backgrounds and companies and get to know them and talk to them regarding their jobs and also tell something about yourself which would help a lot in future. LinkedIn is one another source where almost all recruiters of every company will be available. Contacting and introducing yourself to them and telling more about your skill set would help greatly in considering you for an interview. Referrals help in moving your application to the internal reference system of an employee which increases the chances of getting a call than other applicants standing behind in the line.
Final Notes
Managing time is the key in studying at UCI. As it is a quarter system, with just 10 weeks, plenty of things are needed to be managed amidst courses, job applying, etc. I recommend everyone to visit the career center to review their resumes often from the experts. This is really helpful to know what needs to be revised and emphasized in a resume. Do remember that a recruiter scans one resume in just 6 seconds and that is all it needs to decide your fate. It is up to you to convince the recruiter about our worth and skills. Visit the Career center website often and be updated with the information on fairs, workshops etc and attend them duly without fail.
Keep aside 1-2 hours daily for interview preparation on various topics and get used to solve more coding questions. Last but not the least, never lose hope and have full faith in yourself. This is the key to success. Talk boldly and clearly to the interviewer and never ever try to tell lies about yourself or your skills. This would become a big black spot on your career. Keep working hard and all the best !!
Useful Links for Interview Preparation
Best Technical Interview Book
GeeksforGeeks
StackOverflow
LeetCode
CareerCup
Glassdoor