At Kent State, there are opportunities all around us that give the chance for a valuable experience. Many departments have connections to business owners and corporations that provide internship experience for our Kent State undergrads. Even if you don’t get the big internship at a Fortune 1000 company, you can get plenty of internship experience right here on campus. However, one might ask where this imaginary land of opportunity is. I’ll give a few quick tips on how to build your resume.

Unpaid internships are always a good place to start if you don’t have a base. For internships that aren’t funded, they offer good, hands-on experience. These internships may be less glamorous, but are always good places to start for young students wanting to prepare for bigger opportunities in their future. Internships such as these provide some of the most basic skill sets that will make anyone a more desirable candidate for a job. Hands-on experience is irreplaceable in the workforce today with so many starter level positions that already ask a candidate to have experience in the field.

Ask your faculty leadership. Many can stand to have an extra hand or two whether it is through research or production; faculty members hold a set of keys that can access inside knowledge in your field. Faculty members may also have friends in the industry. This can give you an inside track and a leg up on that kid with the super stellar resume.

Student organizations can also build great portfolios. Many student organizations operate as a microcosm of a business or corporation. They require services that you’ll be using in the future with newsletters, graphic design, photo and video, plus so much more. There are many opportunities for growth in this area. A great example could be student-led internships or leadership opportunities such as the Undergraduate Student Government’s Student Leader Internship Program. It’s a great starting block for an underclassman.

Use universities services and internship boards. Everyone is looking for a hungry intern they can teach and get something out of. Look at it as a give-and-take relationship. You barter with your specialties, and an organization offers access to resources to get you to the next level. There is no such thing as too much experience, so get as much as you can. You never know what can help you with this other opportunity.

All in all, take Kent State for everything it is. We aren’t a Big 10 school. We are not an Ivy League school. We are Kent State. We deliver some of the world’s best programs with some of the countries best opportunities for expansion and growth. Use everything at your helm to groom you into industry leaders of today. Why start tomorrow when there is so much to do right now!

Contact Marvin Logan at [email protected].