The Professional Development Center at Westminster College

Explore Majors & Careers

 

Not all students know exactly what they want to major in and do after graduation! It’s ok not to know. Visit us early, and chat with us often – we’ll help you make sense of your interests and experiences and show you how they fit in to your path to success.

 

Here are some ways you begin to help sort things out:

1. Self-Assessments

   Assessments: A self-assessment is a method used to help clarify relationships between your personal values, personality type, and professional interests. Assessments are a wonderful way to measure guiding principles that help define priorities in your life and career. We strongly encourage you to take assessments throughout your lifetime since values and interests may change over time in response to influential personal events. Listed below are several resources to use if interested in taking a self-assessment.

   Self-Directed Search: A career interest inventory that measures personal preferences that align with specific occupational fields or areas of study. To take the assessment, call the Professional Development Center at 724-946-7338 to schedule an appointment to take the inventory.

   : helps students and professionals plan more fulfilling lives by making well-informed decisions about their education and careers. Whether you’re choosing a major, planning ahead for your first career, or thinking about making a career change, MyPlan can help you explore options and bring clarity and insight into figuring out what’s right for you.

2. Shadow a Titan

3. Attend the Majors Fair

4. Come to Walk-In Wednesdays

5. Make an Appointment with a Counselor

Internships

 

Why Do I Need to Do an Internship?

• An internship is the best way to gain real world experience in a career field of your interest.
• With an internship, you can determine if a career field is a good fit for you. You’ll learn things about the industry and job functions that that cannot be taught.
• Some internships lead to a full-time position within the same organization.
• An internship looks amazing on a résume and will give you material to reference during an interview for a full-time position.

 

When Should I Get an Internship?

• It’s never too early to do an internship!
• Internships aren’t just during the summer. Plenty of them are during the school year.
• The summer after your junior year is a crucial time and you should have an internship lined up for this period.
• Ideally, try to have two internships before you graduate.

 

How Do I Find Internship Opportunities?

• Networking – talking to people to gather information and advice – is the best way to find an opportunity. Most internships that students get are found through networking.
• Informational interviewing! This step is critical and often overlooked. These are simply conversations with people – often people you already know or alumni- who work in your field of interest to gather information.
• Using LinkedIn – a great way to find contacts that it is easier than you think. Use our guide to help you make the right connections.
• Searching internship Websites.

 

How do I register for an internship?

• For more information and to register for an internship, please stop into the Professional Development Center on the 3rd Floor of the McKelvey Campus Center.

Internship Funding Opportunities

 

Class of '64 Intern Sponsorship Fund

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Class of 1964 Golden Anniversary Celebration Class Project

This fund was established by members of the Class of 1964 as a gift to the College in honor of their Golden Anniversary Celebration in October of 2014.

Recognizing the value of experiential internship opportunities as a way for students to enhance their classroom study through the exploration of career options and acquisition of professional skills, and recognizing that in today’s working environment significant expense can be associated with high-quality internship experiences, the Class of 1964 has chosen to endow The Class of 1964 Intern Sponsorship Fund.

Income from this fund will be used annually to provide competitive funding for students who accept eligible, credit-worthy unpaid internships. The sponsorship is administered through the Westminster College Professional Development Center where an application process requiring a personal statement, resume and unofficial transcript is in place together with an established timeline for application submission.

Applications are reviewed by a committee of Professional Development Center counselors, Westminster College faculty and College administrators. Final selection is at the discretion of the Internship Coordinator.

Applications can be picked up in the Professional Development Center. Deadline for application is the 3rd Monday in April.

 

Fetters Intern Sponsorship Fund

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Recognizing the value of experiential internship opportunities as a way for students to enhance their classroom study through the exploration of career options and acquisition of professional skills, and recognizing that in today's working environment significant expense can be associated with high-quality internship experiences, Mr. and Mrs. N. Craig Fetters, II have endowed The N. Craig Fetters, II '64 and Linda Wood Fetters '65 Intern Sponsorship Fund.

The sponsorship is administered through the Westminster College Professional Development Center where an application process requiring a personal statement, resume, and unofficial transcript is provided, along with a completed application.

Applications are reviewed by a committee of Professional Development Center counselors, Westminster faculty and administrators. Final selection is at the discretion of the Internship Coordinator.

One sponsorship will be awarded each year and the deadline is the 3rd Monday in April.

Please stop in the Professional Development Center for more information or email Katy DeMedal at demedakk@westminster.edu.

 

Suzanne Lilly Internship for Intellectual Disability Fund

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Westminster College, in cooperation with the IM4Q grant coordinator, Dr. Gary Lilly, has endowed funds to support internships that benefit the mental health/intellectual disabilities population.

Income from this fund will be used annually to provide competitive funding for 1 student who accepts an eligible, credit worthy, unpaid internship in the mental health/intellectual disabilities area, with preference given to internships located in Western PA. The sponsorship is administered through the Westminster College Professional Development Center where an application process requiring a personal statement, resume, and unofficial transcript is in place together with an established timeline for application submission. The deadline is the 3rd Monday in April.

For more information, please contact Katy DeMedal at 724-946-6338 or demedakk@westminster.edu.

 

PennAce Award

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JoAnne Day Student of the Year Awards

PennACE would like to recognize the achievements and contributions made by undergraduate students enrolled at member institutions who have completed an internship or co-op assignment. The JoAnne Day Student of the Year Awards were created for this purpose in honor of a career development professional. There are four categories, each awarding $500.

Select the category that best represents the nature of your internship/co-op; not the employer's industry.

Undergraduate students in a baccalaureate degree program may select one of the following three categories:

• Technical Award: Students must have completed an internship or co-op assignment that is related to (or similar to): engineering, computer science/information technology, sciences or research.
• Liberal Arts Award: Students must have completed an internship or co-op assignment that is related to: educational services, social science/service, humanities or human services, government, communication, arts, entertainment.
• Business Award: Students must have completed an internship or co-op assignment that is related to: business, marketing, management, accounting, business development or strategy, finance.

Undergraduate students in an associate degree program who have completed an internship or co-op assignment in any category (Technical, Liberal Arts, or Business) are eligible for the Associates Degree Award.

If you are unsure of which category best fits your experience, contact the Committee Chairperson.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Students must be currently enrolled or a current year graduate of a post-secondary institution in Pennsylvania that has a current PennACE membership.
• Each student may only be nominated for one category. However, multiple submissions may be made by employers or schools (i.e.: ABC University may nominate multiple students for any category; XYZ company may nominate more than one of their interns).
• Students must have completed their internship/co-op during the academic year (including the summer semester/term) in which the award is given. For the awards, nominees must have completed their assignment during the previous fall, spring or summer. Nominees must have worked at their assignment a minimum of 120 hours.
• Students do not need to have obtained credit for their internship/co-op to be eligible for nomination.
• Students doing an internship on their own campus are eligible to apply; however, there must be an employer support letter and a university support letter from two different persons. Each statement must follow the instructions below; it should be clearly stated which is the employer support letter and which is the university support letter.

Selection Process:

All nomination packets will be reviewed and evaluated by the selection committee. The cr=urrent year award recipients will be announced in December and officially recognized at the Spring PennACE Conference.

Application Process:

Application and packets can be found at http://www.pennace.info/joanne-day-award.

 

Finnegan Foundation Internship Award

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"Experiencing State Government"

Students are assigned positions in state government executive offices under the governor's jurisdiction and attend seminars with leading elected officials or appointed public officials and media figures. In order to receive the monetary awards, applicants MUST be available to secure an internship during the summer for a minimum of 8 weeks and a maximum of 10 weeks.

Annually the number of students selected varies from 4-8 depending on resources ($1,500 for the James Finnegan Award and additional $1,000 awards.)

Applications can be found at www.finneganfoundation.org.

Applications much be received by February, 2019 on the webpage or by mail to:

The James Finnegan Fellowship Foundation
3332 Ridgeway Street, Reading, PA 19605.

Frederick Hartwig Memorial Internship Award

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WASHINGTON, DC

This special internship award was established to honor the memory of Paul Frederick Hartwig, Ph.D. (1941-1997), former Union College professor of political science and public opinion analyst at Hart Research. Fred Hartwig believed that it was very important for young Americans to be introduced to the nation's capital, the seat of the federal government and democracy. He believed that seeing and being a part of what goes on in Washington would enhance young people's appreciation for government, engage them in America's ongoing public conversations and debates, and result in their becoming more informed and involved citizens and leaders.

The Internship Award will be based on entries in an essay contest open to any full-time undergraduate student, regardless of academic major, attending a selected liberal arts college or university in the United States.

The Hartwig Intern will receive a cash prize of $1,500. The award will be given irrespective of whether the internship is a paid or unpaid position.

The winner is responsible for finding and securing his or her own internship for the summer of 2018 at an institution in the greater Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Although the internship may be undertaken in any of a number fields of endeavor, it must be of an appropriately serious nature to provide the kind of experience that students would be unlikely to find outside of the Washington area.

Students are strongly encouraged to seek guidance on their internship search from a professor or career services faculty member at their school. Examples of possible placements include working in the office of a member of Congress; doing research or other work for a public policy institute; assisting the efforts of a nonprofit public interest group; or working for a political or public relations consulting group. The duration of the internship and the specific assignments it comprises will be determined by the individual and the organization for which he or she will work. On completion of the internship, the student will be expected to prepare a brief written report for the internship award selection committee about what he or she learned from the experience.

COMPETITION RULES

To enter, students should write an essay of 500 to 1,000 words (maximum) describing why an internship in Washington, DC, would contribute to their academic development and how it will have an impact on them personally or with regard to the careers they are considering.

Essays must be typewritten and the applicant’s full name, college, and academic major should appear at the top of each page. The essay must be accompanied by a completed application form (see next page). Application packages must be postmarked or emailed (as a Microsoft Word attachment) on or before March 26, 2018, and should be sent to:

David Drembus
Hart Research Associates
1724 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Attn: Hartwig Award

     - or -

ddrembus@hartresearch.com

One winner and two runners up will be selected by the internship committee. In the event that the winner is unable to undertake his or her internship, the first or second runner up will be eligible to receive the award (provided that he or she has secured an internship). The winning applicant and the runners up will be notified on or before April 20, 2018.

Questions regarding the essay competition may be directed to David Drembus (ddrembus@hartresearch.com). Please note that we do not provide assistance in the search for an internship position.

*Application forms can be picked up in the Professional Development Center.

The Job Search

 

The first step in searching for a job is to know what you’re looking for. That means setting goals and gaining focus. You can do that by:

• Researching career paths
• Making an appointment with a career advisor to identify strategies best suited to your interests

Once you start searching you want to:

• Respond to posted and publicized opportunities.
• Research and contact potential employers directly.

Establish and utilize a network of professionals, friends, family, faculty and alumni (LinkedIn, Professional Networking Symposium)

 

Resume Ready?

Document your experiences - As you prepare for your internship and job search we want to make sure your toolkit is packed and ready to go. You’ll be surprised at what skills you’ve acquired through experiences that you can weave into your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile to make yourself stand out to employers.

 

Determine What Sets You Apart?

The first step is to take a look at the skill areas that employers look for when searching for interns and new hires. It’s time to think about experiences you’ve had in your organizations and involvement, classes, volunteering, and employment. In addition, consider how to demonstrate that you possess the competencies that employers desire.

Resources