Some students on campus will spend their summer vacation interning for different companies to gain experience and knowledge about their future career choice.

Before students get the job, they must go through a long process to find, apply and be interviewed for internships like they would for a full-time position.

Students might not have to go far to look for internship opportunities.

The Career Center, located in the Math and Science building on campus, is able to help students look for their dream job through WorkNet, an online job and internship database.

Lesa Shouse, assistant director at the Career Center, said WorkNet is the first place she suggests students to look for jobs.

“Everyone that has posted on WorkNet is somebody that wants to hire a BGSU student or wants to look at hiring a BGSU student,” Shouse said.

The Career Center also hosts job and internship fairs throughout the year to bring opportunities to campus, she said.

Not only does the Career Center provide sources to help students find internships, but it can also help students apply for the job, write a resume, prepare for an interview and accept the job.

“We love to meet with students one-on-one to help you through the entire process,” Shouse said.

To prepare for the interview, workers at the Career Center can do mock interviews with students, also providing tips to help students calm their nerves and impress the interviewer.

“I would really recommend, especially for students who have not ever done an interview before, is to do a mock interview,” Shouse said. “We pretend like it is the real interview, where we can even target based on your field or your major as best as we can.”

Jessica Turos, interim director of the Career Center, also suggests students identify their skills and experiences before the interview.

“You don’t want the first time that you are thinking about a response to be during an interview,” Turos said. “You’ll never know all of the questions that will be asked beforehand, but you can do your due diligence and try to figure out what are some of the core competencies and key areas that they are seeking.”

Some students might prepare for a particular interview by researching the company they are interested in.

“If I know I am going to talk to someone from a specific company, I go on their website and I figure out what the company does or I look at their current projects,” said sophomore Conner McDannel, construction management major. “I always make sure I have questions I can ask them so they know I am interested in the company and the position they are offering.”

Some students who have already done internships also might be able to provide tips to students who are looking for a job.

Senior Jessica Brown, a Visual Communication Technology major, has completed multiple internships during her time at the University and said it is an important experience every student should take advantage of.

“Even if your major does not require you to have an internship or co-op, I would highly recommend finding one,” Brown said. “Even if the internship is unpaid, the experience is worth it.”

Although Brown did not have a good experience with one of her internships, she said she learned a valuable lesson from it.

“The summer after my sophomore year I worked at a PR firm and I did not have the best experience due to the company’s morals and the way they treated their customers,” Brown said. “Looking back, I am very thankful I learned at an early age the red flags of a not so great and low integrity company. Even though I did not gain the experience I wanted and I did not leave with anything for my portfolio, I learned a lot about the way a company should be ran and how to treat your customers.”

Approximately 60 percent of students who took part in paid internships received at least one job offer after graduation, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Brown is part of that 60 percent and will be working full-time for Welch Packaging in Toledo, a company she is interning with currently, after she graduates in August.

“It is a great company to work for and I have my co-op experience to thank for that,” Brown said. “I am very lucky to have a job secure for when I graduate.”

The Career Center will be hosting the Summer Job Fair this week on March 13 in the Union Ballroom for students who are looking for jobs and internships this summer.