Brain Matters S11.E06: Internship Anxiety

[00:00:00] Speaker A: This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student, please contact your respective county's crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. [00:00:42] Speaker B: It's 06:00 in time again for brain matters, the official radio show of the UA Counseling center. We are broadcasting from the campus of the University of Alabama. Good evening. My name is Doctor BJ Guenther and I'm the host of the show along with my colleague and producer, Kathryn Howell. In case you don't know, this show is about mental and physical health issues that affect college students, and in particular UA students. You can listen to us each Tuesday night at 06:00 p.m. on 90.7 FM, or you can listen online at wWaFM dot ua.edu. you can also download several apps on your phone or on your iPad or your tablet. I like mytuner radio app and I just type in WVUaFM 90.7. This is probably, I don't know, we're in the. I want to say we're in the middle of the season because we don't do shows in the summer. We only do shows fall and spring semester. So this is, I think this is our 6th show, and we'll have maybe three or four more shows by the end of the semester. So I like to ask people if they have, if listeners have ideas on show topics for the remainder of well, I think I'm already booked out for this semester, but definitely for spring semester. We need some show topic ideas, and if you're listening and have an idea that we have or have not done, send it to me no matter what. Because I always say every week, some of the shows that we do can be repeated because the information changes or the trends change in college mental health, for instance, test anxiety, stress management, depression, relationship issues. So if you have an idea for an interesting show topic, send that to me at brainmattersradio at wvuafm ua.edu and I'll consider using your show topic. Nothing is really off limits and we this is our 11th, I think this is our 11th year of doing brain matters. We've covered a lot of topics, but nothing's off limits. So send those in. Katherine will help me. Remember to give out this email address after every break so you can remember and possibly send show topics or any other ideas. If you have questions, send those in, too. Tonight's topic is one that I feel like I talk a lot about with students, and I can't believe I've never really thought about having this topic for the show. It's internship anxiety, and my guest tonight is Christy Wheeler. Griffin is the manager of experiential learning at the career center here on campus. And, you know, starting an internship or a new job can overwhelm you. And taking that first step down that unknown path often causes stress and anxiety for many students. And the key to success in the professional world is not focusing on those obstacles, but instead on how to overcome them. And anxiety and nerves represent nothing more than a conquerable, it's hard to say conquerable obstacle that more interns deal with than one might realize. And that is the truth, isn't it? Christy, thank you for being on the show. [00:03:43] Speaker C: Thank you for having me. [00:03:45] Speaker B: Before we get started, tell the listeners a little more about yourself, your credentials, and why you're interested in this topic. [00:03:52] Speaker C: Well, I'm interested in this topic because I have been working with students in experiential learning for the past 20 years, for the past nine at the career center as manager of experiential learning. And then prior to that, I was at the Culver House College of Business as the internship coordinator for twelve years. So I have really enjoyed helping students get prepared and have experiences that are going to influence their choices and paths for their career. [00:04:19] Speaker B: So you've probably seen a lot of anxiety, you know, over the years, and just students who really, when I talk to students about it, it's usually this time of year, there are there certain times of year, of the year, of the academic year, that students are in the throes of trying to find an, trying to find an internship or comparing themselves to other students who already have an internship, probably. [00:04:47] Speaker C: So recruiting season really begins in September and October, even for internships that will not begin until the following summer. So October, typically around the time of our big career fair at Coleman Coliseum, is the kickoff to that recruiting season. And often by the time spring break rolls around, if students haven't secured something, they start to get really concerned about it. But we're here to help them at the career center to find options. There are a lot of options, and employers are interested in experience, and it doesn't really matter what it's called, if it's an internship or if it's something else. [00:05:24] Speaker B: I know y'all do a great job of marketing the career center and whether it's with the digital signage or actually meeting students during Bama bound, etcetera. But why do you think so many students get stressed out about an internship? About finding an internship? And does it matter? The majority. [00:05:46] Speaker C: The reason I think students do get a little worried about it is because they're thinking that, hey, if I don't get this now, I'm not going to be able to find a job when actually there are a lot of things they can do to get experience, you know, beyond just an internship. An internship is certainly a great way to gain that experience. But if you have a part time job, if you are involved in a student organization, if you have other ways of building things like leadership and teamwork, problem solving skills, the ability to treat others with respect, all of those basic things that employers look for across the board, regardless of your major and regardless of the industry, they're looking for some basic things. Now, yes, of course there are going to be areas that you're going to have to have certain certifications if you want to be a nurse, if you want to be a CPA. Other than that, employers are pretty open to a lot of different. Again, many of them are not as concerned about major as they are about skill sets that you have to bring. [00:06:50] Speaker B: What? And we'll talk about that in just a minute. The skill sets and who's really prepared for an internship? Are there certain majors that require an internship? [00:07:05] Speaker C: There are certain majors that require an internship. I couldn't speak specifically to the different academic colleges, but I know that, I've heard that, you know, child life, a child life specialist, I think, has a required internship built into their curriculum. Nursing students, of course, have required preceptorships and clinical experiences. So many majors do already have that built in as part of the requirement to graduate. [00:07:33] Speaker B: Do they help their students find the internships, or are the students just solely responsible on their own? [00:07:39] Speaker C: Many times, faculty do help their students, especially if this is a course that is a required course. And faculty are, you know, of course, obligated to make those connections. But I do meet with students sometimes who, depending on what area they're in, whether it's just that there aren't as many internships to be had or whatever the case may be, we do often get called upon to help those students, even those who do have a requirement to fulfill. [00:08:09] Speaker B: So what is it that's making students nervous or anxious? Is it that it is so competitive and let's say, let's say, for instance, it's an engineering student, and they are. I don't know if they're necessarily required, but it's highly suggested or recommended that they have that internship. I don't necessarily know what year or if it matters what year they are in school. The earlier the better may matter. I don't know if they need that experience, but. So what is it that is, would you say the number one reason that they get anxious is the competitiveness? Just feeling like there's not enough internships out there for them. [00:08:51] Speaker C: Competitiveness may be one thing. I think another thing is just fear of the unknown, being concerned about, hey, you know, what am I getting into? I'm not trained. I don't know what to expect. But we try to reassure students, just like anything, you're not going to be tossed into a position with of no training, even for an internship. You're gonna have someone who's overseeing that, who's going to be showing you the rope, showing you what to expect and what to do. So that can help and should help alleviate some of that anxiety is knowing, hey, if they chose me, then obviously they trust in me that I can do it. If they didn't believe that I could, they would not have chosen me. [00:09:37] Speaker B: The skill set. You mentioned the skill set. It's not necessary, I think. Do employers, potential employers expect certain degrees to have a certain amount of skill set? Is that what helps a student get an internship over another student? [00:09:58] Speaker C: I think that does play a part, and I guess it depends on the. [00:10:02] Speaker B: Excuse me. I guess it depends on the major. [00:10:07] Speaker C: It would depend upon the major. However, as I kind of hit on briefly, according to the National association of Colleges and Employers, they've identified some key competencies that employers really do expect students to have regardless of their major and regardless of the industry. And again, those are basic things like critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving, ability to use basic technology accordingly, depending on what you're doing, professionalism, you know, and that's why things like even basic part time jobs are so important, because, hey, you learn how to answer a telephone, interact with the public. [00:10:49] Speaker B: Yes. [00:10:50] Speaker C: Right? [00:10:50] Speaker B: Yes. Wow. What? You know, some of the, I've done, like I said, I do a little bit of research before the show. We'll talk about this a little further about some tips for managing anxiety, and I can help a little bit with that because that's kind of like my job when they come in here and they are anxious about that. But what do you think could prevent some of this? You mentioned, you know, obviously working a job helps, but also, what else could they do? What are some tips you tell them? Because when they come to you, when they finally get to you, are they expecting you to help them find an internship? What are they expecting when they come and talk to you? [00:11:32] Speaker C: When I do have a student who comes and talks to me about finding an internship, I start with them where they are and we talk about their particular circumstances, and then I help them with an internship action plan. [00:11:47] Speaker B: Wow. What is that? I mean, is that so? [00:11:51] Speaker C: Based on what they're looking for and what they need, we start talking about that. The basics. The basic key, in my opinion, to dealing with that anxiety is preparing. [00:12:02] Speaker B: Yes. [00:12:03] Speaker C: If you've planned it out and you kind of know some steps to take, that's right, you're going to be far less anxious than if you've waited till the last minute. [00:12:11] Speaker B: How are most internships? Do most internships require an application and or an interview? [00:12:22] Speaker C: Yes, you're going to find internships posted to our online recruiting platform known as Handshake. It's sort of like LinkedIn for students, but all of the internships and positions are targeted toward college students with that level of experience, which is often none. And so, you know, for those positions, they are, you know, they're depending on what they find, they're going to have those steps in there. It will guide them through an application process. Often a resume is needed, and that's something that we help with. And an interview as well. And that's also something we help with at the career center is helping them prepare. And again, to preparation. It's all about preparation. [00:13:05] Speaker B: Well, let's take our first break, and when we come back, let's talk a little more about handshake. And then I'm looking at four email questions, if you're willing to take those spontaneously. We might have already answered one of those, but maybe we can expand on that some more. So let's take our first break. When we come back, we're talking with Christy Wheeler Griffin from the UA Career center. She is the manager of experiential learning, basically helping people with internship and internship anxiety. I mean, you're as much a counselor as I am when they come to you for this. So we'll be right back. You're listening to brain matters on 19.7, the capstone. [00:13:56] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa. This show is not a substitute for professional counseling, and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student, please contact your respective Counties crisis service hotline or their local mental health or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. [00:14:38] Speaker B: Hey, you're back listening to brain matters on 90.7 the Capstone. I'm BJ Guenther, and we're talking tonight about internship anxiety. And, and this is the time of year we here at the counseling center start seeing internship anxiety, especially those sophomores and juniors, seniors even. My guest is Christy Wheeler Griffin from the UA Career center. And Christy, let's take our first email question and see if we've already answered it. What do you feel like are the main reasons students have anxiety at internships when they're already there? I guess this person, they're already in the internship. They're already in the internship. [00:15:18] Speaker C: Their biggest fears, probably the inability to be able to perform as expected on the job. And that's why it's really important for them to communicate what are those expectations? And to be able to check in and also to be able to take a little bit of initiative. You know, in a former role, when I was an internship coordinator, often problems that I did see when they would come up between employers and students was that students were not communicating, hey, I need more to do. I need more. I want to see. I was hoping to see this. I was hoping to observe that it's really important for students to feel that they can speak up and ask for those things. And, you know, all they can say is, no, there, in some circumstances, there may be reasons that they can't observe certain appointments or whatever, but often there are things that can be done. And if they will take a little initiative to ask for those opportunities, very few employers are going to turn them down. [00:16:18] Speaker B: How do you know, and I don't know how to ask this. Here it goes. How do you know if a student is not a good fit for an internship that they're trying to get? Like, how do you say that to them? Or do you recognize that sometimes. [00:16:35] Speaker C: To helping students know what their values are? And that's something that we do here at the career center. We have a number of free assessments that will help them identify that. And the example I often use is that, you know, just to, you know, this is a little outlandish. But as an example, if I don't want to wear a suit and heels to work every day and work 80 hours a week, then, you know, there are certain career paths that are not going to be a fit for me. [00:17:01] Speaker B: Yes. [00:17:02] Speaker C: And so you have to know some things about yourself and your preferred work environment. And a lot of students find themselves when they get there. They may, they may say, hey, you know what? I don't really like this part that I'm doing, but I see this other role over here, and I didn't even know that existed. I'm really interested in that. Or they may get there and decide, you know what? This is not what I thought it was. I don't think I want to do this for a living. And that's fine. It's what they're doing. Yeah, exactly. You want them to have that experience in a short term trial basis. [00:17:36] Speaker B: Yeah. I've had students before, you mentioned it before the break, have an internship and come back, like, after the summer and start seeing me. And they were bored to tears because they didn't have, they felt like they didn't have enough to do, and I think they felt like they weren't. Well, they weren't gaining experience like they thought, but they weren't really, I guess, needed or appreciated too. [00:18:02] Speaker C: Right. [00:18:03] Speaker B: So it's important to kind of get that background information as much as you can. And that goes back to the communicating, communication with the. And here's another question. How much will a student actually be able to communicate with a potential employer. [00:18:19] Speaker C: Prior to the internship? Yes, there are a lot of opportunities to connect. We offer here at the career center a lot of different mixers, networking events, those big career fairs that attract recruiters from across the country. They come here to the career fair so students are able to network with them. Many of them stay overnight in order to host evening information sessions and things like that. And we always encourage students to go and take advantage of those smaller venues where they can really get some FaceTime with the employer, follow up with visual right to get their email, maybe follow up, ask for an informational interview with them, which is, we've got some instructions on that on our website, some basic questions, kind of a, you know, you're doing this for a living. I'm interested in doing that for a living. Would you be willing to let me pick your brain and ask some questions of you in a brief, informal meeting known as an informational interview that could be over Zoom even. And so that's a great step for students to take. Again, even back to your question about students on the job, if they're not finding enough to do, you know, ask, hey, would it be okay if during my downtime, I go and talk with so and so in this role and get to learn a little bit more about what she does. Very few people are going to turn you down as a student. You're in a unique position to seek out these opportunities, and people know that you're there to get experience, and they're very supportive of that. [00:19:51] Speaker B: Yeah. And one of the articles I read kind of said the same thing. You know, if you don't feel like you're having enough to do network, basically communicate, not just communicate, but just go and talk to people, because you're going to be the first to come into their mind when they need somebody, maybe to do something else. Hey, so and so might be willing to do that. You know, you're going to pop into their head of the first thing just by talking to people, not just necessarily just being friendly is what they mentioned. [00:20:21] Speaker C: Right. Right. [00:20:22] Speaker B: So let me ask you this. Do how many people, how many employers guesstimate come to the career fairs? And how many career fairs do we have a year? [00:20:32] Speaker C: We have two in the fall and two in the spring that are the biggest ones. We have a general career fair that is for any major, and then we have a STEm career fair, technical and engineering, that, that is for most of those STEM majors. Engineering, omnip, Mis, other students who are going into the STEM roles. And many of the employers are kind of crossover, but there are roughly 250 plus employers at those from across the country. And again, they're coming here, they're paying to be here, they're paying to meet one on one with UA students. So here you are as a student already on campus, it's a simple matter of you taking the bus and going over to the Coleman Coliseum to have that networking opportunity. Wonderful opportunity. That's really right here at your back door. [00:21:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Sometimes it's hard to motivate students, and there may be something deeper going on. In that case, you know, in my role here at the counseling center, what are some of, are there benefits? And I think, I mean, I think this is an obvious yes, but are there, I have students who already have a relationship, you know, with a future internship employer. Like if somebody doesn't have that and let's say they miss the career fair or they just have poor social skills, I don't know any other way to say it. How else could they, is it inappropriate to reach out to find your own internship without really any help? That's a weird question. [00:22:07] Speaker C: It is not inappropriate. I do think it's a great idea to start with the obvious, which is often your own connection. However, we are here to help. We at the career center, all of us who are consultants, work directly one on one with students. We help them navigate handshake. You can set up filters. You can search. I liken it to shopping on Amazon based on my major, where I want to be located, where you know what roles I want. You can have very specific. [00:22:36] Speaker B: You can tailor it. Yes, you can tailor. [00:22:38] Speaker C: Students aren't aware of the power of handshake and what all you can find on there. That's one of the things that I do. [00:22:45] Speaker B: I hear students mention, like, indeed more, you know, some of those bigger, and I don't even know any more of the bigger. You probably do job search engine, job search platforms, I guess. Is handshake the biggest one? Is that just for students or is that for anyone? [00:23:05] Speaker C: That is just for students. And that's the beauty of handshake. You're not, you're not competing with adults who have decades of experience on YouTube. [00:23:12] Speaker B: Right. And it's free. [00:23:15] Speaker C: It is free. It is free. And you'd be shocked at how many opportunities there are all across the country. So if people think handshake is just Alabama, it's not. [00:23:26] Speaker B: Do you think students come to your office and think that you're supposed to give them an internship automatically? You know, because I hear that, I feel like. I feel like there's some students. I don't hear this as much as I used to. I don't know what's changed. I think y'all are doing a great job, like I said, at marketing and being more available to students and more present and visible for students. But I used to hear students complain about, you know, feeling kind of disillusioned, like they thought when they came to college that a job would just be waiting for them right when they graduate, you know, and they get to be in their senior year. And they're very, like I said, disillusioned that they're going to actually have work for that, you know, and network and actually may need to go talk to one of you guys at the career center. They're kind of shocked about that. Do you hear that? [00:24:25] Speaker C: I think students pretty much understand that our role is to help them to prepare, to have those documents, those professional documents where they should be. You know, your resume is you on paper. Most internships are. You're applying virtually to most internships. So when I have a student who comes to me and says, I'm so discouraged, I've applied to 50 internships and haven't heard anything back the first thing I say is, let's look at your resume. If the resume is bad, they're seldom going to be advanced to even an interview stage. So we've got to start. First things first. [00:25:04] Speaker B: I remember a sidebar the first time when I was an undergrad, and I cannot remember the lady's name, Christy, but you probably could. But she basically ran the place, and she was pretty blunt. And I took my resume to her, and the first thing she noticed, I had put University of Alabama. And she said, miss Noble, that's my maiden name. We are the University of Alabama. And so ever since then, that is what I noticed, you know, when people show me things, we are the University of Alabama. So, you know, it was a huge help for me. I guess we need to take another quick break. Let's take another quick break, and when we come back, I want to talk to you. Well, we've got some more email questions, but I also want to talk about, like, in your opinion, what are some of the hardest internships to get? And let's just stop right there. We'll be right back. Listening to brain matters on 90.7 the Capstone. [00:26:16] Speaker A: WVUAFM Tuscaloosa this show is not a substitute for professional counseling, and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student student, please contact your respective county's crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. [00:26:58] Speaker B: Hey, you're back listening to brain matters on 90.7% the Capstone. I'm Doctor BJ Gunther. We're talking tonight about internship anxiety, and my guest is Christy Wheeler Griffin, who is the manager of experiential learning at the UA counseling center here. Excuse me, the UA career center here on campus. And I cannot believe we have not had this topic because this is just something that I feel like, especially, like I mentioned earlier, this time of year, you really start hearing students worrying, and that's the stress that they're coming in about, and they, they just don't know what steps to take. What about when we last left off before the break? I said I would take a few more email questions. Let me look at those and see if here's one that how can supervisors ease students anxieties early on in the internship? I guess that means on the job when they're there. [00:27:58] Speaker C: I would say clear expectations make those expectations known. Many students enjoy a lot of feedback and they want frequent feedback. So that's something that I think would help them to feel more comfortable having that rapport, feeling like your door is always open, that they have someone to come to and they're not bothering you. But having. Having sort of a. Even just something in writing even, would be nice. [00:28:26] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:27] Speaker C: A little job description, a little table of contents, a little, so to speak, would be a great starting point. And again, communicating those expectations, if there are deadlines, if there are goals to meet, what are those? I think that would help students on the job feel more comfortable. [00:28:45] Speaker B: Yeah, I do, too. Do you think, you know, I hear a lot of anxiety surrounding applying. Does it cost anything to apply to some of these internships or I. Are they applying to an internship just like they would a job? [00:29:03] Speaker C: Yes. [00:29:04] Speaker B: And how many internships do you ever recommend students apply to? Is it just unlimited? Because a lot of them get stressed out about having to manage their classes and their assignments and then they've got this other job in quotations for internships. [00:29:23] Speaker C: Well, the nice thing about handshake is that it manages that for you. You can just go in your handshake account and I, you can see what you've applied to and you can see how long it's been, you know, do I need to follow up? Is it time yet? Is it still open? Is the deadline passed? Whatever. So that's one thing, but yes, you know, it's important to plan for those things to keep up with it. Even if it's just a brief little list of the date I applied, the date it closes, the date I plan to follow up. Something as simple as that could help alleviate some of that. And tell me again, I'm sorry, repeat. [00:30:03] Speaker B: The question I just was mentioned. How can supervisors ease students anxiety early on in the internship? I think, too, of course, if they know the supervisor prior, you know, if they've met them at the career fair or something like that, maybe that helps ease their anxiety a little bit. Having a good rapport with that. I've had students who got to the internship and did not have a great rapport with their supervisor there and that caused major stress and they just didn't know what to do about it. Either they had social skills or this was their first, like, job. [00:30:43] Speaker C: Right. Again, that's where I would think that, hey, with, with the supervisor, let's say the supervisor is sort of preoccupied and very busy and has a lot of other things to do, and they just want you to kind of be self sufficient. [00:30:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:30:58] Speaker C: If that's the case, be self sufficient. You know, look on the company's homepage and find out, is there a corporate internship that has some kind of list of things that you might want to ask about and take it. Take it upon yourself to decide, hey, what was it that I really wanted to learn about when I came here anyway? Was there a particular program or software or management tool I wanted to learn here? Was there a particular style of what, depending on what the job is, you know, that I wanted to. What was, what did I want as my takeaway and just decide what are my four or five goals that I wanted out of this internship and then set about to make it happen for yourself again, with the supervisor's permission. Hey, is it okay if I go and talk to the marketing department tomorrow? I'd like to talk with two or three people who work over there and find out a little bit more about what they do. And then maybe the next day I could go and work with the acquisitions department and see a little, you know, and so kind of take it upon yourself. And it's surprising how much you find out. [00:32:02] Speaker B: How much you find out. Can students, when they're in, when they're actively working in their internship, can they consult back with you guys while they're in their internship? Like, what if they have a personnel problem? Now I'm getting all deep into it, but what if they. [00:32:22] Speaker C: Right. Probably those kinds of things are going to be more. If it's an, it's a, if it's a formal internship and partnership with the college, like, let's say the co op program and engineering. Yeah, they're going to have a point person in co op that they're going to be dealing with directly. We at the career center do not have that kind of point person necessarily, but we certainly can offer advice and can. And point them in the right direction. [00:32:50] Speaker B: Exactly. You could be a resource for them. What do you think? Before the break, I said I was going to ask you this. I forgot. What do you think are some of the hardest internships to get? [00:33:00] Speaker C: There are some internships that are, just because of their popularity and the competition are so hard to land. And because of that, I recommend if students can possibly do it to consider an internship offered in a summer. We do at the University of Alabama, offer that accommodation. It's called the professional internship program, PIP. And so it's an accommodation that was put in place to help students who are non engineering majors who may want to do something sort of like a co op where, and again, this is pretty in the weeds, too. But for co ops, that's a class that gives you a virtual 12 hours on your schedule that keeps you on record as a full time enrolled student while you're off doing your internship out of state or wherever it is. That's just a technicality. We offer that same kind of accommodation for any student in any major in order for them to go away during a fall or a spring semester to do an internship. So let's say you're applying for a very popular internship with, with Southwest Airlines in Dallas. And you know that in the summer your odds are kind of low because there are just so many people applying. But you know that they offer that same program year round. And if you're able to do it with your schedule and with your graduation and other things that you might consider if you apply during a fall or during a spring, you would be surprised how much your odds go up just because of the sheer competition is low than it would be in the summer. And that's a recommendation that we can sometimes work with students on and help them figure out that, again, that accommodation, that hip accommodation would give them the ability to pause scholarships, to pause loans and other things so that they could literally just kind of pause time, go away and do that internship and come back and pick up where they left off without sacrificing your time in line to register and things like that. [00:35:12] Speaker B: You say, I know you mentioned southwest. Did you say that certain companies, how do I word this? There's certain timings for certain companies. [00:35:23] Speaker C: There are. And I wish I could say that there's just one deadline, one simple deadline to remember, but there's not. Every single company and every single internship has a different deadline. But that's okay. You never know. And I tell students, if it even comes down to spring break and you still haven't found an internship, not to worry. You can network. You can. You can network independently. But maybe someone back home, yeah, maybe someone back home is going to be out on maternity leave and they're not even going to post that. [00:35:55] Speaker B: They do. They have that time frame, though. You're exactly right. And I think they completely panic in April. October and April are our busiest months here at the counseling center. But in April, after spring break, I think they give it until spring break and then they start panicking after that. If they have not heard back from. [00:36:12] Speaker C: Anybody, it's still not too late. And that's what we're here for. That's what we're here for is to. [00:36:17] Speaker B: Some of the employers are getting all of their applications and going through them and not telling the student when they're going to make a choice or when, you know, when they're going to offer the internship. And sometimes it is very late, you know, it depends on. [00:36:34] Speaker C: Right. That's the beauty of having an actual in person, in real life recruiter standing there in front of you at a career fair where you can ask them questions like that that may not otherwise be posted on their websites. You might be able to ask them there, hey, if I apply today, what is your process like? When might I expect to hear back from you? [00:36:54] Speaker B: Do you think it's important for a student to tailor their resume for the job? And not because I have had students who just use the same resume, you know what I mean? They use the same cover letter, the same resume, and it's just a cookie cutter. [00:37:12] Speaker C: It's very important to tailor it. And then back to your question before about how many internships should a student apply to? I always tell them as many as you can do a good job keeping up within your application process. If that's twelve at a time, then you take twelve at a time and you tailor that resume and you give it your best shot and you follow up and you do all of those things. You can't do that with 100 at a time. [00:37:38] Speaker B: Well, but I think they think the more I apply to, the bigger chance I have of getting, you know, that internship. And so that is one thing that stresses them out. They're just, they're just applying to too, I guess they can apply to too many. It depends on what, how many, you know, classes they're taking and what their obligations are. [00:37:58] Speaker C: To me, that's how good a job have they done communicating their skills and abilities and experiences on their resume? Yeah, because if it's, again, if I, if it's a poor resume and it doesn't really say much and it's just kind of a cookie cutter job description on each thing and you don't really have quantifiable bullet points that really show your accomplishments and your takeaways from those positions, then you're really not distinguishing yourself from anybody else in the eyes of an employer. So one of the things that I always do is start with a resume and really help a student to make sure that on paper they've represented themselves in a way that's going to really clearly communicate what they have to offer to an employer. And it's probably more than most of them give themselves credit for. [00:38:44] Speaker B: You're right. I remember. I'm a huge. Catherine is this. I'm a huge Golden Girls fan. Do you remember the episode where Rose couldn't get the job or something and it was because her resume just literally said exactly what was going on and Dorothy, it took Dorothy like 2 seconds to redo it and make it sound so professional. I love. Let's take another this is our last break. When we come back, we've got two more email questions and a little more I want to talk about with regards to managing stress, because that's really what this show's about, is internship anxiety. So you're listening. Your brain matters on 19.7 the capstone. [00:39:35] Speaker A: Wvuafm tuscaloosa. This show is not a substitute for professional counseling and no relationship is created between the show hosts or guests and any listener. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, we encourage you to contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counselors crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room. [00:40:16] Speaker B: Hey, you're back listening to brain matters on 90.7 the Capstone. I'm BJ Gunther. We're talking tonight about about internship anxiety. And before I forget, I want to give out our email address in case you want to send us questions about this show or if you have an idea for an upcoming topic. I would appreciate some ideas for the spring semester because I don't have those scheduled yet, but our email is brainmattersradiovuafm ua.edu. i'll try to remember to give that out one more time before we go off the air, but my guest is Christy Wheeler Griffin. She is the manager of experiential learning at the UA Career center. How busy are you this time of year? Do people have to make appointments with you? How hard is it to get an appointment? [00:41:01] Speaker C: It is our busiest time of year, but the nice thing is through handshake. In addition to being able to use it to find internships and jobs, students can also use it to book appointments. And it's very simple. It's going to automatically direct them to the career consultant for their major, and they're going to be able to see those open dates and times available. And simply, you'll have a drop down list that they can pick out what they want help with, whether it's searching for an internship, working on a resume, whatever. They'll have a whole drop down list of things to choose from and the option to type in a note. And so that simply goes to the individual consultant, who will then approve the appointment. And we do offer face to face at the main center where I am at UA student center, or if they're in one of our satellites, we have engineering, business, and cnis, and we also offer virtual options. [00:41:56] Speaker B: Do you offer it to online students and distance students also, no matter where they are? [00:41:59] Speaker C: You said we do. [00:42:01] Speaker B: That's. That's wonderful. It sounds like an efficient system, you know, without a waiting list. [00:42:07] Speaker C: Right. [00:42:08] Speaker B: So. Okay, here's another email question. What might be signs that supervisors on the job should be aware of that a student is having anxiety about the internship? [00:42:22] Speaker C: I think it. I think a sit down would be a good idea, if not weekly, like a check in. Bi weekly? Yes, a check in to ask. There's no substitution for communication, and that's going to be a good takeaway for the student and for the employer to become better at supervising interns. [00:42:41] Speaker B: I think, too, one of the articles I read gives some, I guess, strategies for managing internship stress. We've talked about a few, but let's go over some of those. I want to get your input on some of these. The first one you mentioned first, come to your internship prepared. I mean, how can a student be as well prepared as they can be, you know, without procrastinating? I mean, I see a lot of students who have an issue with procrastinating, and so they basically cram for that internship interview just like they would a class or their exam, their exams sometimes. What tip would you give even more than what you've already said to prepare? [00:43:29] Speaker C: Well, we teach students how to interview. We teach something called the STAr method, which is an easy acronym to remember, and so there shouldn't be any memorizing or crunching going on. And so in an appointment, if a student chose to practice that, they could choose a, quote, mock interview, appointment, appointment, and we could role play. We could role play as employer and employee or applicant to talk about some of those things and then give them feedback on how they might improve. And so that is one thing that we do help with that could really be useful in a lot of different situations. [00:44:06] Speaker B: What does star stand for? [00:44:08] Speaker C: Situation, task, action, and result. [00:44:12] Speaker B: Okay, what about if students don't have anything to wear? Do you guys help them out with that? [00:44:20] Speaker C: We do. We have something called the Crimson career closet, which is literally a borrowing service, just like the library. And it's free if you need a jacket? If you need a tie or a suit or any garment for your upcoming interview, you can simply, again, on handshake, make an appointment with the Crimson career closet. That gives you a 30 minutes window to come and try on and pick out what you want. You can borrow that. You can check it out after your event. Is it student center? It's part of the career center. [00:44:54] Speaker B: That's, that's neat. I bet. I bet that gets utilized a lot. [00:44:58] Speaker C: It does. It does. Especially around career fair time. [00:45:02] Speaker B: Yes. I know a lot of my students do not have proper attire for an interview. [00:45:07] Speaker C: And that's fine. That's, that's why we offer it. [00:45:10] Speaker B: I mean, who brings a suit to college? Right? [00:45:12] Speaker C: Exactly. Right. [00:45:13] Speaker B: Okay. So the second one, make healthy habits a priority. When you're on your internship, it's going to be treated just like a job. So eating, sleeping, exercising, taking care of yourself, that's important. So that's just common. It sounds like common sense, but students, we've had shows already this semester about sleep deprivation, you know, healthy eating. I've had those shows in the past because it's just, you would think it's common sense, but college students, it varies to, for them to be a college student 1 minute and then go into an internship just like a full time job, that's a shock sometimes. And they do not, they have a hard time sometimes transitioning to that. [00:45:52] Speaker C: And one thing we recommend too, is, for lack of a better word, journaling. Write down, write down some things about your experience, about what it was like. What were your takeaways? What did you learn? How are you going to leverage this experience toward your next internship? Internship. [00:46:09] Speaker B: Right. [00:46:09] Speaker C: Or your next job or whatever other opportunity you're going to be pursuing. So that's another great way to kind of manage any nerves or anxiety that people have and also to start building material to add that to your resume so that you're going to, you're going to build those skills and you're going to continue to gain experience. That's going to be valuable. [00:46:29] Speaker B: Yeah. I recommend students get a notebook sometimes. If I call it a journal, people won't do that. They think it's an assignment. You know what I mean? Right. [00:46:39] Speaker C: Or just make a list. [00:46:40] Speaker B: Yeah, I just tell them, just get a notebook and do some. Do a brain dump. I call it a brain dump to clear your head sometimes. And you don't even have to do that every day. You know, it's not an assignment. You already said, don't be afraid to ask for help. A lot of people are really nervous about that. And I think some of that depends on how approachable the supervisor is and if they've done like you suggest, if they've made, if they've got some sort of rapport or engaged with supervisors, potential supervisors here on campus, that's going to help that. But sometimes they don't get the chance to do that and they're thrown to the wolves and they're intimidated sometimes, you know? [00:47:21] Speaker C: Right. [00:47:22] Speaker B: So this is one that kind of surprised me, but I can see where it would help. Stay away from office gossip up. There can be, look, there can be some drama at an internship. Have you ever had a student? Because I have had a, I've had one or two students over the years that they were not a good fit with the internship or something happened that they had to leave that internship. And I bet you've seen that, too. [00:47:51] Speaker C: It happens. Yeah, it happens. You got to be you. You've got to be mindful that the people you're working with at the internship are likely going to be references for you going forward. [00:48:04] Speaker B: I know, I know. [00:48:05] Speaker C: And so, and keeping that in mind, it's important to maintain professionalism, professional behavior, and realizing that all along. And sometimes an internship can be a three month interview. [00:48:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:48:20] Speaker C: Many employers use an internship for the express purpose of recruiting full time talent. [00:48:26] Speaker B: Most of the ones I do. Yeah. [00:48:29] Speaker C: Right. If you've proven yourself to be efficient and good on the internship, then they're going to feel comfortable making you a full time offer. If something is available exactly at the time that you graduate. [00:48:42] Speaker B: It's a stepping stone. Stepping stone. Okay. The last email question and then we can close for tonight is one that I already had, too. But this person says, have you found any books, podcasts, resources that address internship anxiety? Students would benefit from reading. And you mentioned handshake. That's a resource. But this is specifically for internship anxiety. [00:49:05] Speaker C: I guess I can't speak to books per se, but our website, which is just career ua.edu, has a wealth of information that has all kinds of hotlines, links within it that will take you to a number of different resources. And I think you might very well find some very useful information there. In addition, on handshake, you're going to see this. I'm offering a workshop series this semester called internship know how. And I've got several dates and times available. They're all in Handshake. I'd love for people to join me for these workshops taking place in the UA student center. Those are going to. We're going to really dive into the nitty gritty details. If you prefer a one on one appointment, I'm happy to do that as well. Scheduled on handshake, the workshop that you. [00:49:55] Speaker B: Just mentioned, is there a limit on how many students can attend? [00:49:58] Speaker C: Is there per session? Okay, but they don't have to worry about that. They'll automatically be placed on a waitlist if they don't get in the first time. I'm going to do it again in the spring, but we also offer one on one appointments for people who are unable to attend. [00:50:15] Speaker B: Wow, that's neat. Do you know any of any phone apps that would be helpful? I suggest phone apps for anxiety, you know, in general. But do you know any other phone apps that would be. Because they're always got. They always. Everybody has their phone with them, so I always like to give suggestions for apps. [00:50:35] Speaker C: Handshake is available as an app. One thing that you can also do on handshake, you had mentioned earlier, what if a student misses the career fair? You can still go and find those employers who attended or just employers who are posting positions. Handshake calls everything a job, including an internship. So you can still dig and find those people and go directly to their websites to find internships that they have posted. So as far as an app, I'm not sure about that, but it may be that when you break browse career ua.edu, you go and Hotlink and dig in and land on something else that would give you that information. [00:51:17] Speaker B: Yeah. And, you know, you've got to kind of, like you said before, you've got to be self sufficient and motivated to participate in not just the career fair, but your own job searching ways. I guess you could say you've got to be willing to do that. And some people are just very new at that and they just don't have the skills yet. But that's something that you guys help them. And I'm going to try to remember to give out the career center's email address, I mean, website. When I post this on our podcast on Apple, I make an announcement about it. [00:51:54] Speaker C: Okay. [00:51:55] Speaker B: Have you got anything else you need to add? I feel like I interrupted you. [00:52:00] Speaker C: You know, we. I just want students, I want everybody to know we don't just work with seniors. We work beginning freshman year. [00:52:08] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's smart to do that. [00:52:10] Speaker C: We help students plan all of this along the way so that at the end they're not under stress, they're not. [00:52:17] Speaker B: Crunchy, don't wait till the last minute. Right, right. [00:52:20] Speaker C: But if you do it's still not the end of the world. [00:52:22] Speaker B: That's right. [00:52:23] Speaker C: There are still things you can do, and that's what we're here for. We help freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, wherever you are. And even if you come and you say, you know what, I'm here because I heard it was a good idea for me to come here, I'm not exactly sure what I need to be doing. That's fine, too. I have a number of appointments like that. [00:52:42] Speaker B: BJ guenther sent me here because I think, there you go. [00:52:46] Speaker C: There you go. That would be. I would welcome that appointment. [00:52:48] Speaker B: Hey, thank you. [00:52:49] Speaker C: Let's talk about it. [00:52:50] Speaker B: Thank you so much for being on the show. I told you it goes by fast. It goes by fast. I feel like you've provided a lot of information that hopefully our listeners will take to heart and maybe contact you guys, because like you said, it's not too late. Even April of your senior year, it's still not too late. [00:53:07] Speaker C: That's right. That's right. [00:53:09] Speaker B: Hey, don't forget our shows are recorded and podcasted, like I mentioned on apple podcasts, audioboom.com and voices dot ua.edu. just type in some of our past shows. And there's also a link to voices ua.edu on our counseling center's website. That's at counseling ua.edu. i like to thank a few people who've made the show possible. As always, I like to thank our executive director, Doctor Greg Vanderwal, and he's the executive director here, but he's always been so supportive. My producer and my colleague, she's a social worker, if you didn't know. But Katherine Howell, she's wonderful. My colleagues here at the counseling center, Katherine Ratchford is the student who edits our show. She does a fantastic job. And of course, my guest tonight, Christy Wheeler Griffin. Don't forget we're on next week and our show topic is going to be an interesting one, history of mental health in the state of Alabama. We've got the historian from the Alabama Department of Mental Health who works over on the Bryce campus. And this should be a fascinating and interesting conversation, especially for this time of the year. So join us next week. We're here. Same place, same time. Thanks for listening to brain matters and have a good night. [00:54:32] Speaker A: This show was not intended as a substitute for professional counseling. Further, the views, opinions and conclusions expressed by the show hosts or their guests are their own and not necessarily those of the University of Alabama, its officers or trustees. Any views, opinions or conclusions shared on the show. Do not create a relationship between the host or any guest and any listener, and such a relationship should never be inferred. If you feel you are in need of professional mental health and are a UA student, please contact the UA Counseling center at 348-3863 if you are not a UA student, please contact your respective counties Crisis service hotline or their local mental health agency or insurance company. If it is an emergency situation, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.