“I didn’t know where to start when it came to entering the job and internship market,” says Sanketh Santhosh, president of the Associate Students of West Valley College. “I had no idea what a cover letter was and had heard of LinkedIn but didn’t know how to utilize it.”
Santhosh had a hunch that other students felt the same way but may have been too shy to seek help, so he connected with college faculty, staff, and administrators to help create Internship and Career Readiness Week to bring more awareness and resources to students.
“We’re really excited to support our students gain hands-on information, learn about the importance of internships, and find out the best ways to land job opportunities, especially since we’ve been in a pandemic for the past few years,” says West Valley Career & Transfer Advisor, Fatima Kamil. “Learning how to pivot from an in-person to a Zoom interview is invaluable as we deal with the changing landscape in our workforce and will certainly help students get internships and interviews lined up.”
Internship and Career Readiness Week will feature guest speakers, alumni panels, mock interviews, and opportunities to have resumes and cover letters reviewed. Students will have the opportunity to get free professional headshots taken and receive their own business cards. The event will also introduce students to Handshake, a new job search platform that helps connect West Valley College and Mission College students with local employers for internship and job opportunities. The week’s events will be held in-person, online, and in hybrid formats.
To participate, students must sign up for each event and register through Campus Connect. For a full schedule of Internship and Career Readiness Week, visit: https://www.westvalley.edu/services/careers/calendar.html.
To learn more about West Valley College’s Career Services and offerings, visit: https://www.westvalley.edu/careers/.