Before working at Sain, I was a career counselor at a law school. During that time, I helped students prepare for interviews, supported them when they didn’t land their dream job, and watched them shape their career paths with internships. Here are a few things that a past career counselor would say to encourage you.
- Get hands-on experience while in school to edge out the competition.
We all learn best by doing, so find an internship where you can get on-the-job training. Not only can you support your classroom learning with real-world experience, but you will also have an edge on other candidates. Having relevant work experience helps to get your foot in the door for an interview. At Sain, our past interns have visited sites, worked with various engineering software, conducted traffic counts, and more.
- Be open to trying something new.
This past year we had an intern who was sure she wanted to go into Transportation. After working with the Civil team, the intern found she also loved site planning and development. Find what you love to do by exploring the many practice areas within Civil Engineering.
- Have career conversations with the engineers.
We have employees who have been working at Sain for over 20 years who are the go-to subject experts with many repeat clients. It’s hard to see them as anything other than established professionals, but when I run across a picture of them at the beginning of their career, I see a flash of where they were compared to where they are now. Everyone has their career journey—whether the engineer is 20 years into their career or just two years. Be curious and ask them questions.
- Be patient with yourself.
Use these tools to land your dream job after college, but also remember that finding your first job after college can be a challenging career hurdle. I know it was for me. Be patient with yourself and continue to push through the feeling that you won’t find a job. I believe in you, and you should, too.
Sain Associates is now accepting Summer 2022 Internship applications. To apply, send your resume to resumes@sain.com. The deadline for your application is November 30, 2021.