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The Way to Success Newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 2
Inside This Issue
Benefits of an
Internship
Student Spotlight:
Natalia Kulach
Career Readiness
Program Staff
Monica Teixeira
Interim Director
[email protected]
Paulina Guzman
Coordinator
[email protected]
Marianyelli Hanna
Coordinator
[email protected]
Jesse Rutschman
Coordinator
[email protected]
Marcial Garibay
Advisor
[email protected]
Richie Heard
Advisor
[email protected]
Amie Jatta
Advisor
[email protected]
Vernon Collins
Office Support
[email protected]
Ann Sego
Office Support
[email protected]
General Information
Ronald Williams Library
LIB-412
www.neiu.edu/triosss
(773) 442-4971 or 4981
March-April 2015
THE BENEFITS OF AN INTERNSHIP
Internships provide work
experience opportunities to
university students, recent
graduates, and people
considering career changes.
Employers are willing to hire
interns with little or no
experience, especially if the
intern is willing to accept little or
no monetary compensation.
However, the benefits of serving
an internship go far beyond earning a paycheck. It will help you
gain valuable work experience
and give you an edge in the job
market; it will help you transition
into a job and decide whether the
career is right for you; it will
provide networking opportunities
and enable you to apply your
classroom knowledge; and it will
build your confidence.
Here are some tips to help you
find an internship and possibly
your future job:
Plan ahead. Start at least six
months before the time you
would like to begin working.
Reflect. What are your specific
career interests? What can you
offer a potential employer? Can
you accept an unpaid
internship?
Refine your resume and cover
letter. A good resume and cover
letter can make the difference in
getting the internship or job you
want. Contact the Career
Development Center at
(773) 442-4680 to have your
resume critique.
could provide you with
opportunities to apply where
other students have secured past
internships or jobs.
Attend workshops offered on
campus. Refine your resume,
cover letter, and skills by
attending workshops to help you
grow professionally.
Start a career portfolio of your
best work. Use the College
Central Network free electronic
career portfolio and upload
samples of your work that
highlight your skills.
Sign up for College Central
Network (CCN). Go to
www.neiu.edu/careerservices
create an account, upload your
Use LinkedIn. This in an
resume, and search for internship incredibly valuable resource for
listings.
anyone seeking internships and
jobs.
Use the Career Development
Center website. A list of
Practice your interviewing skills.
internships and job sites is
Use the Career Development
available. Visit the various web- Center Perfect Interview online
sites to find out what opportuni- tool to improve your skills.
ties are available
Speak with your TRIO advisor.
Network with professors,
Meet with your TRIO advisor
family, and friends. Networking often to seek counseling.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: NATALIA KULACH
I am a Music
Education major and
a TESL minor here
at Northeastern Illinois University. My
main goal at this
time is to pass the Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP); that is
why I originally joined TRIO.
with test preparation, but also
with writing and reading
assignments. I never dreamed I
would receive so much help at
TRIO; I thought I would just get
a little review and be sent on my
way into the academic
wilderness. Instead, at TRIO I
have received guidance, light,
and lots of care from everyone.
Because of TRIO’s awesome
support, I’m very close to passing the TAP, and I feel much
more confident about my
intellectual abilities.
I don’t know what I would do
without TRIO Student Support
Services. The program has made
college much less stressful. I
Initially, I thought I would just
love what TRIO provides and I
need a little review, but it turned Everyone in TRIO has helped me would recommend this program
out I needed more help than ex- make significant progress toward to anyone struggling academicalpected. Fortunately for me, I
my academic goals and offered
ly or having difficulty with the
found a number of expert tutors me constant encouragement and TAP.
here, such as Dr. Karr and Yazin, mentoring. TRIO has helped me
and they’ve helped me not only
build confidence.
TRIO Student Support Services Newsletter
Page 2
CAREER READINESS AND PERSONAL STRENGTHS
Ask your brain #1:
If you are a college student and reading this,
answer this question: Why did you decide to
attend college?
Ask your brain #3:
In 30 seconds, please describe your top three
strengths and describe how these will help you be
successful in your career.
Answer
If you are like 89 percent of college students
nationwide, your answer likely involved your desire for a
well-paying or satisfying job1. While your studies of your
academic disciplines will definitely be an important part of your
preparation for your career, it will not be enough. Research conducted in 20132 suggests that too many employers are
finding that more college graduates are lacking critical work
skills. In an ever-changing marketplace self-competence and
adaptability are two important qualities both to employers and
job-seekers.
Answer
Whether or not you encounter this type of question at an
interview, it is critical that you can: describe what is important
to you, what you are good at, and how these things empower
you to be successful in your work. Focusing on developing and
promoting your strengths (the positive qualities you offer) is far
more beneficial than trying to improve weaknesses.
Ask your brain #2:
Compare the following two statements:
Answer
Through a series of one-on-one meetings with your advisor (at
least three), TRIO’s Career Advising Based on Strengths
(C.A.B.S.) initiative is aimed at helping you:
Person A says in a job interview, “You should hire me because
I am a fast learner and a team-player.”
Ask your brain #4:
Explain how TRIO can contribute to your success
through career advising.

Person B says to the interviewer: “I am someone who has
always naturally taken time to identify what I need to learn to

complete a task, for example… (and proceeds to give an
example). In my experience fundraising for [student

organization] as a college freshman, I learned the importance of
relying on the efforts of others on a team and always do my best
when working with others.”

If you had to choose one of these
statements for your own interview with an employer, which one
would you choose and why?
Answer
Person A’s statement does not differentiate him or her in any
way from other applicants, who are all likely to claim the same
thing.
Person B’s statement shows self-authorship, which is defined
as: “how we learn to negotiate and act on our own purposes,
values, feelings, and meanings…”2, which is far more valuable
than practicing an interview script.
Better understand your personal strengths and how these
relate to your career.
Discover new possibilities for your career and take action
to explore these possibilities.
Craft a strong professional identity and effectively
communicate it in your resumes, cover letters, personal
statements, LinkedIn profile, or job interviews.
Feel more hopeful and self-confident about who you are
and your career goals, which research suggests will help
you perform better in school and graduate!3
Ask your brain #5:
Are you interested in taking advantage of these
services?
Answer
Please complete our participation agreement form at:
http://tinyurl.com/yestriocabs or see your TRIO advisor.
1. J. Pryor et. al (2012). The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2012, Higher Education Research Institute study, visit www.heri.ucla.edu.
2. Harris Interactive (2013). Bridge That Gap: Analyzing the Student Skill Index. https://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/files/Bridge%
20That%20Gap-v8.pdf
3. Mezirow, J. et. al (2000). Learning as transformation: Critical perspectives on a theory in progress. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.