UTV helps summer job hunt

In celebration of its 25th year of broadcasting, Penn's UTV13 kicked off its new series of "student-oriented" specials Tuesday night with a program on student internships and summer jobs. The Internship Show, which was broadcast live at 7:30 p.m. and repeated throughout the evening, featured two career counselors from the School of Arts and Sciences' Office of Career Services. Peggy Curchack and Barbara Hewitt joined moderator and College junior Adam Thomas for a half-hour of discussion and took phone calls from students about preparing resumes and finding the "perfect" internship. The program was the first in a special series designed by UTV13's Director of Publicity and Promotion Sherry Deckman. "This whole year, we're going to try to focus on Penn students and the needs of Penn students," said Deckman, a College junior. Highlighting tasks such as preparing resumes, writing cover letters and speaking with potential employers, Curchack and Hewitt gave a broad overview of the entire internship-seeking process, from "drop-boxing" -- leaving resumes in employers' collection boxes in on-campus recruiting -- to using family friends to find the right connection. "I think lots of us learn what to do by actually doing things," Curchack said when asked if an internship was truly important in establishing a clear career path for life after college. "Employers want to see internships," she added. "You can show a good work ethic, good quantitative skills, positive customer service skills and lots more." Guided by viewer phone calls, the pair also discussed the most popular means of finding internships -- including the Internet, library resources and connections with family members, professors and even Penn alumni. They specifically focused on the World Wide Web sites of the various career service offices here on campus. During the half-hour show, Curchack and Hewitt received about four or five phone calls, but due to time constraints, they only fielded three. When asked by one caller if a student should be nervous if he hasn't yet found a job for the summer, Curchack said "not to worry." "Our survey [of recent Penn graduates] showed that a very small number of students had their internships in January and February," she said. "Many got them in March, and a good number reported finding a job in April or even May." In response to another caller's question, Curchack said sophomores should not be discouraged from applying for internships even though juniors and seniors often get preference. The pair also discussed a new program coming to Penn next month. The Career Exploration Group will be a three-session series of exercises to help interested students learn the "ins and outs" of the job search process. The counselors urged students to stop into their respective schools' career placement offices for information or just for help with resumes, cover letters and internship plans. Hewitt said she was happy with the way the program turned out. "I think it was a really great way to reach people who may not have made it into our office yet," she noted. "I just thought it was a lot of fun as well."