Hello and welcome! My name is Jaden and I\u2019m a third-year student here at UMass Lowell. I\u2019m majoring in English with a concentration in Journalism and Professional Writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, I\u2019m an intern for the University\u2019s Career & Co-op Center. The center has tons of great career, internship, and co-op resources for students so I will be blogging about my own experiences using those resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On November 12, I did something I was afraid of. I attended the Career and Co-op Center\u2019s virtual Public Service Career Fair and met with recruiters individually to discuss technical writing opportunities. Usually, I\u2019m not the type of person to go up to people and introduce myself first so networking can feel unnatural for me. Yet attending career fairs and talking to recruiters has been a big help. I decided to write about my experience at the career fair because it can be hard to know what to expect if you haven\u2019t been to one before, especially with the virtual component. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few days before the fair, I registered for it on Handshake. It\u2019s\nsuper easy and only takes a few seconds. That said, it\u2019s important to not\nregister last minute because you can only sign up for group or individual\nmeetings with recruiters after registering! Individual meeting spots get filled\nquickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first session I signed up for was an individual session with the Massachusetts\nOffice of the State Treasurer and Receiver General. It focuses on state cash\nflow and debt, so I thought it might include grant or proposal writing. I asked\nif any of their work included technical writing and the recruiter had lots of\nsuggestions. She said I might be a good fit for an executive office internship.\nShe also mentioned I might do well in the communications department in the\neconomic empowerment section. This section creates programs and projects for\nthe public to encourage new clients to set up investment accounts, such as a\n529 college fund. Another department the recruiter suggested for me was the\nAlcoholic Beverage Control Commission since they often use written reports in\ntheir work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next, I met with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Unfortunately, the\nrecruiter I spoke with said the organization didn\u2019t have any internship or\nentry-level work that included technical writing. He said that only\nhigher-level analyst positions included technical writing work. Entry-level\npositions focused on auditing or customer service. This was a little\ndisappointing, but I wasn\u2019t surprised since the IRS is a more math-based kind\nof organization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though the IRS didn\u2019t work out, I\u2019m glad I went to the career\nfair. It gave me a chance to get used to meeting with recruiters and I feel\nlike I can introduce myself first now! Despite how intimidating recruiters may seem,\nthey\u2019re very friendly. I\u2019m also happy that I got the chance to learn about different\ncompanies so I can determine what kinds of organizations are an option for me. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hello and welcome! My name is Jaden and I\u2019m a third-year student here at UMass Lowell. I\u2019m majoring in English with a concentration in Journalism and Professional Writing. Currently, I\u2019m an intern for the University\u2019s Career & Co-op Center. The … Continue reading