Finding an internship or a job is stressful. Many USC students are putting hard work into a search that might leave them empty-handed.
Vionna Huang, a sophomore studying cognitive science and AI application, said she was burnt out from trying to find a internship in her field.
Huang: I kind of stopped I was like, throwing out like, a lot of like, resume and like, reaching out to a lot of people and maybe like, a few weeks ago, but I realized that I’ve kind of stopped just because I’m like, tired, even if they like, reach back. I’m just kind of tired.
Josheta Srinivasan, a senior studying computer science, feels the same way about the job hunt.
Srinivasan: I don’t like job searching. It’s really, it takes a mental toll... different companies have different timelines, and you might see someone get an offer really early, and you’re still looking and so that comparison can be really stressful.
Competition between students can increase tension. According to Rachita Jain, a sophomore studying, economics and data science, applying for internships while studying for classes has made both more difficult.
Jain: It’s a very strenuous process. I think it takes a lot out of students. And it’s a very unrealistic expectation to have considering our workload doesn’t really change based on recruiting season, specifically for students going into finance or something that has a very clear cut recruiting season.
Jain said she applied for 50 internships. She heard back from 30 to 40 percent of them, but only made it to the second round of interviews for a few.
Mikena Moore, a junior studying public policy applied to more than 150 internships last year and got just 20 interviews.
Moore: A lot of people are like getting like, continuing offers from their internships. So um, yeah, I’m definitely scared.
Moore, like many other students, is still hoping for the best.
Arin Baghdassarians, a senior studying business administration was a spring admit. He feels that puts him at a disadvantage, but hasn’t killed his spirit.
Baghdassarians: You know, at times, I just kind of want to give up and just traveled but I’m really trying to stay optimistic, and just hopeful that I’ll find something.
Even though the rejections and unanswered emails can be demoralizing, the opportunities that do come make it worth it for Baghdassarians.
Baghdassarians: If you apply to like 100, even just hearing back from like, one or two places is just enough to kind of give you that boost of confidence.
Srinivasan’s advice was to apply to as many places as possible, use resources like ConnectSC and Handshake, and use ChatGPT to refine your resume for each position.
Srinivasan: Don’t spam the same resume for every job. Look at the job description. Now with Chad, it’s so easy to rewrite everything. So use chat rewrite stuff makes your resumes tailored for the job
Justin Nguyen, a sophomore studying business administration, had more advice. He suggests attending job fairs, using the Career Center for help with resumes, cover letters, and mock interviews. But most importantly, stay optimistic.
Nguyen: I would just say don’t give up sometimes, or a lot of times actually, employers might not reach out. It doesn’t hurt to send a follow up message after you submit your application. But at the end of the day, there’s a lot of other opportunities out there for you to pursue. So just keep going.
For everyone still on the hunt, best of luck and fight on!
For Annenberg Media, I’m Isaiah Alwin.