| February 6, 2006 Vol. 77,
no. 4S
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| INTERN,
INTERN, INTERN:
“Whatever you can do to prepare for the ‘real world’ is
a very worthwhile investment,” says alumna Jengyee Liang, “because
many people get stuck with jobs they don’t like. That’s
very miserable. Two months was enough for me to get a foul sampling
of that.” (Photo provided by Jengyee Liang)
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Hello Real World!
IEOR alumna writes a student how-to guide for internships and first jobs
On Amazon.com, there are 1,603 book titles with the word “internship” in
them. A Berkeley engineer will soon add another. Hello Real World!
A student’s approach to great internships, co-ops, and entry-level
positions will hit the market soon, penned and self-published by recent
alumna Jengyee Liang (B.S.’05 IEOR).
“For students, there’s a lot of concern over the internship
and job search process, and some are even intimidated by it,” says
Liang. “What I learned from my own personal experience was that
there’s really a lot more to getting an internship than just
getting it. I really wanted to share that information with others so
that’s when I decided to write the book.”
In true IEOR spirit, Liang’s book is about maximizing those initial
job experiences and planning the best approach. Hello Real World! is
written for busy students and working people, says Liang, so it’s
short (just over 100 pages) and “to the point.” It’s
divided into six sections: an introduction to the book and the internship
process; ways to approach the hunt; things to do between accepting
and starting an internship; tips for getting the most from your experience;
reflecting on your experience and why that’s important; and finally
a perspective on full-time employment.
One of the most important pieces of advice Liang gives is conversing
with your future boss prior to starting your internship. “You
should talk about your expectations,” she says, “as well
as finding out your boss’s expectations. It’s also a way
to make sure that projects are lined up ready for you on that first
day.”
That wasn’t the case with Liang’s second college internship
at a Fortune 100 company on the East Coast. “When I got there,
my boss didn’t have projects for me immediately and didn’t
do a very good job preparing for my internship.” Liang spent
several weeks of a two-month stint working without clear goals and
direction. At the end, her boss gave her a disappointing evaluation.
“That had a really big impact on me, and I lost focus when I
returned to school,” she says. “I sank into a mild depression.” She
began to document her feelings and reflect on her experience at a mentor’s
urging. Those early writings became the basis for her book. The following
summer she landed an internship with another Fortune 100 company in
the Bay Area and made a point to talk with her boss beforehand. “My
third internship was awesome,” she says. “I had a great
project and a lot of responsibility. I got to present to one of the
vice presidents at the end of the summer and sit in on one of their
meetings. And I got a really good evaluation.”
After graduating, Liang landed a full-time job with Procter & Gamble
in Ohio. She’s now grateful for her internship experiences, both
good and bad. They’ve also helped her reach another career milestone:
Observing an intern’s work.
To learn more, go to www.hellorealworld.com/index.php.
While there, you can sign up for a free quarterly newsletter. Liang’s
book will be available on Amazon.com for about $15.
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