On April 15, Mohr Career Services hosted BizCareers: Internships, a panel and Q&A event designed to help students spring into fall ready to find, prepare for, and land internships. The evening brought together alumni and industry representatives from Nike, AlphaSights, Concora Credit, Intel, Tektronix, and Deloitte, alongside a student panel eager to share their experiences navigating the internship process.
As a Career Peer Educator with Mohr Career Services, I usually support these events from behind the scenes. This time, however, I had the unique opportunity to sit on the student panel alongside Julia Ratten, Jack Klein, and Miranda Coleman, which gave me a different (and genuinely exciting) perspective on the evening.
Student Panel Insights
The event kicked off with the student panel, where we spoke directly about what the internship search looks like from each of our perspectives. A few common themes clearly emerged.
Networking Over Mass Applying
Sending out hundreds of applications into the void is a tempting strategy when the search feels urgent, but real relationships are what actually moved the needle for most students. What made the biggest difference in opening doors for students was attending events (like this one), reaching out to people in roles you’re interested in, and following up are far more likely to open doors than volume alone.
Build Your Online Presence Early
The second theme was self-marketing and the importance of your online presence. Your LinkedIn, GitHub, personal website, and more all serve as a first impression before you ever walk into an interview.
The panel emphasized being intentional about what these platforms communicate and making sure they reflect who you are and what you’re working toward. Getting involved early helps here, too. Joining a club, taking on a leadership role, starting a project, or volunteering gives you real experiences to talk about in your content and builds your presence.
For students whose resumes feel light, adding a “projects” section with coursework is an underrated way to show initiative and signal that you take your development seriously.
Alumni and Industry Panel Takeaways
Following the student panel, alumni and industry professionals shared their perspectives. Hearing from professionals who had been in our position not long ago made the conversation feel especially grounded.
Build Relationships Before You Need Them
A strong theme was the importance of building relationships early. In other words, don’t wait until you’re actively searching to start making connections! Introduce yourself to professors, reach out to alumni on LinkedIn, and attend events even when you don’t have a specific ask in mind.
Practice Your Pitch
Several panelists emphasized the value of practicing your elevator pitch. Being able to clearly and confidently explain who you are, what you’re studying, and what you’re looking for is a skill that takes repetition. The more your practice, the more natural it becomes when it matters most.
Use AI With Intention
One topic that came up across multiple sessions was the role of artificial intelligence in the application process. The advice was clear: use it, but stay yourself. AI can be a powerful tool for drafting and refining application materials, but recruiters absolutely notice when something feels generic. The goal is to use AI to sharpen your work without flattening your voice. At the end of the day, companies are hiring people, and authenticity is what moves you forward.
Final Takeaways and Next Steps
After the panels, the event shifted into a rotation format, where students moved through rooms focused on networking, research, resilience, and mentorship. This structure allowed students to dive deeper into the areas most relevant to them and ask questions in a more intimate setting. Rather than a one-size-fits-all conversation, the rotations made the experience feel personal and interactive, with practical advice students could immediately apply.
The energy in the room throughout the evening was one of the highlights of the night. Students came in with loads of questions and left with concrete action steps.
Internship searching can feel overwhelming, especially early in your college career, but events like this are a reminder that the process becomes more manageable when you lean on your community and start early.
Thank you to everyone who helped organize the event, to the panelists who showed up and were so open and candid, and to the students who came ready to engage!
