Alyssa Peck: Careful planning, Engineering Career Services support helped land early internship

Just eight weeks from when Alyssa Peck stepped onto campus as a first-year construction engineering student, she had already secured an internship in the field. Read her take on how she made it happen, with support from Cyclone Engineering resources. 

Getting an internship offer

Being a freshman in engineering, I am required to take a learning community and that learning community required me to go to the career fair. I began with extensive research on the companies that came and a pro/con list for each one. This helped me narrow down which companies I would prioritize talking to. At the career fair I talked with about eight companies and confidently spoke about my previous experiences and goals for the future. Finally, I received phone calls to return the next day or later that week for an interview. I prepared rough answers to commonly asked questions so I felt prepared. Following the interviews, I received offers and from there, decided to intern with Miron Construction.

Your goal walking into that first career fair

Walking into the career fair, my goal was to talk to as many companies on my list as I could. I was very nervous at the beginning so I worked my way up to the companies I could see myself working for. Walking out of the career fair, I felt very confident because I felt my conversations became natural rather than routine. I was also reeled into talking with a company when they saw the Construction sticker on my name tag which added to my confidence.

Engineering Career Services support

A few weeks before the career fairs, I made an appointment with Engineering Career Services (ECS) to have a thirty-minute chat about my resume and what I could change to make it better. ECS also hosted a few rapid resume sessions during the weeks of the career fairs. I attended a few of those sessions to get quick feedback on minor errors I could easily change. After receiving offers and sifting through the pros and cons of each, I met with an advisor at ECS to discuss the extensive details and get advice on where to go next. All of these things were very helpful in helping me prepare for the career fairs and process the offers I received.

Best career advice you’ve received

I would say the best piece of advice I’ve received this year would be to take advantage of the opportunities to make connections with employers. Whether that be the career fairs, in learning community, or club meetings. Employers are always willing to answer questions and get to know you. You never know, talking to an employer once may be the reason you get a job with their company down the road.

How you’ve grown since your first day on campus

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been reflecting on my college experience thus far, since I am realizing how close my first year is to being over. I’ve come to realize that I have grown up more in the last year of my life than probably the whole rest of my life combined. I’ve been forced to do things on my own that I never had to do previously and live apart from my family for longer than ever before.

What you’d tell a prospective student (or your younger self!) about how Iowa State has set you up for career success

Go to Iowa State!!! You will have absolutely no regrets. Yes, classes are harder than high school and friends can be harder to make than books and movies make it seem, but Iowa State provides so many opportunities to meet people, get connected and learn. My future career is already being planned for and over time, I’ve made friends that will last a lifetime!