Internship Resources Fair
Leveraging existing resources to support Dartmouth students seeking less conventional career paths.
Time
2 Weeks
Team
3 Product Designers
Role
UX Research,
UX Design
Deliverables
Prototype, Presentation
Our group sought to tackle the widespread perception that Dartmouth does not support students interested in careers outside of consulting and finance. Through our research process, we learned that it is not a resources problem. Dartmouth already has existing support networks ranging from major funding centers on campus like Dickey to groups like the Design Collective and the Alumni Network. We believe an internship resources fair at the beginning of sophomore summer will solve this issue of decentralization. It leverages and aggregates existing resources and represents the variety of student interests. Unlike other fairs, there are also Linkedin, resume, and portfolio workshops, a headshot photographer, and a networking lab. These practical workshops offer intimate, one-on-one experiences that help students at a time when they experience career anxiety most.
There is a widespread perception at Dartmouth College that there is no support available through the college for students interested in careers outside of consulting and finance. This is a career that appeals to many Dartmouth students and there are highly visible resources and career counseling opportunities for students interested in those paths, but students with other career interests struggle to find similar career support for their interests through Dartmouth. Our starting challenge was to ideate how Dartmouth could better support students interested in careers outside of consulting and finance.
We designed and Dartmouth College implemented the Internship Resources Fair - a solution for students seeking support from Dartmouth College when pursuing careers outside of consulting and finance.
Background & Starting Challenge
Product
PROCESS
RESEARCH
In order to better understand the perspectives of students who felt that they did not receive the same career support as their peers interested in consulting and finance, we identified and interviewed the following stakeholder groups:
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Dartmouth students in consulting/finance
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Dartmouth students pursuing alternate careers
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Non-Dartmouth students
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Dartmouth Center for Professional Development (CPD)
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Centers on campus (Dickey, Rocky, Center for Social Impact)
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Alumni Network
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International Students
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First Year Student Enrichment Program for First-Generation students
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Through research, we learned that many students interested in careers outside of consulting and finance do not feel supported by Dartmouth. This leaves them feeling as if their passions are not feasible for real career options.
They have difficulty finding resources relevant to their interests, and often are discouraged from pursuing their passion in favor of a more secure path. We hoped to think of a solution that would enable these students to not feel as if they’re swinging blindly.
Through our conversations with students, we heard of many stories like that of PJ:
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“It’s uncomfortable to
swing blindly at an industry
you know nothing about.”
– PJ, Dartmouth ’19
User Interviews
Based on our user interview with students interested in more conventional careers that have traditionally supported by Dartmouth and careers that are less common and have less visible resources available, we identified two contrasting trajectories for these students:
SYNTHESIS
As we continued to probe the question "Why isn’t Dartmouth doing more to help these students?" in user interviews with interest-based centers on campus such as the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Center for Social Impact, however, we uncovered key insights:
Defining Pain Points
Based on our findings, we identified the following major pain points:
Dartmouth offers many resources to students with less conventional career interests, but they are decentralized and students are not aware they exist
Career anxiety peaks during Sophomore Summer when students watch their peers go through finance and consulting recruiting
POV Statement
A student surrounded by peers going through formal recruiting needs to know the resources available to them in order to feel supported in pursuing career opportunities outside of consulting and finance.
HMW Statement
How might we centralize all the resources in a fun way to attract students to come and learn more about the support network on campus for students’ internship and career search?
IDEATE
Mindmapping
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The first design tool we used was mindmapping. We were able to hone in on a lot of the key interest groups at play in the challenge we were to tackle. This directly led to who we chose to do our initial interviews with.
ERAF System Design
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The first design tool we used was mindmapping. We were able to hone in on a lot of the key interest groups at play in the challenge we were to tackle. This directly led to who we chose to do our initial interviews with.
Flow Chart Between the Abstract (Why) and the Concrete (How)
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We used a flow chart between the abstract (why) and the concrete (how) in order to get a better idea of the motivations and actions of students seeking internship search help. The concrete aspect of this exercise illustrated pain points in the process, while the abstract helped us innovate a solution that catered to the why and not get too lost in the present dynamics of the system.
Summary Framework
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The summary framework seen here helped us define the user in most need of a solution. Each user group was plotted on two axes, available resources and definability of path (two of the most important factors of determining level of ease in finding an internship). In doing this, we found the most important specifications of the solution that we were attempting to create.
PROTOTYPE & TEST
Prototype
Test & Initial Feedback
We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students who expressed desire to attend this fair, and Dartmouth Centers that want to see this project be implemented and would gladly host booths.
“I wish there was something like this at Dartmouth when I was here.”
– Dartmouth ’19
“I would love to see this. I would be totally open to having a table at an event like this.”
– Dickey Center
“ This event provides students resources when they need to be informed the most.”
– Dartmouth for Life
“The CPD would be happy to provide staff members to run the LinkedIn and Resume workshops.”
– Center for Professional Development
REFLECT
Takeaways & Next Steps
With all of the resources that Dartmouth provides, there is no need for any student to feel that they are “swinging blindly.” As a student with career interests outside of the most traditional career tracks at Dartmouth, I enjoyed the opportunity to delve into this subject and prototype solutions. Prior to the project, I was aware of some resources such as the Dickey Center that offer career resources to students interested in a range of internationally-focused careers, but I still held the perception that there were few resources out there beyond the Center for Professional Development. Our user research showed us two things – 1) many students held this perception and 2) if students know where to look, there is a lot of support to be found already in existence.
The strength in our solution lies in how it leverages what Dartmouth already offers. We considered various other prototyped solutions that could provide students support, such as an app connecting to alumni in their field, but our user research showed us that students didn't have to look further than campus to find the support they sought. Instead, they just needed these resources to be visible and to know they exist, and the Internship Resources Fair, held in the center of campus at the peak of career stress for students, does exactly that.
At the time of presenting our final solution, one of our key considerations was which college entity might host and fund this type of event, and we were extremely excited when the Center for Professional Development reached out to us via email following our presentation to collaborate about implementing our design. I greatly enjoyed working on this project, which covered subject matter of great personal importance to me, and I am overjoyed that the implementation of our solution has the potential to positively impact many future Dartmouth students!