Pinkowitz sought University Career Center support and landed a Navy Federal Credit Union internship.

Why did you decide to study mathematics at UMD and what do you hope to do with your degree?

I’ve always been interested in the analytical and logical aspects of everything I do, and I’ve always enjoyed my math classes. With a mathematics major, I’m able to explore more math while also enhancing these analytical and logical skills to be applied in other fields, like my other major in economics. With my degree, I hope to work in economic analysis or data analysis.

How have you taken advantage of opportunities on campus to pursue your career goals?

I have attended multiple fall and spring university-wide career fairs to learn about different companies and work on my networking skills. I’ve also taken a class (EDCP108I) focused on the process of landing a job, which helped take me through the steps of setting up my LinkedIn profile through the interview process. 

Earlier in my college career, I also participated in a few resume reviews, both in the class previously mentioned and at the Career Center, to refine what information should be included on my resume and how to best explain it.

What kind of career guidance and one-on-one feedback did you receive from the University Career Center @ CMNS? 

At the Career Center, I met with [University Career Center @ CMNS Program Director] Becca Ryan to do a mock interview in preparation for internship interviews. During this session, Becca told me to make sure I discussed the impact of my previous work, rather than just explaining what I did. Overall, this mock interview helped me to feel more confident in my interview skills and better prepared for any questions I could be asked during an actual interview. 

The application process for Navy Federal Credit Union included my initial application materials, a recruiter call and a behavioral interview with the position supervisor. During this process, I applied what I had learned to help me during my interview for the position and to answer any questions I was asked efficiently and effectively.

What are you most looking forward to during your summer internship at Navy Federal Credit Union?

I’m most looking forward to exploring new territory professionally and working with an amazing team. I’ll be working on process improvement and automation, but I don’t know exactly what project I will be working on. I’m very excited to learn a lot this summer!

What advice do you have for fellow Science Terps who are looking for internships and jobs?

Don’t get discouraged! The internship and job process can be very taxing and involve rejection, but remember that it only takes one company to say yes, so just keep trying! Also, take advantage of the fact that UMD is located in the D.C. area, which provides a lot of great opportunities to network and meet some really cool people.