StudentAdvisor.com's Complete Guide to Internships

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COLLEGE

to CAREER

HE COMPLETE T GUIDE TO

INTERNSHIPS

TOP 10 COMMON RESUME ERRORS

MISTAKES TO AVOID

PREPARING FOR AN INTERNSHIP STAND OUT FROM THE REST

INTERNSHIP GUIDE Full of Tips, Hints and Advice to help get your foot in the door

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EDITOR GET THAT INTERNSHIP

This guide is sponsored by:

A

re you currently a full-time college student who is looking to get some on-the-job training? Well, since you can’t take time off from your studies, one of the best ways to get work experience is through participating in an internship. Internships are a great way to gain experience in your particular field of interest, or to determine if you have an interest in a certain career. Additionally, internships are essential for expanding your network of contacts.

Internships have many benefits, but one important factor to keep in mind is that if you meet or even exceed your employer’s expectations, an internship could very well turn into a full-time job. Internships can also lead to the possibility of receiving a higher starting salary. That’s why it’s important to think of an internship as a stepping stone that could potentially become your career, or help it immensely.

We hope the StudentAdvisor.com’s Internship Guide helps answer many of your internship questions, and please feel free to email us with any further questions.

LAUR A L APE R R I E R E

Good Luck !

Laura LaPerriere Get the Job laura@getthejob.com

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CONTENTS

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP • Types of Internships

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• How Exactly Should I Find an Internship?

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• What Employers Want: Do Your Homework

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• The Application Process

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• Preparing for an Internship: How can

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Applicants Stand Out from the Competition?

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• Advice from the Experts: New York Times best selling author, Harvey Mackay • Get Hired: Dazzle Them to Full Time

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• Internships Help You Get the Job

022 FEATURED EXPERT HARVEY MACKAY Author of the New York Times bestseller Use Your Head To Get Your Food in the Door, plus Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive I NTE R N S H I P G U I DE • STU DE NTADVISOR.COM •

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Will that be Cash or Credit?

By Laura Laperriere laura@getthejob.com

I

n the United States there are four different types of internships:

WORK INTERNSHIPS

Typically, students will look to have a work experience internship in their second or third year of college.

These types of internships vary in length and can take place during the school year, or over the winter/summer breaks. While on a work experience internship, you will take the knowledge that you have gained in the classroom and apply it to your roles and responsibilities of the job. This is a great way to experience what it would be like to work in your field of study and to see if you would want to pursue a job of a similar nature after graduation.

RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS

These types of internships are usually geared towards students who are in their last year of study. Based on

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the direction of the company offering the internship, a student will conduct research for them to figure out ways to improve a process/procedure, or something of interest to the company. Some companies let the students have the autonomy to research all aspects of the company and to come up with a topic themselves.

At the end of the internship, the student will put together a report and will most likely present it to the entire company, or to some employees of the company.

INTERNSHIPS FOR CREDIT

Internships for credit vary by the college or university and the guidelines they create for internship programs. Typically a student who acquired an internship will be sponsored by a professor. The professor will have guidelines, or objectives that are similar to a course syllabus, outlining what the student is expected to gain and learn throughout the internship experience. The professor can also create

TYPES OF INTERNSHIPS

DR. DAWN CHANDLER PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT THE ORFALEA COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AT CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC STATE UNIVERSITY,

5 BENEFITS OF AN INTERNSHIP 1. I NTERNSHIPS provide students with a realistic preview of a job and give the students exposure to a potential career interest.

Ultimately, an internship can help the person to find the right job.

2. I NTERNSHIPS provide an emerging sense of self, are a good learning opportunity and can help to increase self-awareness.

3. I NTERNSHIPS present the student with a chance to hone their skills as well as the opportunity to beef up their resumes with relevant work experience.

expected deliverables such as a mid internship report, detailing what the student has learned so far, a final paper describing the internship in detail, as well as a final presentation, such as a PowerPoint that gives an overview of the entire experience, amongst other assignments.

UNPAID INTERNSHIPS

Sometimes unpaid internship opportunities will come along that offer great industry experience which makes them hard to turn down, even though you won’t get compensated for your time and effort. On the plus side, employers don’t look to see if you got paid for an internship; they want to know what experience you gained and what you can offer their company. If you can manage working without making an income, and you value the benefit of the internship experience, then you should not turn down an opportunity simply because you will not get paid.

4. I NTERNSHIPS are a great opportunity for the student to start building up their professional network early on, whether it is their boss, coworkers, etc.

5. I NTERNSHIPS can give a student a competitive advantage when it comes to finding a full-time employment opportunity. An employer would most likely feel more confident hiring a student with work experience over a candidate without any prior experience in the field.

SEE THE CA POLYTECH STATE UNIVERSITY ON STUDENTADVISOR.COM

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GETTING A HEAD START:

How to Find an Internship?

By Vicki Salemi

Y

ou should treat an internship search as if it’s a regular job search. By leveraging your connections, you can often network your way into the ground floor of a company.

It’s really never too early to start thinking about an internship or looking for internships. If you are always looking throughout the year, you are proving to people that you are interested and intrigued. You are also laying the groundwork for your future.

Homecoming can be a good opportunity to network with recent graduates from your school. They know you, you’ve had classes with them, and they’ve recently been through the internship/job search process so it is very likely that they will be interested in helping you out. So instead of just hanging out and using the time to see what’s going on in everyone’s lives, see where everyone is

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working and how they might be able to help you find work.

Sophomores and juniors should use sorority, fraternity, and other campus connections to see what opportunities are out there.

WHAT ABOUT GRADUATES THAT CAN’T FIND WORK AND ARE LOOKING FOR INTERNSHIPS INSTEAD?

It’s never too late to start. Job seekers often feel overwhelmed- especially after they’ve earned a degree- but you’ve got to start somewhere. The key is to use your networks and leave no stone unturned.

You need to make internship/job searching very social. Even if you’re not a social or outgoing person, you need to morph into that person that you wish you were or you want to be and put yourself out there

FINDING AN INTERNSHIP “ Homecoming can be a good opportunity to network with recent graduates from your school.”

VICKI SALEMI

AUTHOR OF THE ABC’S OF COLLEGE LIFE AND BIG CAREER IN THE BIG CITY: LAND A JOB AND GET A LIFE IN NEW YORK, NOTES THAT INTERNSHIPS PREPARE YOU ON SO MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS.

3 TIPS FOR INTERNSHIP SEEKERS and go to that barbeque or event. You can network anywhere and everywhere- without sounding needy.

Be flexible. Say you went to school for marketing but there is an internship available for sales. Go for it.

If you are starting out fresh, you have the opportunity to try new things.

Internships are not indefinite so it’s worth giving things a try. Make goals for yourself regarding what you are going to accomplish during your time in the internship, whether it’s always showing up on time, making new connections, having lunch with someone new- whatever. It’s not, “hey I want this on my resume”.

It’s “hey, I want to get my foot in the door”.

Even if it’s an unpaid internship, treat it like a full time job and prove that you are capable of hard work.

Make new connections and prove yourself.

1. TREAT YOUR INTERNSHIP SEARCH LIKE A JOB SEARCH. Internships, like full-time jobs, don’t always hit the “open” market. They won’t always be advertised online and if they do, you’re competing with hundreds of applicants. You have to get in the ground floor.

2. LEVERAGE YOUR UNIVERSITY TIES. This means going to the career office and asking if they can give you access to a list of all alums with your major or the field you want to get into or the location where you want to be. Most importantly, network with recruiters who went to your school or Human Resources Directors and high level decision-making folks. By connecting with them for an informational interview, even twenty minutes on the phone, and staying in touch via LinkedIn, you’ll be front of mind for when that internship does open up.

3. G ET A TEMP JOB. Technically temp jobs are internships except you’re paid hourly. It’s time to think outside the box: you’re seeking work experience to bulk up that resume. A temp job will do just that. Some temp jobs are menial like filing or answering phones but once you get in the door through the temp agency, you can prove yourself by asking to take on more work, ask to sit in on meetings, and make a valuable impression on your supervisors. icki Salemi is a dynamic public speaker, career consultant, V and sassy freelance writer with over a dozen years of experience working in human resources/recruiting and freelance writing. She writes about careers /business and entertainment/lifestyle and absolutely loves covering press events.

For more information, please visit: WWW.VICKISALEMI COM

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WHAT EMPLOYERS WANT:

Do Your Homework!

By: Dr. Dawn Chandler, Professor of Management at the Orfalea College of Business at California Polytechnic State University.

1. DO USE YOUR COLLEGE’S RESOURCES (career services, online job boards, etc), but be aware that there are plenty of other internship resources as well. However, if you do not have a large network, using career services can be very beneficial.

2. GET TO KNOW YOUR PROFESSORS. Take advantage of office hours. Use this as a way to network—even if it is a 10 minute conversation where you introduce yourself & what you’re interested in. Mention a sentiment about the class, as well as what you are looking for. I refer the students that I get to know, so be proactive w/your professors.

3. USE YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK. Not just one degree of separation—tap into your immediate network then take it from there. For instance if your classmates mother works in the finance industry and you are interested in working in finance, ask if you could arrange to have an Informational Interview. Ask about her day to day responsibilities, what are some of the challenges, etc. Be sure to follow up with her and send a nice thank you note. Mention something like, “By the way, if an internship opens up, please let me know…” This is a great way for a student to gain info about prospective career opportunities.

4. B E BOLD AND PROACTIVE. Dress up in appropriate business attire, bring resumes

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and cover letters and visit 8-10 of your target companies and submit your resume directly to the hiring manger, or whoever you can speak with. Ask to speak to someone directly and say that you would like to put a face to your resume.

“Be bold, & ask... will someone speak with me for 10 minutes?” 6 to 7 companies may say no, but maybe that one place will say yes and it will be worth it. It is time consuming to find a truly valuable and rewarding internship so don’t get discouraged about it. Simply invest the time and effort and it will pay off in the end.

5. V ISIT YOUR LOCAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE or use a search engine. Simply go to Google, or any search engine. “Here on campus we have our own job board as an easy way for our students to search. Utilize this as a one prong approach.”

6. YOU WORK HARD IN SCHOOL so work just as hard to find an internship. Don’t rely just on the school, you have to put additional effort in as well…it must be a complimentary effort.

7. C HECK OUT COLLEGE RESOURCES & Placement Statistics. If you are a HS student looking for a college and internship placement is important to you, it would be a good idea to question what the college of interest has to offer for outreach. Visit the career services office when you are on the campus and see

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

what types of resources they have; career fairs, company visits (who?), etc. Also ask to see placement figures for both internships and post graduation employment.

8. CREATE A LINKEDIN PROFILE. Out of all the social networking sites, LinkedIn is the most professional and can be used to find jobs, be recruited, network, etc.

9. C ONTROL YOUR FACEBOOK Privacy Settings. If you are a member on Facebook or are thinking about joining Facebook, make sure that your privacy settings are set to the max!

Remove any inappropriate pictures and make sure that these pictures are removed from your friend’s pages too. A recruiter may try to friend you or find loop holes to see your information so make sure that you cover all bases. One great thing to do on FB is to become a fan of your target companies and stay up to date with their status updates, posts, news, events, etc.

10. CREATE A PROFESSIONAL EMAIL address or simply use your university email address.

Cooldude35@yahoo.com may have been awesome in high school, but recruiters will not be impressed. When corresponding via email, be sure to follow up within 24-48 hours. If you are not an amazing writer, feel free to have someone else review your email/letter before sending it out.

ANTONETTE POLI

TA L E N T R E SOURCE MANAG ER AT GR E Y HE A LTH CARE G RO UP, A GL OB A L HE ALTH CARE C OM M U N I C AT IO NS FIRM

TIPS FOR INTERNS 1. N ETWORKING IS KEY – Attend career fairs, alumni events…make as many contacts as possible so when you’re ready for the search, you’ll have a list of individuals to contact!

2. CREATE A STRONG RESUME – To make yourself stand out highlight your key strengths and focus on accomplishments.

3. USE SOCIAL MEDIA – Create a LinkedIn page, post your internship search on Facebook /Twitter/blogs… people will respond!

4. B E PROACTIVE – Don’t apply to a posting and wait for a response, give a follow up call and e-mail. Post your resume on available job boards.

5. D O YOUR HOMEWORK – Research companies you are interested in, and then reach out to the HR dept to ask if they have an internship program. Remember there’s no harm in asking.

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YOUR RESUME:

The Application Process

By Laura Laperriere laura@getthejob.com

T

he Career Services department at your college should send out emails regarding Internship opportunities and application deadlines so it is important to check for emails containing this information.

It is essential for internship seekers to stay on top of application deadlines. Some organizations have early deadlines, while others have deadlines that are only a few weeks prior to the start of the internship. Some companies require a formal application, resume, cover letter, transcript, essay & letters of recommendations, while other companies simply require an essay explaining why you are interested in the position.

Since the application process varies depending on the company, it is important to stay organized and on track.

For each internship of interest, be sure to find out the following information: • WHAT IS THE APPLICATION DEADLINE? • WHAT ARE THE REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS? (MINIMUM GPA, YEAR OF GRADUATION, ETC.) • WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED? (RESUME, COVER LETTER, LETTERS OF REC., TRANSCRIPT, ETC) • HOW DOES THE EMPLOYER WANT TO RECEIVE MY APPLICATION? (EMAIL? MAIL? FAX?)

HOW SHOULD I WRITE AN INTERNSHIP RESUME? Most employers will ask to

see your resume as part of the application process. Therefore, it is important to have a well constructed resume that clearly displays your goals, education history, skills & strengths, achievements/accomplishments, work experience, activities, as well as any awards, scholarships, professional affiliations, etc.

An internship resume differs from a job search resume because it can include content that you may not necessarily include once you graduate and are looking for a full-time employment opportunity. This information includes; college activities, relevant coursework, as well as high school information.

A chronological resume is the standard format used by students searching for an internship opportunity. There is no one right way to format a resume, but it is important to present your information in a way that will be consistent throughout the resume and will stand out to an employer. You should present your resume by listing education and experiences by most recent first.

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PREPARING FOR AN INTERNSHIP:

How can you stand out from the rest?

By David Kimmelman

D

avid Kimmelman, HR & Career Expert, suggests the following ideas for how to differentiate yourself from the competition:

DEVELOP INTERNSHIP GOALS D AVID K IM ME L MAN

Before you even begin to search for an internship, you should first develop some internship goals. It is important to find an internship where you will be happy and one that is related to your future career goals. Once you have narrowed down your search criteria, you will be able to target the specific types of companies you could picture working for. You will be more prepared and knowledgeable from the other candidates, which can help give you a competitive advantage.

ONSIDER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS C WHEN DEVELOPING YOUR GOALS: 1. Why is having an internship important to you?

2.

W hat do you hope to take away from an internship experience?

3.

W hat are your current career interests and goals?

4.

W hat type of work environment could you picture working successfully in?

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• (A large company? Small? A start-up?)

5.

W here would you like the location of the internship to be? • (Close to campus? Near your hometown? In the big city?)

6. Is it important for the internship to be a paid opportunity? Would you be willing to do an unpaid internship or an internship for credit?

PERSONAL BRANDING

Given the current state of the economy, and the increased level of competition within the job market, it is more important than ever to figure out ways to make yourself stand out. If you are able to show the employer your unique value proposition, it will set you apart from the other candidates and the employer will be able to recognize the value you’d bring to the company.

DAVID’S PERSONAL BRANDING HINTS

Create an Effective Branding Campaign. If you aren’t sure what I mean by an effective branding campaign, just think about some of the catchy slogans companies create to represent their brand.

You want to create a brand that is unique to you and you alone, so that you will stand out and be memorable to an employer. Examples of successful branding campaigns include:

PREPARATION VICKI SALEMI

AUTHOR OF THE ABC’S OF COLLEGE LIFE AND BIG CAREER IN THE BIG CITY: LAND A JOB AND GET A LIFE IN NEW YORK, NOTES THAT INTERNSHIPS PREPARE YOU ON SO MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS.

HOW CAN SOCIAL MEDIA BE USED TO FIND INTERNSHIPS/ MAKE CONNECTIONS?

• Nike: “Just do it” • BMW: “The ultimate driving machine” • Burger King: “Have it your way” • Apple: “Think Different” You could create your brand to represent yourself as the “Master of Offline Marketing”, or “The Expert of all Things Advertising” and so on.

Dress to Impress. Dress codes differ depending on the organization, but it is a universal sign of respect to dress in proper business attire when going to a company for the first time. It is better to be overdressed rather than underdressed because you do not want to come across as being unprofessional.

Google Yourself! Have you ever “Googled” yourself?

If you haven’t, you should go ahead and type your name into Google and see what shows up about yourself in the search results. Employers will Google you when they come across your resume and want to learn more about you, so it is a good idea to be familiar with what appears in the results.

Market Yourself in a Professional Way. There are many ways to market yourself to recruiters, networking contacts, and others so it is important

1. FACEBOOK is very valuable in terms of cleaning up your image. Really be diligent about cleaning up your page, and take down those photos of you doing inappropriate things at college with friends.

2. I NTERACT with a company’s Facebook page without being “stalkerish” by posting comments. Show recruiters you’re in demand, not a desperate, needy job searcher. You want to put in your face time, but don’t overdo it.

3. MOST COMPANIES ARE ON TWITTER and it’s usually the PR group or recruiters that are running the account. You can make yourself known on Twitter by becoming an expert in your field. Use Twitter as a mechanism to get the word out about what you are doing and self promote. a. T witter is also great for finding sales roles or recruiting roles, because the skills you need to find these jobs are similar to the job requirements. b. A nother example of this would be to cold call the recruiter you want to work for- without being annoying- This proves you have the skills to cold call.

This is not a bad idea in general, but only do it when it’s appropriate. Put yourself out there.

4. USE LINKEDIN to build your professional resume.

Ask for recommendations. Beef up your profile and keep it current. That’s how you keep your contacts fresh. Connect with coworkers during your internship, as well as students from other schools- everyone can be a resource. Have a picture on your profile. Update your status when you write your latest blog post.

Even though just applying is no longer enough to get an internship, we can be grateful that there are so many different options to gently nudge the company that you want to work for.

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PREPARATION to create various materials that accurately reflect who you are as a person. These materials include things like your resume, cover letters, email address, voicemail messages, etc. If you are professional and consistent across each of the aforementioned materials, then you will truly reinforce the brand that you are trying to project.

Monitor Your Social Media Accounts. To put things in perspective about how important it is to monitor and control your online activity, here are some statistics from a recent CareerBuilder survey: • 4 5% of employers revealed that they use social networking sites to research job candidates (this figure has increased from 22% last year).

• Another 11% plan to start using social networking sites for screening.

• O f those who conduct online searches/background checks of job candidates:

• 29 % use Facebook

• 26 % use LinkedIn

• 21 % use MySpace.

• 11 % search blogs

• 7% follow candidates on Twitter

ANTONETTE POLI

TALENT RESOURCE MANAGER AT GREY HEALTHCARE GROUP, A GLOBAL HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATIONS FIRM

DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS OF POTENTIAL INTERNS: 1. MOTIVATION/DRIVE 2. PASSION FOR THE INDUSTRY 3. SINCERITY 4. CAN-DO ATTITUDE 5. PROACTIVE APPROACH 6. TEAM PLAYER

For additional personal branding information, visit the GetTheJob.com blog.

DRESS LIKE A PROFESSIONAL

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Leverage What You Learned and EY H A RV Y E K MAC

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Shine!

By Harvey Mackay, author of the New York Times bestseller Use Your Head To Get Your Foot in the Door, plus Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.

NETWORKING IS EVERYTHING! You are already a member of more alumni clubs you can count – Your church youth group, the soup kitchen where you volunteer your time, Professor Dinkelmeyer’s consumer-marketing class. Leverage the contact groups you have already established.

STUDY SUCCESS. Among the people you know, who has already secured summer internships? Invite these stars to a latté or a powdered green-tea matcha one-on-one. Did these winners use any special tactics to get an interview or land a job? Did they turn down any offers and are those companies still looking to fill slots?

BE PART OF THE FAMILY. Totally immerse yourself in a prospect company’s background before you send a cover letter or report for an interview. Milk the Invisible Web through sites like LinkedIn. com and Pipl.com to uncover premium information. If you sound like you’re already a family member – totally on top of significant buzz – you make yourself a natural hire.

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BECOME A VIRTUOSO INTERVIEWER. Absorb everything you can about the company and its culture as you sit in the reception area before the interview starts. When you enter an office, eyeball the bookshelves and certificates on the wall for personal interests and points of pride. Have stationery with you to handwrite a postinterview thank you and leave it with the receptionist before you leave the site.

PROJECT YOUR FUTURE VALUE. Companies use internships to create a candidate pool for near-term future hires. Learn the types of people this organization is targeting to bolster its human resource mix and emphasize those strengths which best match those needs.

Now that you know what internships can do for your budding career, it’s time to leverage what you’ve learned and shine!

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FEATURED EXPERT: HARVEY MACKAY

NEXT STEPS Start Now: Feel free to “Ask Dave!” a question WWW.BLOG.GETTHEJOB.COM

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GET HIRED:

Dazzle them to Full Time D

r. Dawn Chandler notes that it can never be understated how important it is to be knowledgeable and up to date. With that being said, how much do you actually know about your companies of interest? Dawn offers some tips on “making the most out of your internship.”

1. Go immediately to the company’s website. Look for any intricate info, read press releases, quotes, etc. Look to see what the corporate values are.

For instance, some companies have a link posted for their corporate values right on the homepage because they are proud and want to share it with the public. Devour any and all information on the website...look for cultural clues.

2. Look to see if the company’s values match your own. For instance, if corporate social responsibility is important to you, look to see what their CSR

initiatives are. If they have nothing posted then perhaps it is not the right culture for you.

3. Be your own personal detective. Culture varies by values or behaviors so it is your responsibility to be your own personal detective. Be a detective while preparing for an interview: look on their website, check for diversity initiatives, what do the leaders & CEO’s have to say?

Look for clues that would inform you about the culture and whether or not it would be a good fit for you. Additionally, if you are invited in for an interview, be ready to talk about “in reading your website it appears you value such and such and I do as well!” Directly attack it!

4. Don’t limit yourself to just viewing a company’s website. Use search engines, and read other sources. Look to see certain statistics, global initiatives, turnover, etc. Also, research the industry. Be ready to answer questions in an interview such as, “where do you see this industry going in the future?” or “what should our company do to keep up with industry trends?”

5.

T hink of yourself as a sponge—soak in everything the job has to offer, learn the industry, understand what supervisors want/ expect, understand goals & most importantly, build a partnership with your boss.

6. A sk your coworkers to lunch, or to go for coffee. Look for clues about political issues.

Get to know these people, ask for advice and to hear about their experiences. View people as potential mentors. Think to yourself, “From whom can I learn?”

CONTACT DR. DAWN CHANDLER

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GET HIRED

7. Do a great job. Apply the knowledge you have learned in the classroom to the job. If you feel you can handle it, ask to take on more responsibility.

8. Get to know everyone! Be friendly and kind and outgoing and just get entrenched!

9. Signal interest in a full-time position. Let your boss know that you have loved your role and responsibilities and hope for future full-time employment in a similar capacity.

10. At the end of your internship be sure to write thank you letters to everyone who helped you throughout your experience at the company.

Dr. Dawn Chandler is a professor of management at the Orfalea College of Business of California Polytechnic State University. Dr. Chandler’s work experience as a financial recruiter and her doctoral studies in organizational behavior have heightened her interest in helping people better manage their careers. To this end, her research and consulting interests center on careers and mentoring. Her research on “Relational Savvy”, for example, suggests that rather than relying on a formal mentor to provide all of one’s career needs, a person should proactively foster a network of “developers” who provide varying types of developmental support. She has designed a “Relational Savvy” instrument that is currently used to assess a person’s “savvy.”

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Internships help you

Get The Job

By Laura Laperriere laura@getthejob.com

I

nternships have many benefits including the possibility of attaining a full-time employment opportunity after graduation and possibly even acquiring a hirer starting salary. It is important to perform above and beyond your employer’s expectations and to think of an internship as a stepping stone, one that could potentially become your career.

Want Proof? National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) http://www.naceweb.org/ Home.aspx conducted its 2010 Student Survey http://www.naceweb.org /Work Area /linkit.aspx ?LinkIdentifier = id & ItemID =7706 to discover if students who took part in an internship program were more likely to receive a job offer than their

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peers who elected not to have an internship experience. More than 31,470 students (over 13,000 were graduating seniors) from over 400 colleges and universities nationwide took part in the study.

THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY WERE:

• Nearly all respondents (86.5 %) have formal internships/co-op programs •4 2.3 % of the seniors who had internship experience and applied for a job received at least one job offer • O nly 30.7 % of seniors without internship

GET THE JOB

VICKI SALEMI

AUTHOR OF THE ABC’S OF COLLEGE LIFE AND BIG CAREER IN THE BIG CITY: LAND A JOB AND GET A LIFE IN NEW YORK, NOTES THAT INTERNSHIPS PREPARE YOU ON SO MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS.

HOW DOES AN INTERNSHIP PREPARE YOU FOR THE “REAL WORLD”?

AN INTERNSHIP: 1. H ELPS YOU figure out what you do and don’t want in a career for the big picture view.

2. TEACHES YOU to show up on time to work.

3. TEACHES YOU what to wear to work.

4. GIVES YOU the gist of corporate culture.

5. TEACHES YOU structure in terms of the working environment.

6. TEACHES YOU to have a mentor and to have your work reviewed by others.

7. TEACHES YOU how to fail and how to learn from it 8. BUILDS confidence 9. TEACHES YOU how to succeed. experience who applied for a job received an offer •M ore than one-quarter of the intern group with offers accepted them •L ess than 20 % of the non-intern group accepted the offers

10. Y OU SHOULD DO MULTIPLE INTERNSHIPS. They are short term, but the contacts you will make will likely lead to another job opportunity.

I n the working world you will encounter so many different personalities, working environments, corporate cultures, and different locations. Internships are like trying on shoes.

You are not committing to buy- you give it a try for 8 weeks or so and then try something else. Just try it on for size.

•T he median accepted salary offer for seniors with an internship was $45,301!

•T he median accepted salary offer to nonintern seniors was only $34,601 (nearly 31% lower than the internship participants).

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