Why Students Should Look At Internships
If you're a college student who is career minded, you have no doubt heard an earful about internships. And while internships might just sound like a bunch of extra work for very little reward, there are some pretty good reasons to consider going after the experience. Internships offer a gateway to real-world work experience, full-time jobs and networking opportunities that would be tough to get anywhere else.
Most employers (87.2 percent) interviewed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) said their new hires do have internship or co-op experiences. Nearly 40 percent of interns are offered full-time jobs upon graduation.
Differing from summer jobs, internships tend to be in a student’s area of major study, include college credit, and require special evaluation from both employer and UI faculty. Pay varies from none to minimum wage and can be as much as $15 per hour.
Employers find students without internships may be more likely to “have unrealistic views of work, lack maturing and work ethic, lack commitment to the organization, and possess less awareness of business etiquette,” claims a recent NACE survey.
The work experience you'll get from a good internship trumps anything you'll get making coffee at Starbucks or flipping Big Macs - and probably pays better too! On top of that, working in the industry will give you perspective on what you really want to do with your life before you're stuck in a job you may not enjoy.
Leveraging a simple internship into a full-time job is another reason to go after and internship. Many firms approach intern candidates as they would applicants for a "real" job - they're looking for people who can fill a more permanent role after they graduate. As a result, many large firms make full-time offers to a large portion of their interns after they complete their programs and degree work.
Networking is another big reason to pursue an internship. Interns often do the same work as a first-year professional, and get the same chances to interact with senior employees. Having a good relationship with higher-ups could mean a quicker path to promotion in the future. And even if you decide not to take an offer with the company you interned with, saving a manager or recruiter's business card is a good move if you decide to hit the job circuit later on.
As with your college hunt, prestige should be a factor when you're trying to pick a company to intern for. If you're interested in banking, working as an intern at a big-name like Bank of New York and J.P. Morgan Chase is probably going to carry more weight than if you work for your local Savings & Loan over the summer. For most, going with a top-tier firm for an internship will make you a more desirable job candidate.
Unlike full-time jobs, which could be available all year long, many internships have strict deadlines that you'll want to stay ahead of. Lots of internships take place during the summer, so deadlines tend to fall in the later winter and early spring. If you're considering working for a particular company, find out whether it has any deadlines looming.
One of the best ways to get your foot in the internship door is by developing a relationship with your recruiter. Lots of companies now have online internship applications that prefer the "don't call us, we'll call you" approach to job applications. Don't hesitate to look up a recruiter's name (this can often be found on the contact page of a firm's website), and send an email. If you're lucky enough to get multiple offers, but are still waiting for that one firm, make sure to let recruiters from your top choices know so that you can speed the process along.
When all your research and applications have gone out and you're starting to hear back from a few employers, now is the time to really figure out what you can and want to do.
Evelyn Saunders, a retired teacher, is the editor for student-loans.net, a provider of private student loans and information on student loans and consolidation. For more information, please visit http://www.student-loans.net
Most employers (87.2 percent) interviewed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) said their new hires do have internship or co-op experiences. Nearly 40 percent of interns are offered full-time jobs upon graduation.
Differing from summer jobs, internships tend to be in a student’s area of major study, include college credit, and require special evaluation from both employer and UI faculty. Pay varies from none to minimum wage and can be as much as $15 per hour.
Employers find students without internships may be more likely to “have unrealistic views of work, lack maturing and work ethic, lack commitment to the organization, and possess less awareness of business etiquette,” claims a recent NACE survey.
The work experience you'll get from a good internship trumps anything you'll get making coffee at Starbucks or flipping Big Macs - and probably pays better too! On top of that, working in the industry will give you perspective on what you really want to do with your life before you're stuck in a job you may not enjoy.
Leveraging a simple internship into a full-time job is another reason to go after and internship. Many firms approach intern candidates as they would applicants for a "real" job - they're looking for people who can fill a more permanent role after they graduate. As a result, many large firms make full-time offers to a large portion of their interns after they complete their programs and degree work.
Networking is another big reason to pursue an internship. Interns often do the same work as a first-year professional, and get the same chances to interact with senior employees. Having a good relationship with higher-ups could mean a quicker path to promotion in the future. And even if you decide not to take an offer with the company you interned with, saving a manager or recruiter's business card is a good move if you decide to hit the job circuit later on.
As with your college hunt, prestige should be a factor when you're trying to pick a company to intern for. If you're interested in banking, working as an intern at a big-name like Bank of New York and J.P. Morgan Chase is probably going to carry more weight than if you work for your local Savings & Loan over the summer. For most, going with a top-tier firm for an internship will make you a more desirable job candidate.
Unlike full-time jobs, which could be available all year long, many internships have strict deadlines that you'll want to stay ahead of. Lots of internships take place during the summer, so deadlines tend to fall in the later winter and early spring. If you're considering working for a particular company, find out whether it has any deadlines looming.
One of the best ways to get your foot in the internship door is by developing a relationship with your recruiter. Lots of companies now have online internship applications that prefer the "don't call us, we'll call you" approach to job applications. Don't hesitate to look up a recruiter's name (this can often be found on the contact page of a firm's website), and send an email. If you're lucky enough to get multiple offers, but are still waiting for that one firm, make sure to let recruiters from your top choices know so that you can speed the process along.
When all your research and applications have gone out and you're starting to hear back from a few employers, now is the time to really figure out what you can and want to do.
Evelyn Saunders, a retired teacher, is the editor for student-loans.net, a provider of private student loans and information on student loans and consolidation. For more information, please visit http://www.student-loans.net
Labels: college education, college students, internships, student internships, student loan, summer jobs
posted by Student Loans at
11:37 AM
