Today’s post is from our regular Tuesday contributor, Sally.
One of the number one complaints I hear from current and soon –to-be graduates is how much they wish they had more experience in the area they want to get in to.
Many times they point out that there’s a cycle that seems to come into play, where the company won’t hire you unless you have experience, but how are you to gain that experience since they won’t hire you?
The first answer that comes to my mind would be internships.
It still amazes me how many degree programs, through-out the Midwest at least, do not require an internship to graduate. Part of it may be that they want students to come to the realization that they need to do one before graduating, but on the part of the University as a whole, I personally believe it is their job to prepare the student for a career and what better way to do that than require them to complete an internship.
Briefly, internships are positions that are offered by businesses and organizations that allow a person to gain first-hand experience and knowledge about a career in that field. They usually last a few months, tend to be unpaid, but many times will lead to some awesome networking opportunities and quite possibly, a job with that company.
They are also really great for realizing what you do and don’t want to do for a career. Since you get to experience, for quite a few weeks, everything that a person in that position does, you gain a better insight for whether you would be happy doing it long-term or if it would be a better stepping-stone. Or maybe it allows you to realize that that position is something you never want to do. No matter what, you can still use the experience on your resume and utilize it to your advantage when talking about what you handled/dealt with/created/etc during an interview.
Don’t be afraid to take advantage of your internship. If you’re interested in another part of the company, ask to follow them for a few days so you can see what it is exactly that they do and why they do it. If you ant to go a little more in-depth with a certain program, tell them you want to spend more time learning it. If they aren’t showing you something you would be interested in checking out or trying, let them know that it would be something you would like to do. Depending on the person who supervises you and the company, you may be able to do a lot more and try many more things than you would if you were a full-time employee in a specific position at that company.
If you already know exactly what you would like to do, I would still recommend having an internship or two (or three!) on your resume in order to show a company or organization that while you may not have the exact experience that they are looking for, you have at least the basics, and background knowledge to feel confident and assured that you can do the job they’re looking to fill.
I had two amazing internships and wish I had done a few more. What about you? What are your thoughts on internships?
Editor’s Note: DC here and I just wanted to reiterate everything Sally said in this post. I was lucky enough to land an internship at a great company the Summer before my last semester of college. After the Summer was over, I continued to work about 24 hours a week. When I graduated that December, I started full-time right away. Needless to say, internships can really open doors.
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I had a great internship at IBM when I was in college – both on campus, as well as onsite at their Rochester, MN facility. that internship actually transitioned into my first full time job….at which I’ve now worked for almost 18 years. :)
If you’re going to take an internship, especially an unpaid one, make sure to network like crazy. Pick a larger company if you can. Then build those relationships. Take the boss for lunch, get introduced to other departments, network network network. Sally’s idea of asking for training is great. If you can do this and get work done/add value to the company then you’re going to be setup well for a job in the future.
I had an amazing internship the summer before my senior year of college and the company offered me a full time position but I took another job. And I was able to secure the other job, though, because of my internship. I mentor people all the time and I tell them that even if an opportunity does not pay, you should take it because the experience and networking will pay off at some point down the road.
This is something I wish I would’ve taken more advantage of while I was in school. I think if you can get a paying internship that’s great, but take the experience and opportunity to network regardless if it pays.
I didn’t do any internships, but I did have a full-time management job all throughout college. I think having a job is very important, and many employers will pick someone who has had experience.
I worked my tail off during college and had 3 internships. The experience was very valuable and helped me land a great job after college. It was worth the blood sweat and tears!
Greg’s first internship is what led to the job he has now. He completed his internship many years ago then worked somewhere else for six years. But we ultimately ended up back here!
I graduated with an education degree, so student teaching was an absolute requirement. It certainly helps. But I think there is much to be said about the scam that is unpaid internships or unpaid bench work. I am an admissions and advising counselor for graduate students, and many work 40+ hours a week at a research position that is not getting paid. Instead, the corporation gets paid for the result of their work and the university gets paid a “finders fee” for the student (or it is given in grants or other donations).
Looking back, I would never, ever take an internship unless it was paid or 100% guaranteed me a job after graduation.
A two-semester internship was part of my program so I had to anyway, which eventually led to a contract position at Ford Motor Company. I was lucky my internship was paid too! I think they can be invaluable!
Internships can be a really useful experience – especially if they’re paid! But unfortunately they can also be a huge waste of time, and very unfair to those who can’t afford to take them on, or who gained no valuable skills or contacts out of them. Researchers also think that, at least in Canada, about 90% of unpaid internships are actually carried out illegally. I was lucky enough to have an internship built into my publishing program, and I was strategic about where I chose to go and was lucky enough to be hired on afterwards because someone quit around that time. But I’ve also known many classmates who did at least 3 unpaid internships are are still looking for work.
I was offered a position at my part time job after I graduated college. It was not officially an internship but I was a the right place at the right time and it was related to my degree so it all worked out well.
I never took an internship, but I can attest to the value one can provide because I’ve witnessed it numerous times over the years. Many times I’ve seen an intern get hired on full time after they graduate. It’s not a lock, of course, but even if you don’t get hired on, it shows initiative to other potential employers and also provides at least some experience. Sure, it may not sound like fun to “work for free.” You shouldn’t think of it that way…think of it as an investment in yourself.
The company that took me on a (paid) internship just rotated interns every year to get cheap labor and rarely hired one. Still a great name to put on your resume but if the position was unpaid I wouldn’t have applied.
I do somewhat regret not taking an internship while in college. At the time, I wanted to earn money and most internships were unpaid. With an internship at certain companies, I could have been able to network, gain experience and add something valuable to my resume.
Yes, yes yes! Internships and applied knowledge in a work environment of your specific skills are the number one things my company and others I’ve spoken with look for in a potential new hire. The first 3 years of school seem to have become a testing ground for students and less for training and learning.
I went to look into internships at my school’s career service center my second year there and they turned me away, said to come back in my final year. When I did that, they turned me away saying it was too late. I wish I would have had the opportunity but at the same time, there were a number of companies cashing in on free labor as they went through numerous interns each year.
I had an internship with a private detective which was really interesting. I think it would have been a little bit better if it was more formalized, though. I was only working with one person and shadowing him, so it didn’t really open any doors for me. The internships available in my program weren’t really geared toward what I wanted to do at the time, but I believe they can be really valuable for others.
I think you have to be willing to take advantage of your internship, especially when you aren’t being paid. If you don’t, then what’s the point?
Internships can be incredibly beneficial. I didn’t realize all schools didn’t require them. The ability to get hands-on experience is invaluable and not to mention the networking opportunities. I had an intern in my last year and I happily brought him in full-time because in that short time interning, he proved himself and I knew he would make an excellent addition to my office. If I did not have a position available, I would have also happily referred him to many other financial advisor or any business as a reference too.
DebtChronicles Great internship success story, Travis. I worked a summer internship at my current employer, then worked part-time my last semester of college, and started the Monday after I graduated. Been there ever since!
I always laugh when programs don’t require internships to graduate. It was so screwed up at my school because business majors didn’t have to, just were encouraged, but journalism majors (which I was) had to log 400 internship hours to graduate. That’s no laughing number. My internships certainly helped land me jobs and having CNN on a resume post-college made me feel like such a big shot.
I’m hiring an intern right now. She’s been working with a team at my site for the last year and graduates this May. I’m thrilled to have an employee who’s already trained and “ready to go” and she’s thrilled to have a job right after school. It’s a win-win in my book. Internships are a great opportunity if you work hard and do a good job.
Yes, internships are very important, like for hubby before him, he had his internship at a prestigious company and before his internship ended the manager told him already that they are going to absorb him. Because they saw his talent and capabilities to handle the job very well.
I interned at Disney for one semester a few years back. It was one of the best decisions of my life. I wish I would have interned at 1 more company too.
Internships are crucial, especially if you don’t have connections in your industry. I interviewed for about 30 internships to secure the three I did in college. By the time I graduated, I had a year and a half of intern experience and had my pick of multiple offers. Plus, the interns paid much more than I would’ve made at retail/food service jobs.