COLLEGE INTERNSHIPS – WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?
The one thing I see happen over and over again is that students end up doing very well academically while in college, a member of every club known to man-kind, and are heavily involved with their Greek organization. Someone may look at that type of resume and think that is the perfect background while in college. Well it is – except for one area – a career-related internship. Many college students ask the same question: college internships – what’s the big deal?
Your chances of obtaining the job increases after the internship – especially if you have done an outstanding job while working as an intern.
THE BENEFITS OF COMPLETING AN INTERNSHIP
While some students are reluctant to obtain an internship for various reasons, there are several benefits to obtaining an internship while you are in college:
1. Obtain Real World Experience
Obtaining an internship is a wonderful way to find out if the career you are preparing so hard for in college is really what you want to do upon graduation. I know students who were majoring in various fields and completed an internship only to find out their choice of study was not appealing to them. If you find yourself in this situation, contact your academic advisor to schedule a meeting with him/her to discuss next moves.
Hopefully the internship you have snagged for the summer is not one where your primary tasks are to make coffee and answer phones all day. A truly meaningful internship is one where you are doing tasks within the scope of your 
major given your current education level.
2. Build Your Resume
Having a strong resume is key to your future employers. In fact, employers like to see students with previous work experience – particularly if it is within your major. Those students with internship experience will be considered more readily than those without experience.
3. Network With Professionals
The aspect of networking is key – at any level. During internships, it can be quite common that interns attend company meetings and other events. If you are asked to attend, it is a wonderful opportunity for you to interact with professionals in your field and gain connections. Once you are connected, it is a link for future opportunities such as jobs, references, or mentoring.
4. Your Opportunity to Shine
While in an internship, it is your opportunity to put your best foot forward and shine. This is the time for you to show what kind of employee you are to your peers and, even more importantly, your boss. This “try before you buy” period is when employers have an opportunity to see what kind of employee you are before they hire you full time or even after graduation. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a great job waiting on you upon graduation? That would be awful – said no one ever!
POSSIBLY OBTAIN CLASS CREDIT
Are you aware you could possibly obtain class credit for your internship? The best way to find out if that is possible is to speak with your adviser or career services center. If it is possible, ask what the necessary steps are to ensure obtaining the credit.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES?
There are several places to find internship opportunities in your field of study:
1) Campus career fairs
2) Career services on-line postings
3) Social media (i.e. LinkedIn, Facebook)
4) Membership organizations
5) Campus Alumni Relations
6) Employment websites:
> Indeed.com
> Internships.com
> Idealist.org
> Glassdoor
> Internmatch.com
> Youtern
> GlobalExperiences.com
> Coolworks
THE POWER OF YOUR PERSONAL NETWORK
Earlier in the article, I mentioned networking. In that aspect, I was referring to networking with professionals. Have you ever stopped to think about just how large your personal network is?
When looking for an internship or full-time job opportunity, it is very important to network. You would be surprised about the power of your personal network.
Exactly who am I talking about when it comes to your personal network? Start with your family members. Those people in your family know other people and those people know even more people, etc. You want to cast a wide net to increase the chances of gaining an opportunity.
We’ve already talked about family members in your network. What about the other people in your life that you may not have considered, like your:
> Friends
> Parents’ friends
> Acquaintances
> Class instructors
> Classmates
> Neighbors
> Place of worship
> Professional organizations
> Community groups
> Hair stylist
> Nail technician
> Coaches
> Doctors
> Dentist
> Current and former colleagues
> Supervisors and managers
Make a list of those you know from the network suggestions above. You may be surprised by how many people you know. Don’t rule anyone out because you never know who may be able to assist you. If you are looking for an opportunity, now is not the time to be shy.
Tip: If you are looking for an internship, have you tried Googling it? I have read articles where students have done this and it was very helpful. Try it. You may be provided with much more information than you think.
Upon obtaining an internship, remember that you are part of a professional organization. There are some important things to remember as you are interning. Watch the below video for more information:
FINAL THOUGHTS
Obtaining an internship is very important when it comes to building your resume. Those students who have had an internship have an advantage because that is the opportunity for employers to see your value before hiring you. There several avenues to finding job opportunities. One way is through using your personal network. Don’t rule anyone out because you never know who may be able to assist you.
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16 thoughts on “College Internships – What’s the Big Deal?”
I am so thankful to have had various internships during my college career. I gained so much knowledge and experience, to help me understand what I wanted to do for a career. Some of my friends who didn’t have an internship while in college struggled getting a job when they graduated, because they didn’t have work experience and didn’t make valuable networking relationships. I encourage everyone to get an internship! Even if it doesn’t turn out to be the dream job, there are many lessons learned at the end of its term.
Thank you, Julie, for sharing your experience with internships and your comments. I agree with you. Internships are great for the experience. Not only that – they also can confirm if the student is in the career field they want to really pursue after graduation. You make a great point that it may be harder to find employment later without the experience. Networking is definitely a key factor in finding employment as well. There is power in networking to make connections to jobs. Thank you for the comments and please come back again.
Wow Yvette, I knew these experiences were so important for life skills, but knowing how important they are also to get ahead for your students. That is truly phenomenal. I am so glad you are the one leading the way to helping our kids be fuller and more compassionate people. Great job. In peace and gratitude, ariel
Ariel, thank you so much for stopping by my site, the comments and the kind words. It has been my passion over the last several years to help our youth be the best they can be in their careers. I love working with them and when they see just how much they bring to the table, they light up and that’s the part I enjoy the most. Once again, thank you for your kind words. Please come back to visit soon.
Hi,
Although I am in the UK, the standards here still follow very similar in the UK.
My son who is an Apprentice Plumber has had his ups and downs and we use Indeed.com.
I didn’t know about the others you have listed so I shall take a look at them to see if they are in the UK too. I feel a bit for my son as he has had a rubbish time with one apprenticeship. Hence, the standards you mention about.
My son isn’t in college but I see you also mention about Apprenticeships. Although I am in the UK this has given me some clear insights in what has to be done to help my son further his career in Plumbing/Gas engineer. Also in building up his resume.
Yes it’s so true, too, for unpaid help. Standards need to be put there by all Governments.
This article is quite an eye-opener and very interesting. Like I said above, we have Indeed.com in the UK so I am now going to check the others to see if they too are in the UK.
Some great information and very beautifully Written.
Thank you so much. I have also subscribed so I get your articles first hand. Which is brilliant.
Thank you, again.
I have shared this on my social Media page too. Thank you once again.
Regards, Deborah 🙂
Deborah, thank you so much for visiting my site and for all the comments and kind words. I truly appreciate it. I am happy to hear your son has been involved with an apprenticeship, but sorry to hear he has had a rough time of it. Yes, please do check those links to see if any of them are in your area. If you decide to Google it, you may be able to find some information through that route as well. Please let me know what you find in your search. I would like to know. Thank you so much for subscribing and sharing my information on your social media page. You are so thoughtful for doing that. Please come back to visit me again soon. I look forward to seeing you.
I absolutely agree. It wasn’t specifically an internship, but we had job placements for a portion of my college training and it was great on the resume and landed job offers. So important. Thank you for sharing this detailed information.
Thank you for stopping by my site, Tara, and for the comments. It sounds like the experience you had, even though not called an internship, still gave the work experience in your career field. Obtaining a job opportunity that can be added to your resume, is still advantageous. Once again, thank you for sharing. Please come back to visit my site again soon.
Great information on college internships. I wish they were available when I was in college like they are now. I have worked with a lot of interns down through the years and they were great workers. We even hired some of them full time after they graduated.
James, thank you for stopping by. I know what you mean about internships not being readily available in the past. However, working with interns the way you do is helping to mold and shape them for their professional careers. That is great you hired some of them after they graduated. You have validated what I have been conveying in my messages about the potential of being hired. I truly appreciate you sharing that information. Once again, thank you for stopping by. Please come by again, soon.
Hi Yvette. I am not from America so when I hear about Internships I am always curious to hear more about them. Essentially internships are unpaid (volunteer) work at (mostly) commercial organisations. I can see how in America having completed an internship would give you the edge over someone else who has not done one. I guess it is just how the labour market is in America. Personally, I believe that if the student is doing quality work and making a positive contribution to the company then they should get paid for what they do. What do you think?
Glenys, thank you for your comments. It is part of the American culture to “try before you buy” when it comes to internships. Therefore, employers can have an opportunity to see students’ work before hiring them full time. While some interns are not paid – especially in the non profit sectors because of budget constraints, many interns are paid. In one organization, I was the coordinator of student programs and interns were paid based on their college status (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior) in college. There has been much conversation around the topic of unpaid internships over the past several years. The U.S. Labor Department has put in place standards where companies offering unpaid internships must pass a “primary beneficiary test”. There are seven factors that must be determined to decide whether the internship meets the standard. These are put in place so that companies don’t take advantage of students working for free. I certainly feel there is a need for these standards. Thank you, once again, for stopping by my site and for the comments.
Great strategy for finding the position that fits anyone’s academic accomplishments. These types of experiences are really great at what the actual work would be and it would serve as an excellent learning tool for students wanting to grow with any business. In my experiences some of the best staff that we were able to employ were interns or volunteers. Getting down to the core of what one seeks is instrumental towards their success. Beyond great article, thank you.
Thank you for the comments and kind words, Xavier. I totally agree that internships are great learning tools. I believe having hands on opportunities along with classroom training is the best well rounded experience for students. What they learn in the workplace is invaluable. That is wonderful that your interns were some of the best staff, therefore, proving my point of employers working with interns before hiring them as full time employees. Again, thank you for your comments.
Thank you so much for sharing this information. I haven’t been in this situation personally but it makes sense to do this. Apprenticeship was the very old way, and this is the new way of that tradition, I think.
A tremendous learning experience for college students for sure.
Thank you so much for visiting my site and for the comments. Actually, companies still provide apprenticeships for students and they are a great way for students to obtain training. While apprenticeships and internships both provide hands on training, as you have pointed out, they are quite different. One difference is an internship may be for a semester then the student may move into a different internship or get hired full time. An apprenticeship is more than hands on and may have classroom instruction incorporated. They are also for a longer amount of time than an internship. Once again, thank you for stopping by my site. Please visit again soon.