Internships give students a leg up
As a junior in accounting with a minor in Spanish at Saint John’s University, Adam Spooner wanted an internship that would provide real-world experience in both fields. In June 2007 he arrived in Puerto Rico for a three-month stint at a Spanish-speaking accounting firm. “I showed up not knowing anyone and had to find a place to live, figure out transportation and learn a job. It was hard at first, but by the end I felt very comfortable,” he said. Spooner said the internship was “very important” and provided a window into what the profession is really like. “It confirmed that my major was the right one.”
Gustavus intern Jennifer Pallas with Kare 11's Charles Gonzalez, where she worked as a sports reporter intern.
Many students understand that internships are now the expectation. Estimates on how many participate are hard to come by since schools collect data on internships that students complete for credit but not necessarily those experiences for which they don’t receive credit. But career office staff at Minnesota private colleges agree that the numbers are growing. Students see them as a way to acquire professional skills, gain real-world experience and build their résumés. “Students now have a checklist and it includes internships,” said Cynthia Favre, career center associate director at Gustavus Adolphus College.
Carleton College student Sarah Ingebritsen is fairly typical example. She is about to start an internship with the Center for Victims of Torture in St. Paul where she will be doing research, trying to find cutting-edge and innovative techniques that activists can use to address their issues. Ingrebritsen knows she wants to work in the human rights field but is not sure what type of work or organization she prefers. “It's my hope that this internship will not only provide me with some great experience and a gold star on the résumé, but will give me a better sense of what I want to look for in a career and job once I graduate.”
An employer advantage
Employers also value internships. Intern programs provide a pipeline for future talent and organizations view these students as potential hires who are worth cultivating. Some companies start nurturing a relationship with students even before they’re ready for internships by offering leadership seminars and other activities.
Today’s employers want everything, according to Mike Hendel, associate director at the Carleton College Career Center. “They are looking for the full array of skills — critical thinking, quantitative analysis, collaboration, communication. This happens to dovetail nicely with the liberal arts education our students receive.”
In fact, a 2006 survey of employers and recent graduates found that more than 90 percent felt that colleges and universities should provide students with broad knowledge in a variety of areas as well as knowledge and skills in a specific field. And among employers’ top-ranked priorities, 73 percent said that hands-on experiences are important. “Employers put less emphasis on a student’s major than students do,” said Favre. “They want to know how they contributed, how they moved a project forward and what they learned. Internships can be a great way for students to gain these experiences.”
Helping students shape experiences
University of St. Thomas Employer Relations Specialist Jennifer Rogers said that her office likes to see younger students because “it gives us more time to work with them.” But few first and second-year students seek internships since they’re still taking foundation courses. “Most students are focused on their college experience and figuring out who they are,” said Favre.
For younger students who want to find internships, Hendel offers this approach: "we urge them to cobble together what they can to gain insight and experience about a particular field, even if it’s five hours a week of volunteer or internship work and the rest of their time working another job which may be a summer position they had in high school."
“We also try to help students think about how they can shape experiences,” said John Clarkson, associate director of career services at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University. “It doesn’t have to be called an internship to be valuable.”
Potential employers can look at a résumé and see which experiences are likely to have resulted in skills that are transferable, according to career office staff. Students may not see this though, so career offices can help them learn how to articulate what they’ve done. "There are valuable nuances in most experiences that students often times aren't aware of," said Hendel.
Career offices provide other kinds of assistance to students too. Gustavus gives students reflective questions to answer before, during and after their internships. For example, students consider what their hopes and fears are before starting their internships and what things about an organization’s culture are important to them. After the second week, they’re asked about their perspective of the career field and what skills they hope to further develop.
An internship can not only help students discover what they like in a career but also about what they don’t want to do. “After one of our students did an international internship, he decided he wanted to find a job in Minnesota,” said Clarkson.
Beyond internships
As great as internships can be, career office staff point out that there are plenty of opportunities students can take advantage of on campus. Assuming leadership positions in student organizations, working in campus offices and participating in professional organizations or conferences are just a few of the possibilities.
Each year, the Minnesota Private Colleges Career Consortium sponsors a “Pathways” event where students can meet alumni working in fields where they have an interest. Events rotate among arts, communication and science careers; the 2008 event will be on March 13 and focus on bioscience careers. Career office staff say that they work hard to tap their alumni since they can often provide contacts for internships and jobs.
Students can also be productive on semester breaks, Hendel notes. “Little things, like shadowing an alumnus for a day can help guide students. The more students inform themselves and act intentionally, the more they can control what happens.”
Students who’ve done internships and other enrichment activities find that it pays off when the time comes to look for a job. Employers have high expectations and expect that students know how to answer questions. "Companies may schedule 13 30 minute on-campus interviews in a day," said Hendel. “Students who have spent time preparing for the interview process are those who advance to the second round.”
According to Rogers, “at the Minnesota Private Colleges Job & Internship Fair, employers always say that our students are the best and most-prepared.” “It helps that we all have such good material to work with,” laughs Hendel.