October 28, 2010 at 7:35 am | Posted in Educator Updates Newsletter, Feedback from the Frontlines | Leave a comment
Tags: alumni, career center, economy, finding internships, internship opportunities
In response to last month’s article about the growing trend of people using internships to make a career change, Jean A. Spahr from the College of DuPage weighs in on why she isn’t seeing this taking off.
“Employers I’ve spoken with aren’t interested in experienced or unemployed folks doing internships. I agree with them because, even if the internships are non-credit bearing, they are work-integrated learning experiences that are appropriately connected to an academic program of study. I’ve heard the term “returnship” connected to experienced and unemployed people trying to build skills on the job in order to return to the workforce. The experienced and unemployed can re-career at non-profits legally, however it’s simply volunteer work…while for-profits can’t utilize volunteers. How is a “returnship” viewed under the FLSA if it’s an unpaid experience?”
Are you seeing a similar trend on your campus? What does this mean for alumni re-entering the work force or making career changes? Throw your feedback into the mix at educatorcare@internships.com.
September 21, 2010 at 10:17 am | Posted in Educator Updates Newsletter, Views on the News | Leave a comment
Tags: alumni, career centers, employer, finding internships
As companies are starting to rely more heavily on their interns to make full-time hires, some are targeting and tracking students as early as freshman year. These days, undergraduates are exposed to corporate presentations and meet-and-greets within weeks of arriving on campus.
The shift to intern-to-hire recruiting hasn’t been lost on would-be college students, particularly as the recession has lingered. Career Center Offices have seen a recent rise in prospective students and their parents inquiring about which firms recruit and hire interns. Katie Kennealy, associate director of the career center at Illinois, says she has seen a 15% increase in such inquiries in the past year.”Most freshman don’t know where anything is on campus, says David McMahon, associate director of experiential education at Texas A&M, “but they’ve figured out they need a good résumé, and they need to get to a career fair” early on.
According to Monica Wilson, acting co-director of career services at Dartmouth College. “Internship recruiting will largely replace entry-level recruiting in the next few years.” Are you seeing a significant increase in students inquiring about internship opportunities on your campus? Email us at educatorcare@internships.com and put your feedback in the mix.
September 16, 2010 at 1:11 pm | Posted in Educator Updates Newsletter, Views on the News | 1 Comment
Tags: alumni, career center, getting an internship, students
Internships are no longer being used simply as an experience-builder for college students. This article in Money Talks News references a new survey of 2500 employers showing 23 percent of them are seeing more applications from “experienced workers” (those with 10-plus years experience) and “mature workers” (those over 50 years old) that have been laid off, or are seeking mid-life career changes applying for internships and entry-level positions.
The difficult job market has reshaped internships into a way for experienced workers to explore new opportunities. With doubt about an economic recovery employers are apprehensive to add to their payrolls and are planning to hire more interns than in previous years. Internships can serve as job interviews and often lead to full time positions. Of the companies surveyed 52 percent of them said they are more likely to hire interns as full-time employees.
As the age group applying for internships skews older, we are hearing more comments back from campus career advisors that an increasing number of alumni are seeking internships to help them transition to new careers. Anne Orange at the University of South Carolina noted “Alumni who are out of work or even students about to graduate who think they will have a hard time finding full-time employment come to the Career Center to ask if they can obtain an internship post-graduation.”
Are you seeing similar trends in your career center? Let us know what’s going on at your campus: send an email to educatorcare@internships.com.
April 1, 2010 at 5:26 pm | Posted in alumni, career center, networking | 3 Comments
Tags: alumni, career center professionals, finding an internship, intern, internships, networking, summer internship
by Jane Finkle
We all know that building a network is one of the key ways professionals discover work opportunities. Networking is a skill that students can develop and master as they seek out internships. Most college Career Offices maintain an online alumni career network. This dynamic resource helps students to explore their personal career interests with the guidance of alums. Students can also connect with alums who participate in college panels and programs.
I have had many positive experiences working with students who take the initiative to contact alums and find this action often leads them to an exciting internship opportunity. Here are three cases that illustrate the power of alumni in supporting student career development. In each instance the relationship bloomed into internship possibilities. Please note that all three cases are women because of my career counseling experience at a women’s college!
First Case Study – Meeting alumni at career conferences
Susan attended a career conference in New York City, sponsored by her career office and featuring alums in a variety of professions. The alums were volunteers who were intent upon sharing their work experience and answering student questions. Susan was especially impressed by the work of one of the alumna in financial services. She engaged this alum in conversation asking her question about her career. The alumna was so impressed with Susan’s approach and personality, she arranged for Susan to interview for an internship at her firm.
Second Case Study – Alumni networking through college career center
Through her career office, Linda secured an externship (one week job shadowing program) with an alumna working at a high profile women’s magazine. Even though Linda followed this alumna for a week only, she volunteered to help on a project and conducted an informational interview to find out more about the alumna’s career background and accomplishments. The alumna was impressed by Linda’s initiative and genuine interest that she created a summer internship at the magazine for Linda.
Third Case Study – Online alumni career network
Joan was specifically interested in finding a summer internship related to City Planning. I suggested she use our online alumnae career network to see if she could find an alumna in the field to talk with about her summer goals. Joan located an alumna in the city planning field in California. Emailing this alum, Linda included a brief introduction and asked the alumna if she would be willing to talk with her via phone about her career. Joan also invited the alum to offer any suggestions for summer internships. The alumna agreed and provided Joan with substantial information on the best way to find a summer internship related to City Planning and also volunteered to circulate Linda’s resume at her organization.
It has been my experience that many students shy away from approaching or contacting alums. They worry about imposing upon alums or are not sure about the best way to take advantage of alum’s expertise. When they express their angst about connecting with alum, I see it as counseling moment; an opportunity to not only alleviate their fears but also teach and provide guidance. Suggestions such as how to write an appropriate email or make a phone call to the alum are usually helpful, along with aiding them in forming questions that would engage the alum and also provide the student with valuable information.
Alumni are indeed a rich and natural resource for students. They remember their own college experience, both the triumphs and failures and these memories inspire them to reach out and support students from their alma mater. When we teach students to connect with alums during their internship search they experience firsthand the power of networking and sometimes end up with a great summer internship.
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