Internships

What is an Internship?

An internship offers the student an opportunity to gain real work experiences in their area of interest or to try out other fields. Organizations hosting the student work with them to meet learning goals and develop career skills. The positions are for varying lengths of time and are either paid or unpaid. Some internships require a specific grade point average and age limit.

Value Of Interning

Students who intern have the chance to gain a more accurate picture of a career, make contacts with people in their field of interest, build confidence and show future employers that you have experience.

Define Your Internship

The first step in the process is to identify your goals. Think about the type of work environment and career field you want to explore as well as the skills you have to bring to the internship.

The next step is planning. Applying for an internship requires meeting an application deadline, preparing a resume and writing a cover letter. Searching and applying for a summer internship should begin in the fall of the previous year.

Practical Considerations

Housing, geography and finances need to be considered while contemplating an internship. How are you going to support yourself while interning? Living at home or with friends or relatives could save money. If you choose to be in a new city or abroad, you can find rooms on web sites such as craigslist.com. Washington DC and New York City have intern student housing options.

A minimum GPA of 2.75 for most positions is required and a 3.5 or above for more high profile positions such as media organizations and government departments is necessary.

You must have social and organizational skills that are suitable for the work enviroment as well as the ability to take part in an interview over the phone or in person.

Guidelines For A Successful Internship

Before you begin your internship you should create a folder to save important internship information. In the folder should be your dates of the program, the days and hours per week you will be working, tax information and required identification. You can use the folder to keep work related documents and your internship journal.

Ask your internship coordinator about the dress code, your work space and rules about time off for a personal or family event.

Employers like interns that are enthusiastic, take initiative and are team players. Interns should meet with your supervisor to go over your goals and ask for regular feedback on your progress. Get to know others in your organizations that may be a mentor and offer support plus provide a network of future contacts.