Internships have become as much a part of a college education as large lecture courses, small dormitory rooms and all-nighters. In fact, more than half of last year's graduating seniors held internships during their college career, and it's easy to see why.
Proof of experience in the world of work adds substance to a resume; undergraduates get an opportunity to make professional contacts, and internships often lead to jobs. According to a survey of the class of 2001 by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 57 percent of its former interns were offered full-time positions by the organization that sponsored them. The survey also found that new college graduates with ``experiential education'' were paid an average 9 percent more than other new hires.
More important, internships provide a low-risk reality check on career options. ``Internships are to full-time jobs as dating is to marriage,'' says Mary Scott, president of Scott Resources Group, a consulting company specializing in worker recruitment and retention. ``Students want to examine all their options before making a commitment.''
Consider Loren Frant, an American studies major at Cornell University who interned with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. Ms. Frant, whose project was to research and catalog 200 videotaped testimonies of Holocaust survivors, found the work challenging and rewarding, whetting her appetite for a career in library science, particularly archives. In her junior year, as a summer intern at the Amherst College Library near her home in Massachusetts, she got a completely different picture. ``I did not want to deal with red rot in books or live in an acid-free world,'' she says. She abandoned archives but stayed in library science, taking a full-time job with the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation and then Questor Systems, which provides technological help to organiza tions that collect artifacts.
Internships come in various shapes and sizes. They can be part time or full time, between semesters or during the academic year, often as part of a cooperative program between university and business. Some interns are paid, some are not. Some receive academic credit, with supervision by an on-site mentor and instructor from the college; some get no credit.
Finding an internship, any internship, to get a notch on the resume belt is easy. Landing one that teaches you something and provides an opportunity to find out what a profession is really like takes time, knowledge and initiative.
Where to Look
There is no one time to apply for an internship. But in search of the best and the brightest, large, competitive companies with structured programs post their summer internships in early fall, and small to midsize companies in spring, says Ken Ramberg, president of MonsterTrak.com, the job-market Web site. About 1,400 college and university career centers subscribe to his service: each institution gets a separate database, available only to its students. That way, companies can narrow their search to a specific university -- say, for its academic specialty or geography (or because an executive is an alumnus). In late March, 2,800 internships were posted for Stanford University alone.
Guidebooks like the 2002 edition of ``The Internship Bible'' (Princeton Review) and ``Internships 2002'' (Peterson's Guides) are other sources, providing descriptions, application instructions and deadlines. Organizations may also list positions on their Web sites.
While the meek may inherit the earth, the aggressive gobble up the good internships. About half of the interns from Stanford get their jobs through networking, according to Lance Choy, the director of its Career Development Center. He tells his students that employers tend to select applicants they know or who are recommended by a friend, family member or colleague. John Wiseman, a Co rnell junior and aspiring film producer, set shyness aside and contacted his former Boy Scout leader, who owned a small company called Flying Colors Media in Tulsa, Okla. He was given a slot as a production assistant on cable commercials and educational and industrial films.
Positions like this are sometimes created if a student just asks for one. And making cold calls to set up an ``information interview'' can produce results. Lani Guinier, the Harvard law professor, once offered a summer internship to a student who sent her an e-mail (actually, the student sent e-mails to 50 law professors).
To Fax and File, or Learn
Students should not limit themselves to internships in career-related fields. Since most Americans change jobs several times and professions at least once, it makes sense for prospective lawyers, pre-meds and engineers to investigate other fields or get training in citizenship and service with agencies like Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union. The experience may make an accounting course, a major in nutrition, a concentration in international relations, a senior honors thesis on Thucydides seem more -- or less -- desirable or necessary.
An internship at a prestigious place, be it the Central Intelligence Agency or the Culinary Institute of America, commands the attention of prospective employers and professional school admissions committees. It demonstrates that the applicant had the intellect, drive and maturity to win a much-coveted position. But on the whole, substantive work is more important than prestige. Many interns, alas, spend most of their time faxing, stapling, filing and delivering -- or surfing the Net as they wait for the next chore. Of his three internships (one with Capitol Records in New York) Mr. Wiseman rates his stint with Flying Colors as the most valuable. At glamorous Capitol, he updated his supervisor's contact list and sent recordings to disk jockeys; at Flying Colors he used the company's stock foot age to adapt a short story for the screen and produced a music video. Prospective interns should ask supervisors to describe the projects to which they will be assigned and chat with previous interns before making a decision.
One roadblock to a prized internship is the fact that, to minimize liability and comply with minimum wages laws, some companies require unpaid interns to get academic credit for their work. But many universities don't give credit for experiential learning -- Stanford, for example. Instead, Mr. Choy will write a letter certifying that the student is in good standing and endorsing the internship on behalf of the university. If this does not suffice, he acknowledges, applicants have been known to enroll for one credit as nonmatriculating, extramural students in inexpensive colleges that grant credit for such work. Students will not be able to apply the credit toward their degree.
Which Foot Forward?
As with any job application, a good resume and cover letter highlight relevant qualifications and show that the applicant is familiar with the position; Web sites are a handy source for company information that can be dropped into the interview. Sloppiness, wordiness, spelling mistakes or grammatical errors can be fatal.
And the candidate who stands out from the rest has a better chance. Prof. James Reese likes to recount how, a few years ago, a student in his sports industry program at Ohio University flashed a New York Yankees tattoo on his leg during an interview with the Bronx Bombers. Extreme, but he was hired that day.
The `In' Box
While on the job, assigned tasks should be mastered first. Once interns demonstrate that they do not mind getting their hands dirty they can volunteer to take on more meaningful work. Unpaid interns should be especially persistent in asking to create computer programs, write business plans or sit in on staff meetings. Interns who take on added responsibilities, of course, need to produce f irst-rate results, on or ahead of time.
Back at school, it pays to keep in touch with supervisors and colleagues, even if it seems self-serving. An e-mail every three months, an offer to communicate with prospective interns and a holiday card seems about right. If there is genuine affection and respect, contact might be more frequent. Supervisors expect to be asked to network and write letters of recommendation. It is up to interns, on the job and afterward, to give them some good reasons to be generous with their praise.
Glenn C. Altschuler is dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions at Cornell University and a professor of American studies. His column on negotiating college appears in each issue of this section.
Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company
Sunday New York Times
April 14, 2002
Education Life
Page 20