Benefits and growing popularity of internships

In the recent column, "Internships must provide compensation, along with experience for students," Charles Leineweber shared his views on the lack of available paid internships for students and the peril of relying on unpaid internships for experience. While much of what he wrote was true, some of his claims may have added to the confusion and negativity surrounding the internship process. Here, I hope to provide students some accurate information and a way to navigate this difficult process.

There is no denying that the recent recession impacted the availability of internships for students. A little-known fact, however, is that companies have invested in internships more than any other sector of the job market over the last couple of years. This year, intern hiring is expected to increase 8.5 percent from last year, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' 2012 Internship & Co-op Survey.

In addition, a greater percentage of internships will be paid. Overall, respondents reported that an average of 99.6 percent of their internships are paid, an increase from an average of 97.1 percent of internships that were paid last year.  

This year, only 4.2 percent of respondents reported that unpaid internships account for at least a portion of their hires. Students who complete internships earn roughly 20 percent more than those who did not in their first job out of college. Also, employers see internships as an effective recruiting strategy. Nearly 80 percent of employers surveyed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) hire nearly all their new college employees from internship or co-op trained candidates (NACE, 2011).   

Legally, for-profit organizations are mandated to pay interns at least a minimum wage, unless the internship is solely for the benefit of the student. The Obama Administration has undertaken a crackdown on for-profit companies, who take advantage of students by having them work for free. Public agencies and nonprofit organizations, however, can legally hire unpaid interns.

Because of the common refrain that there are no paid internships for non-engineers, many students have gotten the impression that there is no point in looking and have stopped trying. Meanwhile, employers looking for students in all disciplines lament lack of applications from students – especially at OSU. For many internship opportunities listed in Beaver JobNet deadlines pass and no one has applied.

A bigger issue than supply of opportunity is lack of knowledge and confidence in applying for internship opportunities. There are effective search strategies beyond online listings that are essential for success and that everyone can learn. Most importantly, the preparation for a good internship needs to start as early as freshman year. Below is a list of free resources available to OSU students.

It is important to exercise sound judgment when accepting any internship. Often, students have not quite determined what they would like to get out of an internship and how the experience might fit in with their career development. Also, students may lack knowledge of what a good internship looks like and may accept any opportunity that comes along. Ideally, an internship offers mentoring, training and keystone projects that are relevant to the interests and goals of the student.

For help with navigating this confusing process, students have access to Career Services and internship coordinators in their majors. There are great many organizations looking to add more Beavers to their staff and hundreds of listings are currently on Beaver JobNet.  

Students don't always realize how marketable they are and they might have a hard time putting into words their strengths and skills. The good news is that there is free help available to students.

Internships offer students unlimited opportunities to grow as individuals. This is often a student's first professional level experience, but since it is temporary and under some guidance from a university faculty member, it's a relatively low-risk educational experience that allows the student to test out interests and aptitudes.

Take advantage of the great resources here at OSU. For more information: http://oregonstate.edu/career/internships. Also, schedule an appointment with a job/internship coach or career counselor to help with strategies or to identify the best fit for you. Many majors also have very effective internship coordinators available to students.  

Adry Clark

Assistant Director, Career Services