No Title 2807

Supplement to “Getting the Job by Doing the Job”

Top things to consider when seeking an internship
Margaret Cambron, director of career development at Kentucky Wesleyan College, suggests you answer these four key questions when looking for an internship that’s right for you:

1. Ask yourself if the experience is relevant for your academic area and/or career goals. Remember that just filing, copying, running errands, or answering the phone is not significant experience.

2. Will the internship provide hands-on learning? Shadowing is just shadowing, observation is an important facet of interning, but should be a minor part, not a major component, Cambron says.

3. Does the internship site provide a supervisor who will provide one-on-one mentoring to the student?

4. Is the position paid?

Search Web sites for listings of internship programs that match your interests. Web sites like www.internships.com offer a searchable database of thousands of internship and co-op opportunities throughout the country. More locally, Intern to Earn (www.greaterlouisville.com/interntoearn) lists internships in the Louisville metro area and surrounding region in an array of fields.

Many employers are seeking out interns for summer and fall 2012 now, so now is the time to apply.

Students can also work with their academic advisors and their campus career services office to identify internships and co-op opportunities in their fields of study.

1. Consult faculty advisors (they usually have a list of internship contacts in their areas).

2. Seek out leads through the career development office at your college or university.

3. Make cold calls to businesses and organizations. Cambron likes this approach, because it takes initiative, makes the student step out of their comfort zone, and provides “real life” experience preparing them for their career search after college, she says.

To read the Kentucky Living February 2012 feature that goes along with this supplement, go to Getting the Job by Doing the Job.