The importance of internships

When you return to campus this fall, I encourage you to start talking with your advisor about internships and visit my office (136 Mary's) to discuss possible internship sites. You will want to find out if an internship is required for your major or if it could satisfy and elective credit. Internships are a great way to get real work experience related to your major. They look great on your resume and the experience itself gives you something to talk about in a job interview. An internship may also lead to a job offer after college. A recent survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers reports the following:

Employers are using their internship program for recruiting full-time hires, and are generally converting a greater percentage of interns into full-time employees than in previous years. The percent of interns converted to full-time employees has increased from 35.6 percent in 2001 to 50.5 percent in 2008.

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Driving the higher conversion rates is the increase in the rate at which interns are receiving offers of full time employment. The percent of interns receiving full-time job offers as a result of their internships increased from 56.9 percent in 2001 to 69.6 percent in 2008.

Out of the summer 2008 group of interns, three students have already reported job offers and another two site supervisors have told me they plan to extend a job offer to the students after graduation. This should be great incentive to start planning your internship today!