INTERNSHIPS
Internships bring your classroom studies to life, allowing you to gain hands-on experience while providing exposure to potential post-graduation career opportunities. Internships also position you as a more competitive candidate for full-time jobs or graduate school admission.
5 REASONS TO DO AN INTERNSHIP 1. INTERNSHIPS PROVIDE “REAL-WORLD” EXPERIENCE. Joining a company as an intern gives you the opportunity to work hands-on in a professional environment. In today’s world of work, an intern is not just there to get coffee or run errands, but to gain real work experience. Internships help by teaching students more about the career path they are pursuing. Think of it like this: internships are a way to test-drive possible jobs and explore different career options. 2. INTERNSHIPS OFFER NETWORKING OUTSIDE THE COLLEGE CAMPUS. By interacting with professionals, you gain new connections and learn how to communicate in a professional environment. Internships will introduce you to useful resources and give you the opportunity to meet a variety of professionals in your field. Networking as an intern helps you make new professional contacts and find new job opportunities. Internships can provide you with a professional mentor before you graduate. You can stay connected with the individuals you meet via LinkedIn, or request your managers/coworkers give you a professional or graduate school reference. 3. INTERNSHIPS ARE RESUME BUILDERS. Without a solid resume, it can be tough to be considered for a post-graduation position. And how can you have a strong resume without any experience? Internships are key to building experience as a student or recent graduate. Employers are much more likely to hire someone with internships and work experience rather than someone with a generic resume lacking experience. Seeing an internship tells future employers or graduate schools that you have applied what you learned in the classroom in real-world situations. 4. INTERNSHIPS ENHANCE YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS. You will become a master of time management after 12 weeks in a fast-paced environment. In the workplace, you learn that every minute counts. You become aware of how being late on a project can impact a company’s projected revenue or impact customer satisfaction ratings.
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The Career Guide 2021-2022
5. INTERNSHIPS CAN CONNECT YOU WITH FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES. Choose your internship(s) based on your career interests and goals. As an intern, you get your foot in the door with a company. You obtain access to the organization’s leadership, team, challenging projects, and you get the opportunity to interact with current employees and learn first-hand what it is like to actually work with the company full-time. Statistically, interning with an organization leads to stronger retention rates if interns are later hired by the same organization. After one year of full-time employment:
67.7% of internal interns were retained. 51.7% of external interns were retained. employees with no internship 35.7% of expeirence were retained. National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE, 2021)
5 TIPS FOR LANDING AN INTERNSHIP 1. Start your search early Ideally, you should begin your search one-to-two semesters before you would like to intern. The Career Center has resources to support your internship search. • Meet with your Career Liaison to craft your internship search plan! Career Liaisons specialize in career/ industry knowledge, resources, employability skills, and internship opportunities related to their academic areas. See a complete list of Career Liaisons: career.fsu.edu/about-us/career-liaisons. • Visit our Search Internships page to broaden your search - career.fsu.edu/resources/search-internships • Utilize NoleNetwork, The Career Center’s online opportunity database linking students and alumni directly with employers.
