PHIL BLAIR
In charting your career path, internships matter — a lot, no matter if they’re during summer break or in the academic school year.
Research by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) shows that companies offer full-time jobs to 72% of their interns, and nearly 80% accept the offer. The full-time positions they offered probably weren’t exactly the same as the internships.
But in your case, let’s hope you impressed them with your work ethic and talents. Most importantly, you got the opportunity to meet people on the inside and they got to know you as a person.
Internships are the ultimate “try before you buy,” on both sides. The company gets to know you, and you get to know the company.
The opposite also happens.
Often, we’ll send temporary employees or interns to work in industries or companies that they thought were their ideal jobs — law firms and PR firms come to mind — and they come running back.
Seems the practice of law is more difficult and PR far less sexy than they thought. You think you’d love selling commercial real estate, right? After all, how hard can it be. But spend a few weeks with a broker and you’ll quickly see how competitive it is, and the amount of work that goes into closing a deal.
All the while with no income because it’s commission-based.
If you do decide that real estate or law or whatever else isn’t for you, then thank the firm and move on to your next choice. And maybe change your major.
You’re expected to be productive every dayYour goal is to attain a quality internship where you’re learning every day. You’re also expected to be productive every day. Make sure that any internships you accept will fulfill your expectations, and that you meet the company’s expectations.
Work hard and do a good job. Offer to work extra hours, or work on new projects. Get to know everyone in the firm that you possibly can. Make sure the company knows you love working there and that you’d like to discuss another internship next year or even a full-time job.
Don’t be bashful. If you want them, they’ll likely want you. Most internships are low-paid, but at least you’re making some money. The law now says firms generally may not hire unpaid interns to do any work that the firm normally does.
Firms also realize that the students they most want to work with may need to earn money to support themselves. It’s always a shame when students can’t accept an internship have to take a mundane job just to afford to eat. There are still some examples of unpaid internships, including companies that can’t afford another salary, even at minimum wage. But maybe they’re a startup that’s doing fascinating work and you desperately want to get in on the ground floor. Hopefully, you’ll work your way into a paid internship, but maybe not.
An eagerness to absorb everything you canWhatever the case, especially if your new employer is paying you, they expect productive work along with an eagerness to absorb everything you can. The other great advantage of any internship is the very valuable reference letter.
With an internship, a student is working in the adult workforce, instead of flipping hamburgers. It’s your opportunity to accept the responsibilities of dressing like an adult, going to work on time on a set schedule, and being an adult. After several months, a company gets to know your skills, work ethic and sincerity.
Even if you aren’t offered a perm job or didn’t accept one, you need to impress your employer so they’ll give you a positive review.
Internships give you real-work experience, a taste of your chosen field, as they build your confidence, and give you networking opportunities. When you get in front of people like me and I ask what you did on your summer vacation, I hope you’ll be ready to tell me about that amazing internship that changed your life.
I’ll be very impressed. Just don’t tell me how you improved your golf swing.
Blair is co-founder of Manpower Staffing.
pblair@manpowersd.com
Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune
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