Do internships really offer job seekers a competitive advantage? According to career counselor Peter Vogt, the answer is - absolutely. In his book Career Wisdom for College Students, Peter provides reasons employers tend to make positive assumptions about students who have completed internships:
1.
Students who have completed an internship are more committed to their chosen
field. A 2005 survey of employers found that 88% who hired
college graduates who completed internships report that those hires who have
internship experience stayed in their jobs longer.
2.
Students who have completed internships have developed the essential skills
and traits they will need to succeed. In addition to providing
students opportunity to hone the hard skills associated with a profession,
internships provide students an opportunity to cultivate soft skills that are
so incredibly important to employers, skills such as communication,
collaboration, research, critical thinking and problem solving.
3.
Students who have completed an internship will have references that can be
specific versus general. An instructor can tell a prospective
employer how you perform academically and how you collaborate with other
students in your classes; however, an instructor cannot speak to how you
perform in the workplace. Intern supervisors and colleagues can serve as
strong references by providing relevant workplace examples to address specific
questions posed by prospective employers.
4.
Students who have completed an internship understand the demands, stresses,
rewards and ambiguities within a profession. Internships provide
students an opportunity to observe and navigate office politics, to understand the
hours required to do a job successfully, and to experience, first hand, the fun
and the challenges that can come with a career.
When you find an internship, we'd love to hear about it. And for those of you who have had internships - do you have any advice to offer for a successful internship experience?
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