The Necessity of Internships

This past fall Career Services hosted a panel of local employers to talk to our science majors about post-graduation jobs. Their unilateral and unequivocal message: student must have internships to get jobs in a lab. They didn’t suggest this. They didn’t recommend this. It was a pure directive. One employer went so far as to say that if a person didn’t have a related internship, he wouldn’t even look at the application. Period.

In a recent newsletter from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, an article announced “The internship, which was once viewed as optional by college students and as “cheap labor” by corporate America, has taken the front seat as a necessary career builder for today’s college students and as a vital HR tool for employers. Employers consistently name internship programs as one of the most effective tools they have for building their talent pools. Interns bring fresh ideas and technological know-how into the workplace, while employers provide interns with priceless tools and experience for their resumes. Student interns … grow their experience, and make workplace connections. Internships are increasingly required for landing those good jobs.”

I have also read in a number of news sources that while the job market is tumbling along with the stock market, employers’ recruitment for interns is increasing. Internships are a win-win. Employers can beta test potential employees and ditto for students testing careers. There is no class or extracurricular experience that will give you the same skills, the same networking possibilities, the same entrée into your field of choice as an internship.

“But,” you say, “my parents lost their jobs in the market downturn, and I have to look for work to stay in college.” That doesn’t have to be a roadblock. Many employers offer stipends or even salaries to their interns, and if they don’t, you can ask. Don’t make it a sob story – no one is interested. Just be factual. “In order to finance my education, I need to cover 25 percent of my college and living expenses. I have a part-time job that helps with this, but to make this internship work I’ll need a stipend of $800 for the quarter. This will help me with transportation costs as well as living expenses. What you’ll get in return is an enthusiastic employee who has been trained for the last 14 years on how to learn. I’m a fast study and know I can contribute to your operation in short order.” Or something to that effect.

For a comprehensive intro to all things internship, visit http://career.ucsb.edu/students/internships/index.html.

What if you look at all the links and tips and, after poring through this for hours, still have not found an internship that suits you? Then create your own. A while back I worked with a student who wanted a law internship in Santa Barbara. She drew up a cover letter, résumé and internship proposal, outlining what she hoped for in an internship, how much money she would need to make, what hours she could work, and what experience she would bring. (This is especially good for employers who have never sponsored an intern before and need a little help conceptualizing how this might work.) She then pored through the Santa Barbara phone book and typed up envelopes to over 40 local law firms, including some that already took interns from UCSB. She stuffed the envelopes, sent them off and heard back from 10 offices who were interested in her proposal. She set up appointments with three of them (her top choices), and ended up with a paid internship with a firm that had taken on 3 other unpaid UCSB interns. They were so impressed with her professionalism and initiative; they figured she was worth paying.

So think about it. As Patrick Coombs, author of block buster book Major in Success, said “School without an internship can get you nowhere.”

Micael Kemp is the director of Career Services at UCSB.