Your purpose in doing this project is to become knowledgeable about how internships can play a significant role in your personal career development. It is designed to help you in understanding the reasons for an internship, how to prepare for one, how to do research in finding an appropriate internship, and how to structure it with the help of a Cooperative Work Experience Instructor. Because you will be spending a great deal of time, money, and effort on your education this is a success strategy to help you in securing a job in your chosen field. Recent studies have shown that students who do internships find jobs quicker and earn more on their first jobs than students who don’t intern. Statistically, three out of four internships turn into jobs. The job offer may not come from the company or organization where you did your internship but as you develop contacts in the field, you will expose your skills to an audience that has an interest in what you want to do.

Project Goals

1. Reviewing what some of the career authorities say about the value of internships.
   
   
2. Identify the reasons for doing an internship as part of the career development process and to discover your particular reasons for doing an internship.
   
   
3. Prepare a resume and cover letter suited to an internship search and learn how to prepare appropriately for presenting yourself to a potential organization.
   
   
4. Plan and prepare a 30 second personal advertisement that can be used when meeting people and on the telephone in order to share your areas of interest and make a positive impression.
   
   
5. Learn strategies for looking for internships, which include negotiation skills for what you would like to learn and contribute to the employer.
   
   
6. Prepare a filing system for keeping track of the internship search process for future reference.
   
   
7. Prepare for the interview by reviewing the Interview Questions Sheet.
   
   
8. Structuring the internship for the greatest benefit to you and the employer. How your Cooperative Work Experience instructor can help you in this process.
   
   
9. Identify how to successfully conclude an internship keeping in mind appreciation to key people, letters of recommendation, and contacts.

Interning: The Rationale

Interning is IN—it continues to be recognized as an excellent career development strategy. It is particularly powerful for students in several situations of career choosing or changing:

• for career-finders in a job market that is tight and demanding for the foreseeable future
• for career changers in an era when career paths are shifting under their feet
• for career choosers who are unsure of the day-to-day demands of a particular job
• for career novices who lack job experience required by an employer
• for employers who are sending the word back from the workplace that “it’s the interns who get the jobs!”

According to the National Society for Internships and Experiential Education (NAIEE), an internship is “any carefully monitored work or service experience in which an individual has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what s/he is learning throughout the experience.”

The National Society for Experiential Education (www.nsee.org) defines the wide range of experiential opportunities for students.

What do well-known authorities say about Internships?

With a significant number of interns going on to become full-time employees, the Internship you choose can be an important step on your road to success. “Be sure to take the opportunity seriously and use it to your full advantage” suggests Trina Frazier Madry Senior Recruiting Manager at Procter & Gamble.

“Organizations today favor entry-level accountants capable of making an immediate impact in a business environment. Internships and temporary assignments enable students to gain practical on-the-job training and develop their professional skills while exploring various industries, companies and corporate cultures” This is the perspective of Max Messmer, chairman of Acountemps.

Deb Artz, Applied Learning Internship Coordinator for UC Santa Barbara, expounds “Employers are all looking for related job experience, and students who have it tend to have more companies wanting to hire them. They can sometimes negotiate for higher starting salaries too. Internships simply make you more marketable.”

“Besides enhancing a student’s marketability after graduation, internships also help students see if there’s a match up between their academic studies and what they’re ultimately going to do in the workplace” says Sandra Butler Whyte, vice president of external affairs and student services for the Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars in Washington, DC.

Criteria: N/A

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Goal #2

Why an internship for me?

This worksheet is designed to help you understand the personal benefits of an internship. Knowing what you want to learn, what you have to contribute, and how it will help you in your career are important first steps.

1. List 5 reasons why you would like to do an internship.(Legible handwriting or typed)
1. ______________________________________________________________
   ______________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________
   ______________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________
   ______________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________
   ______________________________________________________________
5. ______________________________________________________________
   ______________________________________________________________
   
2. Answer the following questions. (Legible handwriting or typed)
1. What could you learn in an internship that would be direct application of theories, ideas, and learning from your college classes?
   
   
   
2. What skills would you like to gain or practice in the internship?
   
   
   
3. How will you use this opportunity to develop relationships or gain knowledge in the field?
   
   
   
4. What do you bring to the internship regarding previous work experience, skills, or current knowledge in the field?
   
   
   

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Goal #3

Resume Worksheet

1. This exercise is designed to help you record specific skills and experiences in a resume format. Just as with job search, you'll need a resume when marketing yourself for an internship.

2. Review sample resumes on the web at monster.com and then complete the worksheet.

Criteria:

1. Submit a copy of your internship resume.

Resume Worksheet

Name:_______________________________________ Phone:_______________________________ Address:__________________________________________________________________________ E-mail, Web site, ect:________________________________________________________________ Internship Objective:_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Education:_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Educational Goal:____________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Related Coursework:_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Academic Honors or accomplishments:___________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Professional Work Experience:_________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ Personal Profile:____________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________


Cover Letter

This exercise will help you complete a cover letter, which should always accompany your resume. You will notice it gives detail about personal background, interests, educational attainment and goals, and emphasizes the personal interests and skills in the targeted area. It should be put into a business letter format.

A sample cover letter formatted in block style follows. Additional sample cover letters are available on the web. Some letters are written to obtain a "job" but the same language and information should be included when marketing yourself for an "internship". (monster.com)

2. Submit a copy of your cover letter.

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Goal #4

Effective Telephone or In-Person Contact

Many of the contacts you will make while looking for an internship will be on the telephone. Therefore it is necessary that you plan and prepare what you will say to a potential contact. The advance preparation of a 30 second personal advertisement and practice in a role playing situation will help you gain confidence in making your own contacts and learning how to overcome obstacles.

Preparing the 30 second personal advertisement and then practicing it either by yourself or with someone will take away some of the hesitancy and fear from this experience. It will also help you to make an impression as an articulate focused student. This will enhance your chances of getting an internship.

1. Identify the person who is in charge of the internship program or the hiring authority.
2. Give a brief personal introduction including name, college you are attending, and that you are calling about an internship opportunity. Be ready to answer the following questions, if asked:
   
   1. What would you like to do in the organization?
      
      
      
      
   2. What classes have you completed that will help you in the accomplishment of the internship?
      
      
      
      
   3. What are your strengthens and previous work experience you have to offer?
      
      
      
      
   4. What times are you available during the week?
      
      
      
      
   5. What is the process the college will use to grant credit, structure the internship and expect of the employer

Write the 30 second personal advertisement here and practice it with someone so you can share the information confidently.(Typewritten or legible handwriting)

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Goal #5

The Looking Process -Where to find internships

Opportunities abound in public, private, corporate, government and nonprofit organizations. Most colleges have listings of internships and specific departments and instructors will have ideas of where the industry internship goldmine is. Making contacts with professional organizations, Chambers of Commerce or looking in professional journals or magazines can net contacts. Usually the opportunities are there for the asking. If you make contact with an organization that has not been involved with interning don't despair; use this as an educational opportunity to bring them into the fold. Ask them to try it on a trial basis.

Career Centers

1. Internship listings are usually available in files, on bulletin boards, or in binders. The binder located outside the Career Services Office at Chaffey College contains a partial list of local internships.
2. Local job listings give great leads for where work is being done that may interest you.
3. Career Fairs at the college or offered by companies or a combination of organizations.

Library Resources

1. Local Telephone Book Yellow Pages - Begin at the index. Look for organizations in categories related to your major or career goal, e.g. The category, “Air Pollution Control and Systems” lists companies with internship potential for Environmental Technology majors. Compile a list of the categories related to the internship you are seeking.
   
   
2. Book of Lists - A listing of local companies organized by business, professional, or industry categories; available at your local library. Determine which lists provide names of companies that employ people in your target categories.
   
   
3. Encyclopedia of Associations - Lists professional associations to which individuals employed in the targeted occupational categories belong. Internship positions are often listed in the magazines and journals representing professional associations. Find a local chapter. Attend meetings and conferences. Inquire about internship positions.
   
   
4. Industry Magazines and Journals - Read the articles and classified ads to identify companies you might be interested in contacting and to become more knowledgeable about industry-related issues, in order to prepare for upcoming discussion with industry professionals.
   
   
5. Local or Regional Business Publications - profile local business trends, key players, and what is going on with that industry.
   
   
6. Newspaper Classified Ads - List companies which posted ads for jobs in your targeted categories in past editions of your local newspaper.

Your Network of Personal and Professional Contacts

Get the word out! Let the following people and groups know that you are seeking an internship in your targeted categories:

Teachers and Counselors, particularly those whose disciplines are related to your targeted categories. Friends, family, and fellow students.

Chaffey College instructors often know of internships that are not listed elsewhere, and are reserved for students enrolled in their disciplines. So, ask an instructor in your major about organizations offering internships.

Internet Resources

The world wide web offers many internship opportunities. The following list available internship opportunities.
www.monstertrak.com
www.yahoo.com
www.wetfeet.internshipprograms.com

Criteria:

1. Submit a list of internships that you found in the internship binder, on Web sites, from instructors or others you contacted. State the name of the organizations and the titles of the internships.

2. Submit a list of organizations that seem like good places to intern (and that you plan to contact) but do not formally list internships.

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Goal #6

Criteria:

Maintain a log of contacts that you made with organizations regarding internship.

Internship Contact Sheet

It is likely that you will make several contacts before finding the right person in the company or organization or contact several organizations before finding the right internship. Having a record keeping process for identifying whom you made contact with and what the next steps will be is very important. Record the names of a minimum of four (4) potential internship sites using a variety of search methods (library, campus career center, and web).

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Goal #7

Interview Guide

Criteria:

Review and practice typical job interview questions, giving them an internship perspective. Describe your interview readiness at your grading appointment.

Questions you may want to ask

1. What would your responsibilities be?
2. How many hours are required?
3. To whom would you report?
4. Where does the position fit into the overall department/organization structure?
5. What major projects will be faced in the near future for the intern?
6. Does the organization have a mission statement? If so, what is it?

The purpose of the first interview is to explore a match between the candidate and the organization. Do your skills and experience match what they are looking for?

The interview process may involve several people you will interview with prior to the official internship offer. Use the interview as an opportunity to find out about the internship, the organization and the duties. Use it as a marketing tool for your skills and abilities.

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Goal #8

How to structure a successful internship

As a first time intern, you may be a bit unsure about how to act in an internship setting. View this experience the same way you would a regular job, employing all of the characteristics of a good employee, such as arriving early, working effectively and dressing appropriately. As a Cooperative Education student a Learning Agreement will be put in place to guide the learning experience. You will be working closely with an instructor to structure and guide this experience. The Learning Agreement helps the employer and the student understand the expectations of the college and the student. It gives the employer a forum for sharing what they would like to contribute to the student's learning and what they hope will be an outcome for their organization. Prepare to design the objectives of your Learning Agreement by considering the following questions:

Criteria:

(For students who have secured an offer of an internship) Write brief answers to the following questions (in legible handwriting or typewritten)

1. What could you learn in an internship that would be a direct application of theories, ideas and learning from your college classes?
   
   
   
   
   
2. What skills would you like to gain or practice in the internship?
   
   
   
   
   
3. How will you use this opportunity to develop relationships or gain knowledge in the field?
   
   
   
   
   
4. What do you bring to the internship regarding previous work experience, skills or current knowledge in the field?
   
   
   
   
   
   

   Letter of Recommendation

Students should gather at least three letters of recommendation from peers, professionals, and instructors, which outline or highlight your skills and abilities.

Sample Letters of Recommendation

1. Cory Smith was an intern at Aquip Corporation City Rentals from September 1991- January 7, 1996. His position in our company was that of Assistant Rental Manager.
   

   As Assistant Rental Manager, Cory was responsible for the following:

   1. Writing computerized rental invoices for customers;
   2. Maintaining rental files and controlling equipment inventories;
   3. Management of Accounts Receivable files;
   4. Collection of overdue accounts;
   5. Issuing credit and debit memos to customer accounts;
   6. Balancing of cash register receipts;
   7. Spanish/English customer translations;
   8. Dispatching of drivers for equipment delivery and pickup.
   
   Cory’s work was of the highest quality; his thoroughness and attention to detail proved to be an asset to our staff. In dealing with people, he always made an effort to see that all possible situations were covered in order to avoid possible customer or employee injury while using rental equipment. His strong communication skills benefited not only our customers, but fellow workers as well.
   
   My observations of Cory showed me that he was very highly motivated, was thorough and inquisitive, and believed strongly in his job and company. He was always prompt and attentive from the time work began until the time it ended. He always made good use of his time and was always willing to make changes as well as offer suggestions. High self-esteem allows him to accept criticism well and channel his efforts with the utmost of confidence.
   
   I am sure he will prove to be as valuable to your company as he has been to ours.
   
   

   Sincerely,
   
   
   
   Jan Brown
   Vice President
   

2. Additional sample letters of recommendation can be viewed on the web at www.monster.com
   

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Goal #9

Internship Finale

(for students who have been accepted for an internship)

As you bring the curtain down on a successful internship there are some final activities that bring appropriate closure to the experience. You may want to consider the following:

1. A formal letter of thank you to individuals and the company leadership shows a high degree of professionalism. Ask to have the letter inserted into your personnel file as an official document of your work there.
   
   
2. Request letters of recommendation from supervisors who know your work well enough to give specific comment and recommendation. Ask them if they will also be a reference to your next internship or job. (Example Letter of Recommendation)
   
   
3. Obtain brochures, flyers or other promotional material that could be used to make your portfolio visually interesting about the place where you did your internship.
   
   
4. If evaluations have been completed regarding your work during the time you were there, ask for a copy for your portfolio or files.
   
   
5. Secure a copy of your job description with specific detail about your responsibilities. If one is not available, prepare it yourself and ask your supervisor to review it for any omissions.
   
   
6. Ask your supervisor if you can have copies of projects you worked on or work that would represent what you learned there.
   
   
7. Take time for a personal thank you and specifics to the people who taught you and guided your learning there. Tell them what you learned and how you expect to use it in your chosen field.
   
   
8. Ask for referrals or recommendations to other organizations that would provide you another internship learning experience.
   
   
9. Prepare your own review of what you learned. Use this as an opportunity to evaluate what you contributed as well as gained.

Criteria: N/A

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Internship Resources on The Web

America ’s Career Infonet: www.acinet.org

CareerPath.com: www.careerpath.com

The Monster Board: www.monster.com

California EDD:www.calmis.gov

Yahoo! Professional Associations: www.yahoo.com

Brown University ’s advice to student internship candidates: careerdevelopment.brown.edu