The Benefits of an Internship

An internship is on most students’ minds — an opportunity to jumpstart their professional careers and supplement their courses with hands-on experience. Graduating seniors who applied for a full-time job and participated in an internship received 20% more job offers than those without internship experience (NACE, 2019 Study).

Internships benefit both the student and the employee. On-the-job learning reinforces what you see in the classroom and teaches invaluable skills like time management, communication, working with others, problem-solving, and, most importantly, the willingness to learn. For employers, you can build relationships and prepare future employees.

How Internships Benefit Students

Experience

Most college graduates will have to overcome a barrier to entry due to an experience requirement — something college students do not always get with their education. An internship provides you with firsthand experience, professional opportunities and personal growth.

It will also make you more competitive when applying for jobs. As an intern, you’ll gain relevant skills to showcase on your resume. After a successful internship, it’s common to receive a letter of recommendation or a potential job offer.

Professional Network

An internship expands your professional network. Interns often report to mid- to senior-level positions. These mentors can help guide you and provide helpful advice for your career path. Plus, you will meet others within the company who have diverse work experience and professional connections.

Real-World Application

Not only can you apply knowledge and theories from classroom discussion to the workplace, but you will gain other practical and professional skills. Students must often apply and interview to receive an internship. You will learn how to be professional, accountable and take initiative.

Career Discovery

Field experience in your major or study of interest is a great way to discover your career path. Many employers use interns as generalists to help complete a variety of tasks, allowing interns to gain new experience in different aspects of the company or business model. It may also be a good opportunity to learn whether the career is a good fit for your skill sets and interests.

An internship is a test drive of your chosen career, and you are under no obligation to make a commitment. Maybe you wanted to be a marketer, but the internship had some accounting responsibilities that you enjoyed more. You never know what you will learn about yourself along the way.

How Internships Benefit Employers

Additional Support

Student interns can be a great asset to your team. You can hire an intern for a specific job or a generalist who can help anywhere needed. Students are interested in gaining experience and are often happy to jump into a new project or learn a new skill that helps prepare them for a career.

Preparing Future Employees

Internships are a great way to create a pipeline of great future employees. Employers often hire interns to train up and try out new employees part time. It is a smooth transition for students to earn jobs right out of college, as employees are familiar with the student and their skill set to know where to place them.

Build More Professional Relationships

Ideally, you will be your intern's professional connection for years to come. Even if they do not work for you after their internship, they may have a need or opportunity at their company that could benefit from a partnership with yours.

Offering internships through a local college is also a great way to build relationships with the greater community. You can get involved with school projects and campus programs, and build relationships with future employees or partners.

How to Land the Right Internships

Diversify Your Portfolio

Explore various job-related experiences, including work-study positions, summer jobs, volunteer opportunities, class projects and campus involvement. They will open doors to internships and post-grad opportunities.

George Fox’s Career & Academic Planning Center can help you articulate your experiences onto a resumé, cover letter and LinkedIn profile. Instead of “Work Experience” as a section header, we use “Experience” so that all these great, rich opportunities can be gathered under one umbrella.

Develop Your Soft Skills

Employers look for candidates with strong communication skills, like writing and presenting. Standing out in these areas can put you ahead. And taking on leadership roles – such as serving as an intramurals captain or student government leader – also looks great on a resumé.

Finally, critical thinking and problem solving are huge. For instance, be able to articulate how the work processes in a group project brought you to certain problem-solving methods and conclusions.

Tap Into Resources

Professors are a great resource. They are well connected to their industry and often stay in touch with graduates who are working in their fields. Also, use LinkedIn to identify people in your field, particularly alumni, and ask for informational interviews to build your network. The Career & Academic Planning Center can show you how to utilize this vast online resource.

Hone Your Professional Skills

To be successful in a job or internship, things like showing up on time, not asking for too much time off, asking good questions, finding projects without having to be told, and practicing good customer service skills are critical. That’s where work-study and summer jobs come in handy, giving you an outlet to practice these professional skills.

Get Involved In Outside Organization

Get involved in professional associations and organizations related to your major. Student memberships are available with organizations like the American Marketing Association or the Oregon Media Production Association. These organizations have networking events, as well as job boards and opportunities for getting involved. Professionals often love helping students in their field, so now is the time to start building these relationships!