How Interns Find Their Own Opportunities

Internships in college are becoming more and more important as the objective of ensuring that students land positions after graduation increases in priority for administrators.

There is almost a universal consensus that internships are a good idea for helping students transition to the workforce. Just to be sure, several highly respected research organizations have conducted surveys and sponsored projects to test the theory. In a nutshell, this is the general sentiment:

“High-quality internship experiences are increasingly understood to be an integral part of an excellent undergraduate education. Prominent educational organizations advocate for internships as a pathway to career success for undergraduate students, and a body of research documents the positive relationship between college internship experiences and student preparation for career success.”

Source: A 2017 report from NACE.

Statistically speaking:

“Former interns are 2x as likely to get a good job upon graduation.”

Source: Chronicle of Higher Education

Higher education institutions, education companies and employment-oriented organizations face a challenge in developing and promoting internship opportunities for their communities because they do not often have enough support, staff and resources internally to offer something for everyone. In an ideal world there would be plenty of people available to seek out and develop relationships with a wide range of employers who would offer internships. The institutions would be able to promote the internships and help with recruitment and matchmaking.

Until that happens, students will be tasked with seeking out and finding their own internships and doing what they need to get them. It’s a traditional job seeker’s path. They will need to:

• Identify what kind of internship they want
• Research the hiring organizations
• Network with potential internship managers and HR representatives
• Prepare application materials (resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile, if required)
• Apply for the internship opportunities
• Interview for the roles
• Negotiate the terms and payment once an offer is extended

The challenge with this process is that there are always a lot of students who are in need of internships, but not always enough folks around to help them.

This is where Project Me Pro can help.

Project Me Pro is an online learning system designed to teach job seekers (and interns!) how to find and land a position in the job market. The solution combines self-paced e-learning modules, templates and worksheets for job search materials, a collaboration platform for career advisors to work with students, plus plenty of data and analytics features to track success. We partner with colleges & universities, workforce development organizations, non-profits, career coaching communities and others who help support helping students and job seekers find employment.

Are you an intern looking for opportunities? Use Project Me Pro to plan your search and get your materials ready to apply. Go to Project Me Pro – For Individuals and start your program today. It’s easily accessible for a low monthly fee and no commitment.