Internship  /'in-tern-ship’/ noun  Gaining supervised practical experience
     Internships are work experiences that afford students the opportunity to apply academic knowledge in a “world of work” setting.  They can be paid or unpaid, for credit or non-credit, in the Virginia area or half way around the world.  While most Hampden-Sydney students choose to intern in the summer, some will also take advantage of local opportunities during the academic year.
     Summer internships last approximately 10 weeks with most students working 30-40 hours per week; academic year experiences last for 13 to 15 weeks (a full semester) and generally offer part-time hours. 
     Internships offer students a tremendous amount of self and career exploration.  Some students leave their experiences with a more focused career goal while others realize their initial thoughts of a given profession are not what they expected.  Either way, internships are valuable learning experiences and students are encouraged to engage themselves in this type of opportunity early in their college careers.

Think skill sets!  Internships help students build and refine a variety of important and lasting skills that ease their transition into the workplace:  organization, time management, customer service and business etiquette.  Students also gain more defined skills that are directly related to a specific professional industry, including policies and procedures, industry terminology, and management techniques.
     If you are interested in obtaining academic credit for your experience, you must work with the Chairperson of your academic department as Career Development cannot award academic credit.                                                             

Who participates in internships?
     All students are encouraged to engage themselves in some type of experiential learning   during their academic career.  Freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors can all benefit from an internship opportunity.   Employers everyday are seeking graduates who have had an internship or significant shadowing experience.  Those with applied knowledge and skills set themselves apart from other applicants.
     As you do your research, you may encounter companies that only offer internships to upperclassman.  Don’t let this deter you from your search as there are many opportunities available to you regardless of your year in school.    

Identifying Places of Interest
Your internship possibilities are endless as you may soon realize.  Take the time to assess yourself and consider the following questions before you begin researching potential opportunities:

·        What kind of experience are you looking for?  One that will allow you to float during your experience and learn about the organization or profession as a whole or something more specialized?

·        Do you want to intern with a national or international company or a company that is more localized?

·        Do you want to travel to another location such as your hometown or elsewhere?*

·        Do you need to get paid?  Do you want to earn credit?

·        What are the listed expectations of the companies you are interested in?  Do they require you to work 40 hours per week, travel, keep a daily or weekly log of activities, make presentations, etc?

*If considering an overseas opportunity, remember to plan ahead and consider application times for visas and passports.  Also, don’t forget to budget in travel expenses.

Find an Internship
Applying for Your Internship
Interviewing
Accepting an Internship Offer

Finding Internships
You’ve asked yourself those important questions and now have a better idea of the type of opportunity you are looking for.  Now check out your resources:

·        TigerConnections – New opportunities are added daily by employers throughout the country.  Also see Career15 and NACELink for additional internship searching options.

·       Career Development Resource Library – Here you will find dozens of resources including how to write a cover letter and resume, finding the perfect internship as well as guides helping you search for opportunities in a particular career field, location or company.

·    Internship Web Listings – Use this comprehensive list to identify opportunities from some of the best search engines available for your area of interest.

·        Contact Your Department of Study – Meet with your advisor or one of your professors to obtain leads in your specific program of study. 

·        Network Network Network! - According to an Intern Bridge Inc. survey of more than 12,000 students, this was the #1 way to find an internship.

·        Read Your Campus Email – Career Development sends periodic updates regarding new internships that have been listed.  Don’t miss out on this important information.

·        Federal Internships: Access this Excel File for information on selected federal internships and their deadlines

·        Special Programs to consider: Here are a couple of special internship programs for specific audiences:
Alumni Athlete: Are you a varsity athlete?  Do you want to intern on Wall Street?  Do you have at least a 3.2 GPA?  Check out this program for more information.
Diversity: There are several programs out there that target diverse students.  Some of them include: INROADS, MLT, and SEO. 

There's also several "consolidated" internship programs in major cities that are worth checking out. These programs frequently charge a significant fee for your participation, but you take part in an academic class, and some of that fee may cover housing/living expenses.  Please do your homework first and understand what your fee covers. 

                Washington, D.C.
           The Washington Center
           The Fund For American Studies
           American University's Summer Internship Program

                 New York City
           New York Media Experience (Fall and Spring Only)
           Fordham's "Summer In The City"
           New York City's Summer Internship Program

Applying
1.  Create a cover letter and resume.  Pay special attention to your objective statement making sure to customize it for each position that you apply for.  Bring your documents into Career Development for approval.  Once approved, print them off on resume quality paper. Sample cover letters and resumes are available in the Career Planning Guide.
Hint:  The Bookstore carries resume paper. 

2.  Compile a list of references.  References should be individuals who will provide positive and useful insight on your character to a potential employer.  Consider using past or present employers, teachers or professors, coaches or other individuals that know you well  A list of three or four contacts is sufficient.  Hint:  Do not use anyone related to you as a reference.
Your list of references should include the following:

• Contact's full name, job title and employer
• Contact's complete address including city, state and zip code
• Contact's preferred phone number and/or email address

Hint:  Be sure that you first ask each person’s permission before using them as a reference.  Then, as a courtesy, be sure to let them know if they may expect to be contacted.  The more information they have about you and the position you are applying for, the better.Your references should also be printed on resume quality paper and should only accompany your cover letter and resume if requested.  Otherwise, bring your reference page with you when you interview.

3.  Submit your application materials.  Make sure that you are aware of the application deadlines as well as the method in which the employer expects you to submit your information.  If the employer requests you attach your materials in an email, it is suggested you save the information in a .pdf file to insure the integrity of the contents.

4.  Wait and Be Patient.  The hardest part of the application process is waiting for a call from a potential employer for an interview.  Fortunately, most internship opportunities offer a timeline of when applicants can expect to hear from them should an interview be scheduled.  For tips on interviewing, click here.

Interviewing
Interviews can be a nerve-wracking experience but think of this as your time to shine.  Insure that you have a good experience by following the checklist below:

• Be on time                                                                                                             Your interviewer will appreciate your promptness.  If traveling to an unfamiliar location, map it out beforehand.
• Do your research                                                                                                  Make sure that you know what the company does as well as the specific responsibilities of the intern position.
• Be ready to answer specific questions                                                                   Employers are most likely to ask you questions such as "Why do you want to work here?", "What strengths can you bring to our organization?", "What do you hope to learn during this experience?", and "Why are you interested in this career field?".
• Dress Professionally                                                                                             Proper attire is a dark colored suit or blazer and pants with a muted necktie (small patterns are acceptable).
• Write out your list of questions                                                                          Show that you've done your research and ask the employer questions concerning the organization, position and expectations.  Consider "Will I be given a chance to work on specific projects?", "What kind of orientation or training will I receive?" and "What are your expectations of an intern?"
• Send a Thank You note                                                                                     Thank you notes should be sent within two business days to the person(s) in which you interviewed with.  This is an important aspect of interviewing and is often forgotten.  Not only will you leave a lasting impression with your potential employer, but it is also the courteous and professional thing to do.

Sample Thank You Note    (Scroll down to Step Five for an example)

You’ve Accepted an Internship – Now What?
Congratulations on your internship!  We are so pleased that you've found an opportunity that is helping you explore your possible career interests.  As you prepare for your experience, take some time to write down the following:

·        Internship Learning Objectives – Brainstorm three or four specific things you want to learn during your experience.  At the conclusion of your internship, bring these objectives back out and write down what you’ve accomplished.  This is what you will record on your resume.

·        Transferable Skills – More often than not, we see students focusing more on the title and job description of the internship and not paying attention to the additional skills that will be acquired.  Remember to think in terms of transferable skills, skills that will allow you to do any job, anywhere at any time.  These types of skills include organization, customer service, time management, leadership, business and phone etiquette,  networking and much more.

Also, before embarking on your experience, be sure to let our office know what your             plans are.  You can do so in Tiger Connections-click on the placement tracking form in the bottom left corner.