Show I It College Grads on Career Hunt Need More than Good Grades J By Nathan Mills and 4 Brent Dietrich Contributing Writers Each Spring tens of thousands of their recent college graduates put years of college experience to the test Their job search begins Armed with carefully crafted resumes dressed to impress and full fiill of hope and confidence graduates take to the streets to sell themselves and the skills that they can offer But after many failures and rejections many students ask What went wrong I have a degree so what am I missing The answer may be Today's job market is becoming increasingly competitive Many students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents believe that merely graduating ing with a high will get them the job they've always dreamed of Getting high grades is obviously important if you want an edge but graduating at atthe atthe atthe the top of your class just may not be enough What you need is an intern intern- ship According to a recent study done by Northwest University the amount and quality of internships a recent graduate has is more important than a high when being considered for employment Employers want workers work work- V ers who know what they are doing and they want ant them to know it now VS V l Planning on graduate school Internships can also increase a students student's students student's students student's stu stu- stu- stu dents dent's chances of being accepted into a graduate program Admissions officers officers officers cers at professional schools and PhD Ph.D. programs state that undergraduate work experience will help increase an applicants applicant's chances for acceptance Dont Don't let Monica Lewinsky taint your view of what an internship is An internship is a structured work experience provided for students to help them develop skills in their field of choice all while earning college credit These can be arranged through your school or you can set them up upon upon upon on your own Some of them are paid but many receive no pay or just small stipend to cover some expenses However it is done an internship can help you to get your foot in the door of the career youve you've been waiting for According to Brigham Young University's Internship Office it has been established that an internship on ona a resume will generally give a student advantage over those without the experience That is just what job hunters are looking for So why do internships make such sucha a difference An internship allows a company to test a prospective employee while they are working Internships can last from three weeks to up to six months or more When compared to the 15 minute interview this puts both the employer and potential potential potential poten poten- employee at a great advantage The employer can see exactly what kind of worker they might be hiring and the intern has a great opportunity to show what kinds of skills and work habits they really have Laurel Tams Tarns a BYU graduate and grade teacher as Oak Hollow Elementary Elementary Elementary Ele Ele- in Draper Utah was a teaching teaching teaching teach teach- ing intern for a year before being hired as a full pay teacher Normally teachers go through an unpaid student teaching program before being hired full time but Laurel was one of just a afew afew afew few who were able to intern at half salary with full benefits Its beneficial beneficial beneficial benefi benefi- cial because you are thrown into the working environment she says You learn leam faster because you have to Tams Tarns was able to continue teaching teaching teaching teach teach- ing at the same school after her year as an intern He the Principal didn't didn't didn't did did- nt even open up my job to anyone because he knew how I taught Once I was in I was in Last year American Express offered time full-time positions to approximately approximately approximately 75 percent of their former interns and percent of their 1997 new ew hires had internship experience Even if you dont don't plan on being hired by the company you intern for the experience can open up even more opportunities Many students intern a number of times in various fields giving them a broader and more thorough ence According to a study done by Hanigan Group 60 percent of total new hires from the companies studied had some internship ence Having a real the on-the-job experience experience experience on your resume can be vital when interviewing f for r a new job Even if you dont don't get hired by the company that you intern for the references references references refer refer- that they can give and being able to list them on a resume could make the difference between you landing a job over someone else Sometimes interns are given menial tasks such as making coffee sending faxes and picking up and delivering dry cleaning because the intern is not considered by some to be part of the company Before committing committing committing commit commit- ting to an internship talk with those who would be your superiors and make sure that your time will be well spent and that you can be productive Let them know that you are willing to todo todo todo do whatever needs to be done but also that you want to make the most of your opportunities to learn while you can So how does one become an intern The best way for interested students would be to talk to the department coordinator over your major or area of interest They normally normally nor nor- mally nally have contacts in the field and many times receive information from employers in the area who regularly take interns Check the bulletin boards around your classes and the web site Many times there are area a number of internship opportunities posted there and are updated quite often If you would prefer to search and arrange an internship on your own the net inter-net has a vast amount of resources that are very helpful in finding finding finding find find- ing exactly what you are looking for Sites such as and have listings of opportunities not only locally but around the world They can also link you to other net inter-net resources that may be very helpful Other sources of information can be found at the school or public library or at a bookstore Directories you can find there list literally thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of internships available every year Some opportunities of interest to students can be found with companies like Novell Inc Primary Childrens Children's Hospital American Express and the Utah Jazz Getting the job you want seems to get more and more difficult every day No matter what field you decide to pursue an internship can give the experience experienc you need and just may be your ticket to the career of your dreams |