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Internships—A Must for All Students

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by Janet Mizrahi

We’ve been hearing for some years now that internships have become as important to future employment as an education. In fact, a recent study concluded that a summer internship is actually more important than a business degree.

As we march toward summer, you may want to remind your students about why they should actively seek internships.

  • Test drive a career. Perhaps the most important reason to obtain at least one internship while in college is to test the waters about different careers. Whether students are interested in law or fashion, they can never really know if a particular job is right for them unless they are exposed to its day-to-day realities. They can also explore a specific industry to discover if it appeals to them. Finally, through internships, students can determine if they prefer working at small or large organizations.shutterstock_253848799_March2016
  • Obtain real-world experience. Employers today expect new hires to have experience. Research conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that 95 percent of employers consider a candidate’s experience when hiring, and more and more these employers are specifically looking for students who have had internships.
  • Develop workplace skills and behavior. Many internships provide on-the-job training. But just the fact that students will interact on a professional level provides a reality check that they simply will not get from class work. Internships will also be a wake-up call to students who may have turned in one-too-many late papers, behavior that is unacceptable in the workplace.
  • Build a network. A huge percentage of jobs are obtained through professional contacts, and the best way for students to reach beyond their immediate network of family and friends is to develop a professional network while interning.

You can help students jump-start their internship search, too, by offering the following pointers.

  • Contact family and friends for “ins” to specific firms
  • Attend job or career fairs at your college
  • Visit the campus career center to learn about its resources
  • Search specific firms’ websites for internship or entry-level job opportunities
  • Research using the 2016 ten best websites for finding an internship listed by Forbes.com

Of course, before the search for an internship begins, students should prepare meticulous cover letters and résumés tailored to specific organizations or industries. That is one area you know you can help them with!

How do you discuss the workplace with your students? Start a discussion!

Grit Trumps Smarts…US Millennials’ Skills Under Par…Legwork Leads to Prestigious Summer Internships…Emotional Intelligence Pays at Work

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Grit Trumps Smarts Image ID: 188832419

April_shutterstock_188832419An individual’s grit—the ability to persevere despite adversity, boredom, or distractions—is a greater indicator of success in the workplace than intelligence or talent. New research tracked measurable milestones such as graduating from Westpoint’s summer cadet basic training or winning the National Spelling Bee. The results showed that success was more tied to perseverance than intelligence. In school-related tasks, the research concluded that hard work was a better predictor of GPA than IQ. In the workplace, employees with the ability to stay motivated on long, difficult projects were the highest achievers, the research found. From TLNT.com

US Millennials’ Skills Under Par

Compared to their international counterparts in Europe and Asia, more than half of U.S. millennials lag behind in reading and math skills, according to a report by testing giant ETS. In literacy, US millennials scored an average of 274/500; the average score was 282. However, numeracy skills were far worse. The United States, Spain, and Italy were in a statistical race for last place, according to an article in The Atlantic. Based on the report findings, the authors forecast a greater divide between workers at the high and low ends of the economic scale, which will threaten U.S. competitiveness in the global market. From The Atlantic

Legwork Leads to Prestigious Summer Internships

Wall Street firms traditionally target students from elite campuses for their choice summer internships by sending recruiters to hunt for candidates during the fall. This puts students at campuses not on Wall Street’s list at a disadvantage. However, between sending hundreds of e-mails, fierce and relentless networking, and boning up on investment banking concepts, some go-getters from not-so-tony schools landed the internships. Since these summer jobs tend to lead to lucrative positions post graduation, that’s quite a coup. From The Wall St. Journal

Emotional Intelligence Pays at Work

The ability to read others’ emotions, or “emotional intelligence,” is a skill that reaps dividends, according to a study published in The Journal of Organizational Behavior. The research found that emotionally perceptive workers earned more than those who were less adroit at reading emotional cues. The researchers noted that emotional intelligence in the workplace involves an aptitude for navigating the office playing field rather than having personal attributes such as personal warmth or compassion. From Entrepreneur Magazine