CHICAGO—Economic realities have made internships a significant option for college students looking to gain a competitive edge in today’s job market. They also are becoming an increasingly valuable recruiting tool for employers. A Chronicle of Higher Education and American Public Media’s Marketplace survey of employers who hire recent graduates cited internships as the single most important credential to have on a resume when job hunting.

“More and more employers are trending toward interns as a significant resource for recruiting full-time employees,” said Carrie McAteer, associate director of the University Internship Program at DePaul University. “Interns enable employers to try out students for a period of time to see if it is mutually a good fit. Once a full-time role is available, interns are attractive candidates because their managers have already invested time and money training them and their learning curve will be much faster than hiring an external candidate without any proven track record of success with the organization.” According to Career Center data, 58 percent of DePaul’s class of 2012 academic interns reported their internships led to full-time employment.

“Employers know that DePaul offers a diverse student population, many of whom already have work experience, but many employers tell me our students are known for strong work ethics and that is what makes them stand out” said McAteer. “When an employer is thinking about hiring interns, DePaul is one of the first they often reach out to because of our students’ and University’s reputation in the City of Chicago. Exposing students to a full range of internship opportunities is something DePaul takes seriously. So much so that the university was cited by U.S.News & World Report as one of the top universities in the country for graduating students with internship experience in 2011.  During the 2011-2012 academic year, 1,908 undergraduate students served academic internships. Of those, 71 percent, or 1,364, were seniors.

Recognizing the increasing importance of internships as a gateway to full-time employment, the Career Center has given more attention to linking students with internship opportunities. This year, for example, an annual jobs and internship fair was re-focused on internships exclusively. It attracted 65 employers. “We are very proactive in our employer outreach,” said McAteer.  “We are members of the Chicago and Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce and the City Club of Chicago. It allows us to generate additional relationships with employers.”

The Career Center’s University Internship Program is one key resource students can tap to prepare for and locate internships. However, internship opportunities can be found universitywide, many through individual colleges and schools. Students who take advantage find the experience can make them better job candidates and help them discern full-time opportunities that fit.

Internships can lead to sound job choices

College of Education student Joanna Skolnick could not have dreamed of a better placement to gain work experience than the internship she’s serving in the counseling department at Whitney Young Magnet School in Chicago. A requirement for Skolnick to earn her master’s degree in student counseling this June, she believes the one year opportunity will make her be more competitive when job hunting and help her identify the type of counseling position she should pursue full time.

During her Whitney Young internship, Skolnick has been involved in a range of activities that give her a real life view of what counseling in a high school setting would entail. “I’m responsible for working as a full-capacity counselor,” said Skolnick, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Iowa in 1997.

Some of her duties include coaching freshmen who have multiple failings, helping to plan a program that brought 150 college representatives to Whitney Young and working with students in a depression awareness program designed to educate and help eliminate the stigma.

“It’s been a really good thing for me to have the internship because it’s taught me so much about the field,” said Skolnick. “Internships expose you to the reality of the job. When you start interviewing you want to make sure you are interviewing at places that are the right fit. Things that sound interesting may not be. Internships help you know what works for you because you’ve actually had the experience.”

Its experience that Skolnick believes could make her more competitive when she looks for full-time work. “You have to be proactive and tell those you are interning for that you want to do as much as possible,” said Skolnick. “It will help when it’s time to find a job.  If there are 10 applicants for one position, the experience you get from the internship may make the difference to help you get the job.”

Strengthening networking opportunities

Ed Mangia, a senior studying finance and economics at DePaul’s College Commerce, knows the value of networking when it comes to getting jobs. He landed an internship as a finance/accounting intern at ABN Amro Clearing Chicago in 2012 by combining the advising and job preparation skills he got through the Career Center with networking tips he picked up in class from professors and guest speakers.  

Mangia started his internship at ABN Amro with duties like preparing monthly reconciliations and managing an accrual database for various company expenses. The scope of his job soon grew. “My responsibilities eventually expanded into more critical thinking applications as my time with the company progressed,” said Mangia, who is at the company working as a part-time associate and strengthening his employment network.

“I think that the internship will help distinguish me against other applicants when I look for a full-time job,” he said. “I truly believe internships are an increasingly important resume builder in this economy. Not only do you learn new skills and traits but you get to meet people with a wealth of information who are very willing to share and help you. The associates I work with have connections to employees in other firms. That gives me added confidence that I will have additional help finding a job.”

Path to full-time employment

Lauro Roman knew he wanted to find a job that would take advantage of his international studies degree with a concentration in Latin American studies and minor in business administration when he graduated from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences in 2012. After working an internship at DePaul during his junior year, Roman decided to branch out and find and find one that would utilize all his skills and give him some relevant work experience to put on his resume.

He had no idea that the opportunity he found through DePaul’s Career Center with 25th   ward alderman Danny Solis would lead to full-time work.“When I started the internship in May 2012 it was an unpaid position, said Roman. “I was first offered a stipend and then in September they offered me a full-time position.”

Roman, who is a community liaison for Solis, helps promote the alderman’s education agenda, counsels residents who have problems with Chicago departments and also helps plan events and programming. Ironically, he also now recruits interns to work in the office. “I reach out to universities and hire interns when we have positions,” said Roman.

Working in the ward office, located in the Pilsen neighborhood, has fulfilled Roman’s original goal and much more. “The internship gave me the opportunity to be employed full-time in a job related to what I was learning in school,” said Roman.“I knew I wanted to help a community that I could identify with. I feel fortunate given all the stories you hear about students who don’t have jobs after graduation.”

For more information about internships available through DePaul’s Career Center visit: http://careercenter.depaul.edu/jobs/internships.aspx