International Internships

In an op ed in the New York Times earlier this month, Ford Foundation president, Darren Walker, speaks to the value of college internships. Walker noted the personal impact: "As a low-income kid from a small town who entered college without an extended network, my internships equipped me with the skills, confidence and relationships to channel my potential into a rewarding career." Mr. Walker offers a blunt assessment of internships: "Talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not." He suggests that those who want to improve growing levels of inequality "actually - and often unconsciously - reinforce the dynamics that create inequality in their own lives." His solution is to offer paid internships, with the government stepping in to compensate interns in work settings like the nonprofit community for those students who do not have other established networks to support them. Mr. Walker provides examples of federal programs that could be used to ...

As both an educator and a partner in Quintessential Careers, I get very frustrated when college students graduate and then tell me that they can’t get a job because employers disdain their lack of experience. We try to impress on students how phenomenally important it is that they complete at least one internship, and preferably several. But since we still hear from students facing the how-can-I-get-experience-if-I-have- no-experience dilemma, some students are probably wondering why they should complete internships. Let’s start with the No. 1 reason and work down the list of reasons you must do an internship: 1. Employers increasingly want to see experience in the new college grads they hire. A staggering 95 percent of employers said candidate experience is a factor in hiring decisions, according to an annual survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Nearly half of surveyed employers wanted new-grad experience to come from internships or co-op programs. If yo...

Your professionalism should extend beyond the office. The Leadership Insiders network is an online community where the most thoughtful and influential people in business contribute answers to timely questions about careers and leadership. Today’s answer to the question “How do you turn an internship into a full-time job?” is by Edward Fleischman, CEO of The Execu|Search Group. Rule number one: Treat any internship like a working interview. The company you’re interning at may or may not hire interns for full-time positions, but you should still put your most professional foot forward. Even if you’re not offered a full-time job when your internship is over, the connections you make can be invaluable as you progress in your career. You should start exhibiting professional behavior from day one. When you first interview for the internship, be sure to take notice of what people in the office are wearing. That way, on your first day, you can make an effort to wear clothes that either match...

The quality of internships varies greatly. It doesn't really make a difference whether your internship is paid or unpaid. When an organization has a formal internship program, you may have opportunities that you wouldn't get in the absence of one. This is generally because supervisory responsibility and duties are clearly outlined as part of a formal program. In a more unstructured environment, you may find that it's difficult to maneuver without a designated boss and work stream. Both arrangements have pros and cons. If you're lucky, you may be assigned a mentor or supervisor who will take you to meetings and answer your questions. However, you may find that you don't have enough to keep you busy or you may not know who to reach out to with questions. If you are in that position, here are some ways you can get more out of your internship. Find out where your support is. It may be uncomfortable to do or require digging, but you must figure out who can help you. If ...

Over the last week, I have been interning at Finn Partners Europe. An internship is a position within a company for a student or trainee and is an opportunity to gain work experience and obtain new skills. An internship can be useful for many reasons; it not only looks great on your CV, but it’s an opportunity to potentially meet your future employer and get your foot on the employment ladder. However, being an intern can be both scary and intimidating, not least because you’re in a strange environment and you’re surrounded by people you don't know. Following these top 10 tips will not only help to calm your nerves, but they will ensure you get the most out of your internship: • Preparation is key: Walking into a company that you know nothing about is never going to be a good start, or give off a good impression. Before your first day as an intern, research the company; find out who you’re going to be working with and the kind of projects you could be working on. • Dress for succe...

When I came in to interview, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into. I figured working for a newspaper would be a cool summer job and could be a great resume builder for the looming college application process, but I didn’t really know what to expect. The idea to apply for the internship came when I realized how journalism was a consistent part of my daily routine. For example, the four most visited sites on my iPhone right now are as follows: Pitchfork (music news/reviews), The Ringer (sports news), Buzzfeed (pop culture/goofy news), and the Star Tribune. But it wasn’t until I interviewed that I fully realized why I like news, and what makes for good journalism. After quickly going through a few standard questions my interviewer, Daily Journal Editor Tim Engstrom, asked an unexpected one. “What do you do if you’re writing an article about a short person?” What? I hadn’t expected this question and had no idea what the right answer could possibly be. I scoured my mind to come up ...

We are right in the middle of internship season! Each summer, thousands of students move to office spaces in business casual with the hopes of building new skills and getting broader insight into their future potential career paths. Despite the excitement that comes with getting "real world" experience, many students get very stressed about the transition from academic life to intern life. I sat down with three of our interns at NextGenVest, the Money Mentor for every student, to share their top tips. Talk to Real People to Find the Best Internships Joy, a sophomore at New York University's Undergraduate Stern School of Business, is a NextGenVest Operations Intern, where she works to develop the strategy and build student teams to launch in new cities across the country. She noted that she tried posting on a lot of job sites but it's easy to get overwhelmed if you don't meet the requirements in the job descriptions, especially as a college student. Applying to ...