Internships add opportunities for students
Graduation may be far away for most CU students, but preparation for the real world begins long before commencement. Internships, although often unpaid and difficult, play a valuable role in the opportunities graduates find when they leave the halls of the university.
“There are some companies where the conversion rate (of interns to employees) is 50 percent or higher,” said Michael Deragisch, assistant director of employer relations at CU’s Career Services office.
These companies, instead of recruiting new employees, convert former interns into paid employees.
If your resume is equal to another applicant’s, but you have internship experience, “you’re going to win hands-down,” Deragisch said.
Employers looking for qualified applicants stress the importance of experience.
“If a student doesn’t have an internship, my question is, what have they been doing?” said Brigette Bustos, a recruiter for Deloitte.
Deloitte, an accounting firm with offices in Denver, offers internships for undergraduate students.
“It’s important to us to build relationships with students early on,” Bustos said.
“Anything that makes the applicant stand out is to the benefit of the applicant,” said Gail Lorenz, administrator of volunteer services at Colorado Legal Services.
Colorado Legal Services employs about 10 interns from CU each semester.
“I find students come out very well prepared,” Lorenz said.
There are often several internship opportunities for CU students in all different fields. Career Services, located in the Willard Administrative Center, has resources that help match students with pre-screened businesses.
If you find an internship on your own, there are things you can do to make sure that you will not be taken advantage of. Ro Medina, the publications specialist at Career Services, recommends checking with the Better Business Bureau, looking into the company by asking around and trusting your gut when deciding if an internship is valid.
“If you don’t feel right about the people you’re working with and what you’re doing, you probably shouldn’t be doing it,” Medina said.
There should also be a learning plan, an assigned supervisor and evaluations at the beginning and end of your internship, Deragisch said.
“Keep the evaluations in your portfolio,” Deragisch said.
Internships can also help students decide where they want to go in the future.
“Internships are really good to find out what you like and don’t like,” said Kim Ladd of FactSet Research Systems, Inc.
FactSet, a Connecticut-based software company, along with other companies in various fields, attended the Mocktails networking social hosted by Career Services on Monday.
Internships are important to gather workplace experience, but there are also other important factors that can give you an edge. Volunteering can be central in creating a well-rounded resume and developing important contacts.
“Network as often as you can,” said Nicole Demandante, a senior aerospace engineering major.
Demandante interned with Lockheed Martin for two years teaching military personnel and military civilians about mission design and orbital mechanics.
