By: Adriana Rangel, Vallo Vision News

Finding a job right after graduation is something a lot of students worry about.

According to a study done by NACE, out of 563,000 students with a Bachelors degree, only 50.2% of those graduates had a full time job after six months of graduating.

Most jobs ask for years of experience but how are students fresh out of college supposed to have that under their belt?

A good way to get experience in your field without actually holding an actual position is through internships.

What is an internship?

Bruce W. Finklea, associate Professor & Coordinator of Mass Communication, says, “An internship allows a student to get real-world, hands-on experience with a company in the field that they’re studying. In many ways, you could consider it a test-run for a potential job.”

The kind of work really depends on what kind of field you go into. There are many internships for many fields, regardless of what job you’re looking for. However, most internships include training, doing work activities, networking and getting work experience.

You’re not an employee of the company, and it’s usually an unpaid experience but there are some paid internships out there.

There are many types of internships. There’s even an academic credit course internship class which is facilitated by an internship coordinator or advisor.

Rachel Proctor, a career counselor from the Career development center, says, “If you have the option to do that, go for it because it’s very structured in a way that gets you academic credit but also the experiential learning.”

What are the benefits?
There are many benefits to getting an internship.

Proctor says, “I really do think the benefits are limitless in a way. It’s what you make of it.”

The most obvious one is being able to work in your desired job while still being a student. This experience will put you one step ahead of others vying for the same job.

Another benefit is this experience is something you can add to your resume. Most jobs look for people with experience, so this is a great way to have that under your belt straight out of college.

Another benefit is that this is a good way to network with people in your field and have future references. This could be a gateway into a permanent job.

According to a journal on the academic value of internships, studies have shown that internships are associated with a greater perceived attractiveness of job applicants to recruiters, with graduates getting a job more quickly, a bigger salary and an increase in job satisfaction.

Where do I look for internships?
Montevallo does post some internship opportunities which students can find on their website.

Proctor says students shouldn’t expect to see every internship advertised though.

“…internships are not very commonly advertised to the public in the same way job opportunities are. A lot of times it’s expected of you to approach someone for an internship opportunity.” Proctor says.

The career development center might be a good resource for students who want to find internships and send networking emails to potential businesses they’d like to intern for.

What do internships look for?
Most employers usually look to see if you’re a student. They might also check your academic grades and if you’re involved in extracurricular activities.

Proctor says, “Other common things that we see from employers are what’s your work ethic like? What are your grades like? What are you involved in currently?”

Proctor says a good way to stand out is to contact the employers themselves.

“Are you someone who is setting yourself apart from others in some way? Oftentimes, they’re not being approached by students for internship opportunities; they’re not advertising opportunities. So, the one student that is willing to show initiative and say, “Hey, I’m interested in any sort of internship opportunity”, that’s already impressive to the potential setting,” Proctor says.

What to do after an internship?
Proctor says the very first thing students should do after an internship is to put it on their resume.

“We need to make sure that their resume is current and up to date with that internship activity under the experience section. Especially if it’s directly related to their field. That’s amazing because that’s relevant experience that needs to be at the first entry in their experience section,” Proctor says.

Finklea says, “Obviously, they should continue to apply what they learned while interning to their remaining time… I’d also recommend staying in touch with the people that you interned with. Continue to build your network. Even see if they have some volunteer opportunities that you can take part in. The more you can stay connected and plugged in, the easier it will be to find a job when you graduate.”