Ron's Corner: The Value of Internships to Students (and Employers)
EXP Board Member and Alumni and Young Adult Committee Chair Ron Roberts, Jr. is a self-labeled “Career & College Planning Partner,” drawing on more than 16 years as a college career advisor, corporate recruiter, and youth nonprofit consultant. Learn more about Ron on his website, Career Intelligence for Young Leaders, and connect with him on LinkedIn.
You have likely heard the tried and true career advice at least once: “Get an internship.” I heartily agree with this advice for students--college or high school--who are exploring career paths and organizations that will be a good fit for them. I also strongly believe that internship programs benefit employers as well as students.
If you are still in school, I trust this post will inspire you to pursue an internship if you have not already done so. Your college career center can tremendously help identify and prepare for internship opportunities.
An internship can benefit a student in the following ways:
Exposure to a professional work environment - understanding and demystifying the "real world of work."
Deeper insights into a career path or industry. Information you just can't find on a website.
Insider perspective on an organization that may be of interest. An opportunity to learn about an organization's core function/business and culture.
Skills development includes soft skills, e.g. communication, leadership, time management, and analytical, as well as technical skills, e.g. Excel, and software programming.
Building or expansion of your professional network. Each person you meet during an internship experience can be added to a network and potentially provide benefits in the future.
Resume enhancement. Including work experiences and skills can amplify one's value to employers of interest.
Increases chances of landing a full-time job with an internship provider--or other employers. Many organizations desire to hire full-time employees from their intern pool. The interns that perform well typically get these opportunities. Even if an intern doesn't land a full-time job with their internship provider, the internship experience will make them more marketable to other employers.
As previously mentioned, internships not only benefit students but they also add value to employers. Bringing on an intern allows an employer to try out a potential full-time employee without making the financial and training investment. In most cases, the employer is only on the hook for a 2-3 month commitment and can gather needed intel about the intern's prospects of translating into an investment-worthy full-time employee.
During this time, the employer can also evaluate the intern's attitude, skills, learning capacity, work style, and, ultimately, overall fit for the employer's culture. If the intern works out well, that is great for the employer. If not, the employer has not lost much from the investment.
Internships also allow some employers to come into contact with candidates that might not usually appear on their radar: talented students from populations that are historically- underrepresented within the employer and its industry.
Suppose you have finished school and are currently employed. In that case, I hope that the above will prompt you to investigate your employer's capacity to bring on an EXP high school intern! As an EXP alum, you already know how an internship can be a game changer for a student that has come from environments where there has been limited exposure to professional employment opportunities. In one fell swoop, you can benefit your employer, the EXP Internship Program, and a high school student who is where you once were.