Turning a part-time internship into a full-time gig may be more difficult than ever.
“High school and college students now have to compete with (unemployed) adults who are extremely skill-oriented,” said Laura Katen, president of corporate training and professional development firm Katen Consulting L.L.C. in Mamaroneck, N.Y.
But, there is somewhat of a “hiring hesitancy” lurking among offices today, Katen said, which could give the unpaid, for-credit intern a competitive edge.
“Because so many qualified individuals have been laid off, the job market is saturated with people who are at the top of their field,” she said. “Many laid-off employees are taking jobs beneath their pay scale and in a different industry altogether. Employers are afraid they”™ll train them and they will leave, so they”™re hesitant to put the money in.”
The internship still allows students to dip their feet into the professional pool, all while allowing employers to zero in on fresh talent.
“Overall across every industry, internships are being offered,” said Deborah Davis, founder of Davis Education and Career Consultants in Ridgefield. “Now, it”™s more about the definition, like is it paid or formal or did your neighbors know you and bring you in?”
Externships also break the traditional three-month long mold by offering shorter, days-long job shadowing programs.
Interns now come younger, too.
“Many of the high schools now over the past few years have started internships as part of their (students) high school experience,” Davis said. “There are so many different types of companies that open their doors for a nonpaid internship whether it”™s a hospital or historical center. Down the road, the student who is now graduating from college has it on their resume as part of their experiential learning.”
James Danella, president of Media Vision Advertising in Campbell Hall, N.Y., has “seen students as young as sophomores applying for internships” and has had to turn applicants down due to sheer volume of interest.
“I learned I like interns to learn every aspect of the business and you have to have the skill sets,” Danella said. “It”™s a good way to mutually test the waters.”
Josh Ringel, who this fall will enter his sophomore year at University at Albany, now interns at the office of Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner in Westchester County.
Among his and SUNY Binghamton junior Allison Cohen”™s responsibilities is calling employers for summer job openings and incorporating their findings on LinkedIn.
“I know a lot of people who have been working at camp since high school, so it”™s easy for them (to find summer work), but otherwise, I think it”™s been harder to find an internship,” Cohen said.
“My school lined the internship up for me after I told them what I wanted to do and at the time, I wanted to do something in public policy,” Ringel said. “It”™s changed a little bit and now I either want to be a lawyer or a teacher. I know I like working with kids and law could lead into public policy as well.”
Both Ringel and Cohen know a tumultuous job market awaits them.
“It”™s kind of a good thing that we went into college at the time we did, because if we had been graduating from college (at the height of the economic downturn), it would have been really difficult,” Ringel said.
It would have been a challenge to find a “real job” immediately following graduation, Cohen said.
