SIDEBAR: Internships key to credentials

It can be a job hunt catch-22: employers want to hire people with work experience, but graduating students often don't have any. However, internships are an ideal way for students to obtain work experience while still in school. "Internships can help you gain career related skills and give you something to put on your resume," said Deb Gould, Career Planing and Placement Service assistant director for internships. "It's a good way to make employer contacts." Internships can also help students decide what kind of jobs they are suited for, Gould added. "The most important thing people often learn from their internship experiences is what they don't like to do," Gould said. Gould added that internships occasionally lead directly to a job after graduation because firms often see former interns as good candidtates for full-time positions. CPPS has listings of almost 2000 separate internship positions, including contacts and requirements. Gould said the office is looking to expand the listing with more internship posibilities from areas outside the Northeast. The office also runs a series of workshops on how to land an internship and is open to students year-round for walk-ins. Gould said the process of getting an internship is much like hunting for a job. The first step is to make up a resume and research what positions are available. "We assist in preparing cover letters and preparing for interviews," Gould said. The assistant director said the service will also run an interviewing workshop that will allow students to practice interviewing with a CPPS advisor in front of a video camera. The interviews will be critiqued afterwards. Donna Kahn Patkin, CPPS assistant director for engineering, said internships are especially important for engineering students. "Engineering students really need to begin getting summer jobs, certainly by their junior summer," Kahn Patkin said. She said that the summer experience is important because University graduates must compete in the job market with engineers from schools that run co-op programs, which combine work experience with classroom education. Engineering students should go directly to Kahn Patkin for advising, and use a special internship listing. CPPS collects a summer internship resume book, which is sent out to employers who run Engineering internships. The deadline for submitting a resume to the book is December 7.

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