Spring Break
Internships give experience to students before they have to leave the nest
Kristine Gaffney
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: News
The job market for graduating college students still looks bleak, and frustrating experiences with career fairs don't help. Some students have been able to get internships, though jobs are hard to find.
Justin Bules, a junior finance management major, went to several career fairs during his freshman and sophomore years and like many students, he became frustrated by the lack of interested companies.
"Nobody wanted much to do with me because I wasn't a senior," Bules said. "They might as well have said 'we don't care about you right now.'"
However, in Bules' junior year, he got positive feedback from Colgate-Palmolive at the fall semester Business Career Fair through Walton College and snagged an internship.
"All I did was dress nice and have my resume ready," Bules said.
Preparing a professional way to introduce himself that didn't sound robotic like his introductions the previous years he attended the career fairs also helped his chances Bules said.
"The last few years have produced lots of students who walk away from the job fairs with an internship if not a job opportunity," said Becky Vianden, who is associate director of program development at the UA Career Development Center.
"Companies have specific jobs they come to hire for," Vianden said. "They keep coming back to the university because of the quality of students we have."
Though employers will talk to all students, if they are on campus to hire entry level employees, the most likely will direct their attention to seniors.
"Employers look for the best and brightest, so they talk to underclassmen for internships," Vianden said. "if they are really impressed by a student, they will keep in contact for futre job opportunities and often offer internships."
More students would have better luck getting a job or internship if there were more career fairs to attend throughout the school year, Bules said. This is often an impossibility because of the poor economy. The spring semester business fair even showed a decrease in the number of employers.
"We generally try to have as many fairs as we can to try and increase students' opportunities," Vianden said. "Even though the economy may make some employers cut back on hiring, they can still offer internships and keep in contact with interested students."
Justin Bules, a junior finance management major, went to several career fairs during his freshman and sophomore years and like many students, he became frustrated by the lack of interested companies.
"Nobody wanted much to do with me because I wasn't a senior," Bules said. "They might as well have said 'we don't care about you right now.'"
However, in Bules' junior year, he got positive feedback from Colgate-Palmolive at the fall semester Business Career Fair through Walton College and snagged an internship.
"All I did was dress nice and have my resume ready," Bules said.
Preparing a professional way to introduce himself that didn't sound robotic like his introductions the previous years he attended the career fairs also helped his chances Bules said.
"The last few years have produced lots of students who walk away from the job fairs with an internship if not a job opportunity," said Becky Vianden, who is associate director of program development at the UA Career Development Center.
"Companies have specific jobs they come to hire for," Vianden said. "They keep coming back to the university because of the quality of students we have."
Though employers will talk to all students, if they are on campus to hire entry level employees, the most likely will direct their attention to seniors.
"Employers look for the best and brightest, so they talk to underclassmen for internships," Vianden said. "if they are really impressed by a student, they will keep in contact for futre job opportunities and often offer internships."
More students would have better luck getting a job or internship if there were more career fairs to attend throughout the school year, Bules said. This is often an impossibility because of the poor economy. The spring semester business fair even showed a decrease in the number of employers.
"We generally try to have as many fairs as we can to try and increase students' opportunities," Vianden said. "Even though the economy may make some employers cut back on hiring, they can still offer internships and keep in contact with interested students."
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business stationary
posted 5/13/09 @ 12:29 PM CST
Internships are one of the most important aspects of finishing school. There is nothing worse than someone that has finished their studies, has a degree, has the ego, but does not have a clue about day to day operations. (Continued…)
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