As students begin to surf the job market, the value of internships becomes increasingly important –– and finding one is only getting more competitive.
According to a National Association of Colleges and Employers 2022 Student Survey for four-year college students, paid interns received an average of 1.61 job offers, compared to 0.77 offers for non-interns.
Director of Career Services at the University of Mississippi Wesley Dickens spoke on the importance of internships.
“The importance of (internships) is to get real world experience,” Dickens said. “It’s also a way to test drive a career, find out what you like and don’t like, and you want to do that while you’re in school rather than when you graduate.”
Senior Elle Dirck, a finance and risk management double major, was a student intern at Guy Carpenter, a global risk and reinsurance company. She said that undergraduate internships are vital to form the skills students will need as they go into their profession.
“You have to build those professional skills in undergraduate so that when you go into a professional setting, you’re prepared — otherwise it’d be like throwing you in the deep end of a pool,” Dirck said.
Kaitlyn Moody, a junior accounting major, tabled the National Association of Black Accountants, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated toward professional development and academic success of minorities.
“NABA not only provides a safe space for minorities to learn about the corporate world but it allows them a chance to be connected with recruiters,” Moody said. “Most of the time, these internships lead to full time positions, and at internships you have the chance to continue to build your network and grow in fields you may be unfamiliar with.”
While internships are important, some students said that the process of finding one is stressful.
“I know it’s the beginning of the year, but I guess you could say I’m stressed about finding one, just because I don’t have one on lockdown –– it shouldn’t be too difficult,” Hunter Neely, a junior finance major, said.
For senior risk management and insurance major Locke Davis, securing an internship last summer was no easy task.
“I was looking around so long for all kinds of different positions. It was such a stressful time … especially with so many applicants, it was hard,” Davis said.
McKenna Williams, a graduate student for College Programs, said that many students still lack internships on their resume due to confusion about the process.
“I think they don’t know where to start,” Williams said. “I think a lot of it stems from (students) being told a lot of different things from professors and their parents,
David Hamilton is the recruiting coordinator for the Center. Hamilton encouraged students to make visits to the Career Center to receive professional skills assistance.
“Most of the things we do – workshops, presentations, and one-on-one interviews – are for professional etiquette,” Hamilton said. “There is absolutely a way of acting and behaving and presenting yourself that’s very important when you’re going in for an internship – not only because you might not have that experience and you’re used to being around peers and people your age but also because you’re trying to make a good impression at this internship.”
The university also offers many resources for students looking for internships through the Internship Outreach program.
Drew Burnett, an internship coordinator for the Career Center, said that payment is concern for many considering internships.
“The thing I think people always find scary about internships is that you automatically think it’s going to be unpaid,” Burnett said. “I feel like that’s been where people are the most worrisome when they’re looking for internships.”
Sophomore Jessica Byrne, a business major, spoke about her struggles with finding an internship, largely due to several of them being unpaid.
“I think we face a lot of pressure because the job market is so competitive right now, and everyone’s looking for jobs,” Byrne said. “A lot of them want to make you work a lot of hours with no pay, and I have to afford to live somehow, so it just didn’t work out.”
Despite this, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 59% of internships taken by the college class of 2023 were paid.
Beyond internships, Dickens urges students to get involved in student and community-led organizations to build experience.
“Internships are one thing, but I would say student involvement, clubs, organizations, class projects and volunteering help you build that experience, too,” Dickens said. “Thinking about all the ways you can get out there and really learn the different jobs, the different industries and what your interests are can help you long term.”
