Every student, no matter their age or area of study can benefit from participating in an internship, said Michael Edmondson, Associative Vice President of Career Development. But students may not realize how crucial this experience is to their future; in fact Edmondson said internships are the most important feature on a student’s resume.
According to an article from marketplace.org, employers look for internships above any other criteria of college graduates, including major(s) and school. This may be surprising to some students, as the common perception is that employers are looking for excellent grades in classes.
Edmondson says the best way to track career development is to visit the CORE Center and start utilizing the Viking Score system.
“The Viking Score allows you to see a systematic, linear preparation program,” said Edmondson. “It starts with coming in and talking to one of us in Career Development, doing a vocational exploration exercise, creating a resume or updating your resume, creating a LinkedIn profile or updating your LinkedIn profile, so there’s a systematic approach to preparing for an internship.”
With connections varying from the Quad Cities area to places across the country, the CORE Center helps students find an internship that will not only prepare them for the future, but also push them out of their comfort zone, said Edmondson.
When preparing to interview for an internship, it’s important to research the company in advance. In order to make the most out of the interview, focus on talking about skills learned from experiences. While past experiences are important, it is more important to show a future employer that valuable skills were gained through experiences and other studies.
Edmondson said there are three possible outcomes from completing an internship.
“It will confirm that it is the type of industry you want to be in, it will confirm the type of work you want to do, or three, it will show you that it’s not right for you.”
All three outcomes can be beneficial; even finding out that a certain field isn’t a good fit will help students start looking for new opportunities.
Sophomore Rachel Butter said, “I always knew that having experiences was important, but knowing how important they are makes me more motivated to get an internship before I graduate.”
Students looking for help preparing for an internship or finding one that will provide excellent experience can visit Edmondson in the CORE Center in Olin.