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By Darren Noble
Associate Director of Career Services
Virtual Interns Gain "Real World" Experience
With more and more college students doing internships, employers are starting to expect to see them listed on resumes of potential employees. Employers like to hire students with "real world" experience. If a student doesn't seek a traditional internship experience, one alternative is to do a virtual internship, also known as an "e-internship."
Internships are Changing
Numerous employers are taking advantage of technology to recruit interns working from their dorm rooms via computer, doing everything from software design projects to communicating with clientele. Stephanie Armour, in her USA TODAY article, "Internships Go Virtual as Firms Seek Ways to Save," says "companies are hiring college students to work on projects from afar rather than relocating them for short-term assignments." In contrast to a semester or year-long traditional internship, virtual internships may be short in duration. In this situation, one benefit for an employer may be financial savings, while the student still benefits from the valuable professional experience. Armour points out that no one really knows how many companies are offering virtual internships but that "hiring experts say they're a creative approach that could catch on."
Echo Boomers
News correspondent Steve Kroft, in a 60 Minutes television story*, says the generation of young people born between 1982 and 1995 is referred to as "echo boomers." "They are the first to grow up with computers at home, in a 500-channel TV universe," says Kroft. "They are multi-taskers with cell phones, music downloads, and Instant Messaging on the Internet. They are totally plugged-in citizens of a worldwide community . . . This is the most sophisticated generation ever when it comes to media."
Pros and Cons
So, for some echo boomers a virtual internship might seem appealing and natural. In comparison to traditional internships, virtual internships offer similar benefits but also have a few drawbacks:
• Both types of internships provide students with a fantastic way to get an inside glimpse of a company, an industry, and a specific occupation. Students gain skills and develop relationships with future reference writers. During a virtual internship though, a student may not get to personally meet his or her employer, work at the company's headquarters, or even visit the location.
• Students can explore different career options during both types of internships and discover if the career being considered is right (or wrong) for them; however, a virtual intern, due to the nature of the internship, will not experience all aspects of a company.
Internships Often Lead to Job Offers
In a 2004 National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) survey, employers reported that on average, 60% of their interns receive offers for full-time employment. Numerous employers have told me the number of interns that receive employment offers with their companies is easily 70-80% (and often higher)! These statistics are encouraging, and even if the percentage is lower for virtual interns I would argue that those individuals, due to their experiences and networking while in their virtual internships, are much more employable than students who graduate without having done any internships.
GFU Internship & Volunteer Fair
Our campus is going to host its annual Internship & Volunteer Fair on Tuesday, October 4, from 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Stevens Center Atrium. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to connect with recruiters who have internship openings.
Virtual Internship Center
Our office lists internship opportunities and information on-line at www.georgefox.edu/offices/career_services/htmlpages/internshipcenter.html.
There are additional resources for internship opportunities in our office, and I am available for individual appointments. Furthermore, our one-credit on-line career class GEED 216: Becoming Workplace Familiar, which is designed for sophomores and juniors, focuses on helping students learn the avenues to obtaining an internship, conducting informational interviews and connecting with employers. Sound interesting? If so, please encourage your student to enroll.
*"The Echo Boomers," 60 Minutes, narr. Steve Kroft, CBS, Oct. 1, 2004.
Career Office: Stevens Center 325
503-554-2330
careers@georgefox.edu
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