Internships

From Unofficial Guide to Engineering

An internship is a temporary job with a company, usually lasting 8-15 weeks. These are most commonly done full-time over the summer, but full- and part-time internships can also be done during the semeser. Most larger companies hold internships to allow students to experience what it is like to work at their companies alongside full-time employees. These positions also give companies the opportunity to evaluate you as a potential employee and often times lead to offers for full-time employment.

The structure of internships vary from industry to industry and company to company. Often times, interns work under a mentor or supervisor, assisting them with their projects. Other times, interns are assigned their own projects, or are staffed on project teams in the capacity of a full-time employee. Some internships rotate the intern among different groups or divisions within the company, allowing them an opportunity to evaluate different positions that they may be interested in working in upon graduation.

Applying for internships is very similar to apply for a job as you will need to submit a resume, and possibly a transcript. Upon review, you may be asked for an initial phone interview, followed by a on-site or more in-depth interview. Some companies start accepting resumes as early as October for summer interships the next year, while others will take resumes through May for interships starting in June. Career Fairs give a cursory glance at the array of companies that are availabe for those who do not have a clear idea of where they want to work. From there, a number of companies prefer resumes to be submitted online where the process begins. Check company websites and look in the Career or Job section for more information on their specific programs. The Career Center also lists openings on its website.