Everyone wins with internship programs. Employers are able to boost workplace productivity and students are able to strengthen business skills. Students gain real-life experiences, learn new programs, and experience life in a professional workplace. Employers gain temporary help from fresh and eager aspiring business leaders. And, while internships and practicums (essentially internships that are tied to a specific college course and lessons) are not deliberately designed to serve as extended interview, they often allow employers to evaluate potential new hires before extending an offer.
For employers:
- Assign interns relevant duties where they can assist existing personnel, lead new projects, draft plans, or offer new ideas. Interns can work on projects where more staff are needed, or tackle projects that have been sitting on the so-called “back burner.”
- As internships are intended to provide learning experiences for students, no more than 20% of the intern's time should be spent on clerical duties. Students should be assigned meaningful projects and should be evaluated/supervised by an employee who has time to guide them.
- Duration of the internship varies and is usually set by the employer. Most interns average 10 hours per week as an intern, spending roughly 100 hours per semester with the employer.
- Internships may be paid or unpaid; paid internships are, obviously, more appealing to students and draw the strongest applicant pools.
- To offer an internship to USF students, post the position on Career Connections, our campus-wide posting system.
- If you are seeking business students, after you have posted your position, contact our Office of Employer Relations so that we can further promote your position to business majors through email, fliers, class presentations, and social media outlets (please inform us once you have filled the position).
- If you are unsure how to launch an internship program or would like to strengthen an existing program, contact us. We are eager to help!
For students:
- Internships, whether paid or unpaid, offer valuable work experience and can help you build your resume (and a professional network).
- Interns are expected to be a part of the employee team and are expected to be punctual, responsible, proactive contributors who comply with all workplace rules and regulations.
- Duration of the internship varies from employer to employer. Most interns average 10 hours a week with the employer, spending roughly 100 hours per semester as an intern.
- To learn about business-specific internships, sign up for the College of Business listserv, where we post information about internships and career events.
- Most internships have an application process similar to the traditional job search process; prepare your resume the semester BEFORE you are ready to serve as an intern.
- Apply for internships through Career Connections. When you apply for an internship, include a cover letter with your resume, prepare for the interview as you would for a permanent job, and follow-up with the interviewer.
