Thanks to my upperclassmen friends, I spent the last 12 months or so getting a very good glimpse of what my life will be like in two years when I’m a senior. The cheerful and energetic juniors I had befriended as a freshman arrived on campus this past year with a big question looming above their heads: Am I going to land a job after I graduate?
But besides getting a job, what other options do exist? How do you get career experience if not from employment of some kind? The answer, collegiettes, lies with internships. Perhaps you, as a graduated student, assumed that your internship days were behind you, but there are some circumstances where you may actually want to opt for one.
So before you dismiss any post-college internship opportunity, take some time to weigh your options with the following information!
Think about getting an internship when…
Your job search hasn’t turned anything up yet
A study by Rutgers University released this past May showed that starting with the class of 2006, only 51 percent of college grads hold full-time positions. As a result, it’s no surprise that the job search doesn’t work out for many college seniors.
While landing a full-time job should be a top priority, make sure that you’re not holding out for too long. It’s important to apply for jobs, but keep an eye on internship deadlines as well, or the opportunity to have something after you graduate may pass you by.
“Many internships require submitting an application for a specific time period, so it’s wise not to hold out too long if you still haven’t found a job,” advises Jesse Gant, CEO and co-founder of Recmnd.Me. “For example, if you graduate from college in May, you don’t want to wait until school is back in session to consider taking on an internship. All of the larger programs will already be in session and current students and other recent grads will fill those spots—especially paid opportunities.”
Even if you don’t get a job, it’s still important to have something that will demonstrate how much experience you have in the field. So though you can still be offered a job before the year ends, if nothing has turned up by a certain point looking into internships can help you out.
You’re looking for more experience before you find a job
But some students start off senior year looking for an internship instead. Though securing a full-time job is the ideal goal, if you feel like you need more experience before going into the work force, finding an internship for after graduation can be right for you!
Take Alice Chen, recent Emory graduate and former Her Campus Editorial Intern who interned at Lucky magazine the summer after she graduated.
“I opted to do an internship after graduation because I didn’t feel that I had enough experience in the magazine industry to find a job,” Alice recalls. “And the summer immediately after senior year felt like the last possible time I’d have a chance to do an internship, especially an unpaid one.”
Alice sought to expand her skill sets, which would make her more versatile when it came to actually finding a full-time job. So if you’re also looking to gather more skills and knowledge before stepping into your professional life, you may want to consider an internship rather than hunt for a job straight away. This approach can work to your advantage, as our career experts attest.
“Internships can ultimately provide opportunities for the recent graduate to walk away with a portfolio of work that would be impressive to a full-time employer,” explains Bora Un, assistant director of undergraduate preparation at the University of Chicago. “You’re still gaining skills and experience that will make you competitive for full-time jobs.”
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You’re still not COMPLETELY clear about what you’re going into
Aside from giving you some form of security in the unpredictable post-college world, internships are great for students who are still unsure of what specific career they would like to pursue. As Gant explains, “Temporary positions can help you discover your interests by exploring your options.”
Such was the case for BU class of 2010 grad Divya Bahl, who interned as part of the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) after graduation.
“While a good part of my internship search was motivated by pressure I felt to have something to fall back on, I also wanted to really figure out what, exactly, I wanted to do as a career,” says Divya. “I always had a variety of interests that included marketing and I wanted to try out the management side of it, so I decided that an internship would be a good way to do that.”
The same can be said for University of Arizona-Tucson graduate Yael Schusterman, current marketing coordinator of Momentus Ventures. Yael initially graduated with the intention of becoming a reporter, but an internship with WCG showed her another path she could take.
“The internship not only kept me busy during a time I was really struggling to find a job, but it opened to my eyes to what I am really passionate about and that is social media and marketing,” recalls Yael. “The truth is I was in over my head [when I graduated], but I am so glad I experienced my internship because it taught me such valuable skills that I am now able to bring to the table for my current job.”
What else can I get out of interning post-graduation?
You’ve already heard about how interning after college can give you more experience and can help you specify your career options, but how else can they help you? There are a few more advantages to interning after graduation that may not be immediately apparent, but are just as important as you set out to start post-college life.
Advantage 1: An easier transition from college to post-college life
For Divya, now an associate media planner at Digitas, interning after graduation allowed her to transition more easily into post-college life. While most of her former Boston University friends were almost immediately thrown into professional life, Divya could strike a balance between having time off and going to work.
“I definitely felt that a lot of my friends didn’t have time to breathe before starting their work life,” explains Divya. “Having an internship gave me this sort of middle ground that gave me a bit of a break, but also gradually introduced me to having a job.”
The sudden transition from college to work life can be hard to adjust to right away. But because internships contain some, though not all, aspects of work life, you can use a post-college internship to gradually ease yourself into a work routine.
Advantage 2: Increasing your marketability
As Un alluded to earlier, the more skills you can build up means that you’ll be a much more competitive candidate as you continue your job search.
“An internship after graduation is a great way to sharpen your skills in your intended field and make yourself more marketable for full-time positions in the future,” says Gant. “Though you may be lacking job security, the risk is likely to pay off in the long-run as you are paving your way to finding a career you enjoy and excel at.”
Contrary to what many college graduates think, having an internship instead of a full-time job doesn’t hurt you on the job search. “Employers are looking for relevant and substantive work experiences,” explains Un. “A meaningful internship right after college looks much more impressive than nothing at all.”
Gant is in agreement. “More and more employers are quite understanding of the tough job market for recent grads. As long as you can communicate your accomplishments at the position and show the employer how the experience was beneficial, an internship should not be left off of your resume.”
What’s more, an internship will make sure that you stay sharp after graduation and that you won’t have a gap on your resume, both of which will help you eventually get a job according to Un. The longer the gap on your resume, the harder it is for you to find a job, so an internship can also help you out by showing employers that you’re active and building on the skills you have.
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Advantage 3: Your internship may turn into a job!
And finally, there’s the possibility that your internship could turn into a full-time job at the company.
“Employers are aware of your current position and know you are not committed to returning to the classroom after the duration of the internship,” says Gant. “Therefore, graduates obtaining internships should be conscientious of the fact that employers are internally deciding whether or not the individual would be a good fit for the company in the long-run.”
Alice is one such case. After three weeks as an intern in Lucky‘s Special Sections division, Alice’s supervisors decided she would be a great fit for the magazine and offered her a chance to work there.
“My editors told me they were looking for an assistant and asked if I wanted to be considered. The answer was a very clear ‘yes’! I did a few informal interviews and took an edit test and next thing I know, I was no longer an intern.”
There are many students like Alice who turn an internship into a permanent place with the company, meaning that an internship itself is also a great way to land a job. Demonstrate your skill and dedication during your post-college internship, and you can soon be employed!
But what should I watch out for?
If you’re seriously considering taking an internship upon graduation, you must also be aware of the challenges you may face. While the difficulties you face may be the same as they were when you interned as an undergrad, your situation as a college graduate puts them in a different context.
Challenge 1: Money troubles
While it’s still possible to find a paid internship, many post-college internships remain unpaid. As a result, financially supporting yourself as a college graduate can be very difficult, especially if your parents are no longer giving you an allowance.
So what to do if you fear being strapped for cash? Many graduate interns end up working part-time jobs on the side like Yael, who babysat whenever she could on the weekends. But another good idea is to seek a part-time job that complements the work you do at your internship.
“Ask if you could intern on a part-time basis so you can secure a paid job in administrative or customer service industries,” advises Un. “Future employers won’t mind if your internship was on a part-time basis so long as you are doing meaningful work that aligns with your career interests.”
Or if you don’t think you’d like a part-time job outside of your internship, you can always look for internships that subsidize some part of your living costs, an option that Divya took advantage of.
“Another big part of why I took my internship was that it took care of housing costs for me. Not only did I save a lot of money, but I also didn’t need to go through the long hunt for a place to stay while I interned.”
Challenge 2: Getting the internship doesn’t mean you’ll get the job
Despite the many stories of interns being offered full-time positions at companies, you’re not guaranteed employment just because your internship. It’s also just as likely that your internship period will end and you will need to double up your job hunt efforts.
So how do you prepare for life after your internship?
“The reality of the situation is that there’s no guarantee that your internship will turn into a full-time job, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” advises Un. “Continue to search for full-time jobs even after you’ve secured a post-grad internship.”
By continuing the job search even though you have an internship, you can make sure that you have a higher chance of entering the work force once your intern days are over. That way, you have a lower chance of being unemployed, thereby stabilizing your post-grad life.
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As a graduate, what should I be looking for in an internship?
Since you’ve graduated from college, your priorities have changed and so should your expectations when it comes to internships. Perhaps you spent your undergrad years not being too picky about internships, but your status as a college graduate means you CAN afford to raise the bar a little higher.
“An internship for a recent graduate could also be considered a trial period for employers – so when considering internships, you should also look at the company’s website to see if they’re offering full-time positions, too,” says Un. “If they don’t seem to have any full-time opportunities available, you might want to think about what that means for you in terms of prospects for you to move out of an internship and into a full-time capacity.”
And part of those prospects involves handling tasks and responsibilities that will speed up your professional development. The days you spent completing menial tasks should now give way to weekdays with dynamic work tailored to give you a leg up.
“Now is not the time to take steps backwards by taking on an internship involving fetching coffee and stapling papers,” emphasizes Gant. “Be sure to read and review the internship responsibilities and determine whether they will provide you with an advantageous challenge or not.”
Your goal at your post-college internship is to transition into professional life, and that involves having slightly higher expectations than you would for an undergrad internship. If your internship ends up looking like one you held as an undergrad, don’t be afraid to be proactive and turn it around for yourself.
So in the end: Have no job? Have no fear! Internships will still be there!
As we’ve explained in the past, a full-time job isn’t your only option coming out of college. Landing a post-college internship not only helps you further define your career path, but it also allows you to explore all other options that are out there before you settle completely into work life. Given the amount of experiences you can still gather, be sure to also consider applying for internships as you prepare to graduate! You just never know what the future has in store for you.