The College Grad’s Key to Career Success: Interning

Competition for jobs is at an all-time high, with nearly 54% of bachelor’s degree holders under the age of 25 jobless or underemployed in 2013. An internship gives a new college graduate an advantage over those who have not gained real world experience in their field. YouTern_logo

College students should not wait until senior year of college to intern. Completing more than one internship and starting earlier in their college career, students can learn about the everyday duties of various jobs, which can help them determine which career they want to pursue. If they do not like their first internship position, they would have time to experiment with other internships.

Interning benefits the future employer as well. Many employers see a student who has completed an internship as a more serious job candidate. Companies are more confident hiring a recent grad who has experience in the field and has already assimilated into the corporate culture.

Another benefit of interning is that graduates sometimes receive a job offer from the company where they interned as an undergrad. They may even receive a higher starting salary because the hiring manager feels more comfortable hiring a graduate with real world experience.

I highly recommend YouTern as a valuable resource for college students seeking internships. They use exclusive matching technologies to compare the skill set and career goals of prospective interns with the specific needs of each company in their database. Their blog offers a wealth of career advice and they share helpful articles on various social media channels. Mashable named them a “Top 5 Online Community for Starting Your Career” and Forbes included them in their list of “The Top 75 Websites for Your Career”.

According to YouTern, 90% of direct-from-college-jobs will go to students with experiential education on their resumes. While there are no guarantees of a job after graduation, I recommend that all students increase their odds of being hired with a career-related internship or two.

Trish Thomas founded The Resume Resource in 2009 to help people develop the tools, strategies and confidence to build satisfying careers. As a Career Coach and Resume Writer, she helps her clients articulate their unique value to stand out from the competition, and guides them through the job search process to make it less overwhelming and more successful. Contact us to see how we can help you build a more rewarding career. www.the-resume-resource.com

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