Information's pretty thin stuff unless mixed with experience. ~Clarence Day, The Crow's Nest
Why should I complete an internship?
• “Test drive” a career
• Build a professional network
• Establish relationships with mentors
• Accumulate new skills related to the field
• Earn college credit
• Gain a “real world” perspective on an occupation and the culture of that field
• EXPERIENCE!
Experience is the key word. Employers expect new graduates to have experience in their career field. A study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) asked employers to rate the importance of experience when recruiting new hires. According to the NACE 2011 Job Outlook survey, 72% of employers prefer to hire candidates with relevant work experience. Of these, 53% prefer the experience to be from internship or co-op experience.
Employers specifically believe their own organizations' internships to be an important part of recruiting for full-time hires.Results of NACE’s 2011 Internship & Co-op Survey show the overall conversion rate for interns increased to 57.7% in 2011.The major reason for the increase in this year’s overall conversion rate was the increased rate at which employers offered their interns full-time positions. That rate increased from 63.3% last year to 66.7% in this survey.
