Information for Student Interns

To qualify for SC 483: Internship, a student must have

• Satisfactorily completed 18 hours of Communication Studies' courses (classes with an SC prefix and UI 301, 320, 345, 423, 425, or 504.)
• Your Degree Works worksheet will provide this information
• Identified a site/ experience that can be deemed "worthy" of an internship
• We provided pointers in a recent newsletter to majors
• Career Services provices assistance
• Determined that the time is right to do so.
• The internship requires a serious time commitment. 150 hours must be completed on-site. For this reason, the internship is best undertaken during the summer or during a semester when you are enrolling in a fairly light load of classes. Are you able to devote the time required?
• Followed the procedures to gain approval
• Determining whether you qualify is step one.

Finding an ideal internship is essentially the same as a job search, and that experience, in-and-of-itself is a valuable one, helping prepare you for "the real deal."

Hence, searching for an internship is an important part of the process.

You do not have to go it alone.

• Career Services has resources to assist.
• The Career & Internship Fair helps many majors find opportunities.
• Redhawkjobs.com is a site that lists internship opportunities at the local, regional, and national level.
• We provided pointers in a recent newsletter to majors

Embrace the search experience and you will likely produce good results.

Impress your Internship Coordinator with what you turn up as possibilities (This is the next step of the process).

When you’ve found one or more ideal possibilities for an internship, it’s time to consult your Internship Coordinator. You’ll need the following:

• Internship Application - providing specifics on how you qualify and what you’d like to do as an intern (and where and why).
• Whatever artifacts are necessary to “make the case” for a particular internship.
  
  Be ready to discuss how the internship seems ideal for you in terms of your training, interests, and goals.
  
  Be aware of and able to discuss any special requirements for a particular internship. For instance, hospitals and government agencies may require a background check and/or personal liability insurance and/or medical records and/or medical screenings or tests or immunizations. Are you able to comply?

• Your updated resume (perhaps consulting Career Services to craft it)
• A good draft of a letter applying for one or more of the internships you seek (perhaps consulting Career Services to craft it)
• A completed liability release form.

After assembling these materials, it’s time to make an appointment. Here’s who to contact, designated by major.

This process will vary, from place to place, but generally you will indicate your interest (in a letter of application), provide a resume, and request an interview.

Career Services can assist you with your resume and letter of application, as well as provide pointers for an interview.

If you've taken SC 330: Corporate & Professional Communication (or MG 252: Business Communication), you gained invaluable insights for the resume and other application materials.

In SC 330 as well as SC 335: Interviewing, we also provide tips for a successful interview.

• Arrive about ten minutes early.
• Dress appropriately for the position sought.
• Be able to discuss how your training, experience, and goals make you a good fit.
• Let them see that you are eager to learn and will value the experience.
• Let them see that you are dependable, pleasant, and easy to work with.

If the organization offers you an internship, they’ll need to complete our Internship Agreement This form ensures everyone is “on the same page” by providing a detailed description of your duties. The On-Site Supervisor has an obligation to see that you have an adequate opportunity to gain information and/or skills to enhance your career possibilities and to utilize/augment what you’ve learned in your classes at Southeast.

When you’ve been offered an Internship, it’s time to meet with the Internship Coordinator again and make the final sales pitch.

To do so, bring along the following items:

• Internship Application (possibly revised since the initial meeting)
• Internship Agreement Form (signed by on-site supervisor
• Letter of Application (possibly revised since the initial meeting)
• Resume (possibly revised since the initial meeting)
• Liability Release
• Any special forms required by that particular internship (e.g., Liability Release and Limited Power of Attorney

Once the Internship Coordinator has all of your materials and is convinced that the internship is, indeed, a good experience, she will recommend “approval” to the department chairperson.

After the department chairperson has signed off, you will have permission to enroll in SC 483. (Note: You will actually do the enrolling, yourself.)

As a student in SC 483, you will report regularly to the Internship Coordinator, who will serve as the instructor for the course.

To earn credit for the course, do as follows:

1. Keep a running log of what you have learned.
• Understand the log’s importance. Follow these directions.
• Use this template.
2. Collect two work samples, illustrative of your work
3. After logging 150 hours, complete the Self-Evaluation & Site Review (which we discuss in step seven: Finalize).

We hope the internship has been a great experience for you. Now is the time to wrap up.

1. To derive the best learning requires reflection. Reflect upon your experience by completing the Self-Evaluation & Site Review.
2. We also want to “see” what you did. Please provide two representative work samples.
3. We can also benefit from what your On-Site Supervisor has to say. Please remind your on-site supervisor to
1. complete the Internship Performance Review
2. e-mail his or her review to the Internship Coordinator

We appreciate the opportunity the On-Site Supervisor has provided. You — no doubt — appreciate it as well.

A thank-you note is certainly in order, isn’t it? Hastings, Hallmark, or the Southeast Bookstore likely has the perfect card.