Internships provide excellent opportunities for students to gain professional work experience and test out a career field of interest. Students can develop and enhance their skill set and knowledge base, build a network of professional contacts, and learn how to manage the multitude of responsibilities that come with a career. On the flip side, their energy, enthusiasm, and creativity provide much needed assistance to organizations looking for the innovation and determination that only college students can provide. It is a “win-win” situation that is not only valued but expected in today’s competitive job market.
Posting an internship
- Understand your role with academic credit internships.
- Determine the responsibilities for the internship you are creating. The National Association of Colleges and Employers position statement on internships is a good place to start.
- Create an employer account and post the position on Handshake, UMW’s online job and internship database.
- Make sure to include application instructions for the student, including letting them know if you’d like them to apply via email, a website, etc.
- Once you have interviewed qualified candidates and chosen an intern, if the student is interested in doing the internship for credit, they will work through the Center for Career and Professional Development to submit the required paperwork.
COVID 19 Updates/Information for Employers
Internships for Summer 2020 are still scheduled to continue and we are actively supporting students in their search. Though we are unable to host any on-campus recruitment for positions, we encourage employers to engage in virtual recruitment. Please visit the Career Center website for updates regarding internships. Additionally, you can continue to utilize Handshake to post your open internship opportunities for both the Summer and upcoming Fall.
Students who are completing internship for academic credit can complete all paperwork via digital signatures or with emails providing the pertinent information required for the contract. The Summer Session scheduled to run from Monday, May 18th to July 23rd, though students may complete hours outside of this window with prior approval. Evaluations for internships will be conducted in a virtual format.
With the current “Stay At Home” order in affect, we are encouraging students interning at a non-essential business to engage in remote internships. Students in localities outside of Virginia, should adhere to the federal and state guidelines regarding “Stay At Home or Shelter in Place” orders. For all employers, we highly recommend you set up your internships remotely as that is the most ideal solution at this time.
As our main priority is the health and safety of our students, you may be limited in your options for hosting an internship if you are unable to set up a remote experience. If you find a student that you would like to intern, consider extending an offer for a future semester.
There are several different resources available to assist in setting up remote internships. Below is a list of resources curated from various organizations regarding remote internships.
- The University of Washington as provided a handout on Developing Remote Internships as well as an Internship Work Plan Template to help track goals and progress remotely for interns.
- The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) published an article on working with students remotely.
- LinkedIn Learning has made a variety of courses on Remote Working free!
- The University of Wisconsin, Madison published a guide for creating online internships
- College Recruiter created a YouTube video series about running effective virtual internships
For questions about internships, contact Bianca Hightower at bfaison@umw.edu