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While unpaid internships have become a staple of the college experience, a new report by LookSharp reveals unpaid experience just might not be cutting it for some employers.
LookSharp owns InternMatch, a free online website for students to have access to resources and tools dedicated to help them find internships and entry-level positions in a variety of fields from employers across the country.
Nathan Parcells, founder of LookSharp and InternMatch, said one of the challenges InternMatch faced as they continued to help students was the lack of data about internships and the job-hunting process. This prompted LookSharp to administer a study entitled “State of the Internship Report.”
According to that study, 24.9 percent of college seniors whose most recent internship was paid already had full-time job offers, compared with the 8.2 percent of those with unpaid internships.
“We [at InternMatch] strongly believe that internships should be paid, so we wanted more data to bring light to the value of those kinds of roles,” Parcells said.
Why such a gap in employment rates?
“I think the implications there is that unpaid internships oftentimes from companies that can’t afford to pay interns are hiring them just for the sake of it,” Parcells said. “Someone who is going to pay for an intern is committed to the program and really see the value. And so oftentimes paid internships are the ones that are better set up and they give more responsibilities, and students who land those roles end up getting more professional experiences that lead to landing a job.”
So how can students land the internships that stand out on resumes?
“I think one of the more interesting results we got from the survey was the value of peer network,” Parcells said. “One of the big difference-makers between students who ended up having multiple internships and those [who] did not, was students who did get internships very actively working with peer and family connections to help expand their options.”
Senior Jessica Estrada had experience with peer networking, which led both to a paid internship at Reunion Tower in Dallas and a full-time job offer for after she graduates in December.
“I heard about my internship in an interesting way,” Estrada said. “My mom’s best friend works at the parent company of Reunion Tower and suggested I send in my resume for any possible internships. At the same time I was interning at another company and it turned out one of my co-workers was friends with the person who picked up my resume and they told me about the internship at the Tower.”
Parcells also noted that online career profiles, such as LinkedIn, are beneficial aids to the internship hunting process. He also explains how InternMatch has developed their student profile features as a platform on which students can showcase their experience to potential employers.
“We have a product now that allows a student to build a rich online profile with their experiences,” Parcells said. “And by experience I mean more than just job experience, but also projects that you work on with friends or in school. And we encourage them to share their online profiles with friends while they’re job searching because, again, you never know who has those connections that can help you.”
Parcells said that eight percent of employers Google search their applicants and having an online career profile is a beneficial way to have a professional online presence.
“Online profiles show up highly in Google search and so it’s better for them to see something professional and relevant rather than the Facebook pictures of you doing whatever,” Parcells said.
Estrada agrees that online career profiles are beneficial to landing internships.
“I have a LinkedIn account, which I think is helpful for anyone looking for an internship or job because it allows a person to network with others in a quick, efficient way,” Estrada said. “I think it’s important to keep up with technology and social media because it allows people to connect with one another.”
Despite the appeal of paid internships, Parcells urges students to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.
Senior Somer Helms agreed with Parcells that any experience is beneficial when it presents itself.
“Although unpaid internships are not ideal, [they are] very beneficial for your career,” Helms, a paid intern at The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital, said.
“Experience is experience. So whether you have one paid internship or multiple unpaid ones, it’s one step closer to making your resume competitive amongst other applicants.”
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