By Melanie Spina
Staff Writer
Being an intern can assist students with future career plans, from possibly landing a job with that company to realizing that you actually might not want to work in that field. This is why students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities; so much so that internships are required for certain majors.
“All students should get hands on experience and apply what they are learning in the classroom to the real world,” said Mikki Rosman, a success coach for LIU Promise. “Internships also provide students with great networking opportunities to meet people in their career field. Oftentimes students are hired for full-time positions after an internship, so the more internships you have, the more options you will have after graduation.”
Abigail Brosnan, a junior Broadcasting major, had the opportunity to intern for “Live! With Kelly and Michael” last fall. Brosnan stated that she found the internship by doing her own research and networking. Once she found it, all she had to do was apply online and attend the interview. She claims that there was a huge turnout and only five people ended up getting the positions, one of these five being Brosnan.
“The interview was one-on-one with a producer from Live, and it went well because I offered my knowledge on the show and conversed about my love for broadcasting; it was really all conversation,” Brosnan said. “For interviews, you have to make it as fluent as possible and be confident.”
Although Brosnan didn’t find this internship with help from Post, there are ways that the university guide students with finding their ideal internship. Rosman stated that if students need help, they can visit Career Success located in the LIU Promise office, second floor of Hillwood Commons.
“We assist students with the internship search process by providing useful websites and tips to search for internships during our internship workshops throughout each semester,” Rosman said. “In addition, we will prepare students to start the application process by reviewing resumes, cover letters, and preparing for interviews.” Also, students can visit JobNet, which is an online job database for students and alumni, where they can find internship postings as well as full-time and part-time job postings. Rosman believes that this is a great resource for students because employers are posting on the site to look specifically for LIU Post students. **
A 2015 Job & Internship Fair will take place in the Tilles Center on April 15 from noon –2:30 p.m. with about 44 employers, from companies like Apple, Verizon, Peace Corps, and many more. “This event is extremely helpful for students because employers are on campus looking to hire LIU Post students for jobs and internships,” Rosman said. But that isn’t its only purpose. Rosman stated that the fair was
also made for the students to have the opportunity to practice their interviewing skills.
“It is very good practice and preparation for students to work on their 30-second elevator speech,” Rosman said. The elevator speech is a quick way to describe yourself, your career goals and what kind of position you are looking for. “In addition, students need to come prepared with their resume to present to employers so this event promotes students to have an updated, completed resume,” Rosman added.
Both Rosman and Brosnan believe that internships are very important while in college. “Working hands on in an internship, and just any professional setting, is the best type of learning experience you can get,” Brosnan said. “I started off slow, feeling it out since this was my first internship, but gradually the work became fluent and my natural strengths were apparent.”
Students who do internships are often able to get academic credit for it. “This is dependent on the student’s major,” Rosman said. “If they are interested in receiving credit, they need to contact their academic department directly.”
Brosnan states that once she contacted her academic department she was able to receive three credits. “I also received an internship advisor who was really great to talk to about my struggles in adapting to my crazy new hours at the internship, and any challenges I faced.”
But if a student’s major does not permit credit for their internship then they have the option to take part of the co-op internship program (EEE), which is a non-credit, pass/fail course where students are required to complete their internship along with a reflective paper, evaluation, and learning goals.
Students who enroll in this program go through four steps in which they are helped with building their resumes and are guided to apply what they learn in class to the real world. “The benefit of completing an internship as a co-op internship is that the employer will be listed on the student’s transcript, Rosman said. “The co-op internship process is handled through Career Success.”
** To access this database go to: https://pep.liu.edu/liu/student/
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