INTERNSHIP HANDBOOK For Students

Transcription

1 OFFICE OF INTERNSHIPS INTERNSHIP HANDBOOK Fr Students If yu have questins that are nt addressed, please cntact the Office f Internships at (760) r internships@csusm.edu. What is an academic internship? An academic internship, paid r unpaid, is an educatinal strategy that links classrm learning and real-life applicatins. A high quality internship is a learning experience facilitated by cllabrative cmmunity partners that help students achieve persnal and prfessinal grwth and cmpetitive advantage in the glbal wrkfrce. The main pririty f the internship experience is t prvide students with a prfessinal learning experience in which they gain new knwledge by perfrming tasks, wrking n prjects, cmpleting ther n-the-jb learning experiences in a prfessinal wrk envirnment, and thrugh mentring. Internships prvide students with the pprtunity t test a tentative career chice. Benefits f an academic internship Gain prfessinal experience and transferable skills Develp new skills and refine thers Explre a prspective career path Earn academic credit Netwrk with prfessinals in yur field, fr references and future jb pprtunities Gain a cmpetitive edge n the jb market r fr pst-baccalaureate studies Earning academic credit fr an internship Many f CSUSM s academic departments ffer credit-bearing internship curses; sme are pen t nn-majrs while thers are required/restricted curses pen nly t students in thse majrs. In rder t earn academic credit fr an internship experience, yu must be enrlled in an internship curse. Please cntact the faculty member f yur internship curse t determine curse requirements, supplemental department frms/prcesses, recmmended internship placement sites, majr-specific internship credit limitatins, and ther pertinent guidance. 1

2 If yur department des nt ffer an internship curse, cntact the Office f Internships at (760) r internships@csusm.edu t see hw we may assist yu. Hw t find an internship? Finding the internship that is right fr yu is a three-step prcess: Determine Yur Internship Gals, Prepare/Plish Yur Jb Search Skills, and Track Dwn Internship Surces. Determine Yur Internship Gals Befre yu can even start thinking abut finding an internship, yu need t spend time reflecting n yur gals fr btaining an internship. Cnsider these questins: What are yur specific career interests? An internship is a great tl t help yu define yur career gals by expsing yu t a particular field r industry t find ut if the career yu're cnsidering is really right fr yu. As imprtant as classrm learning is, there's n substitute fr actually witnessing and participating in the daily rutine. Internships can help yu becme familiar with the duties f many different peple in an rganizatin, which can help narrw yur fcus and let yu decide if the career yu dream f is the right career fr yu. Why d yu want an internship and what d yu hpe t gain frm it? There are multiple reasns fr btaining an internship, including answering the questin abve. Other pssible reasns include learning new skills, gaining netwrking cnnectins, adding wrk experience t yur résumé, and as an entry pint that yu hpe leads t a full-time psitin with the emplyer when yu graduate. Internships als ffer flexibility since yu and yur site supervisr determine yur wrk schedule. What type f rganizatin are yu interested in? Organizatins cme in all sizes and shapes, including public agencies, nt-fr-prfit rganizatins, and businesses. What are yu lking fr? Issues t cnsider include size, wnership, missin/bjective, etc. Where d yu want t have yur internship? If yur internship is during the regular semester, yu might need an internship clse t campus, but during the summer mnths yu may wish t have an internship ut-f-state where yu hpe t land a fulltime psitin when yu graduate -- r just t experience a place in which yu have never lived befre. Keep in mind that ut-f-state internships generally require advanced planning t arrange fr travel, ldging and ther lgistics. Plan ahead! Prepare/Plish Yur Jb Search Skills As internships becme mre and mre cmpetitive, it becmes even mre imprtant fr yu t have a strng set f jb-search skills frm the belw list. Cver letter writing Résumé preparatin Interviewing strategies 2

3 Track dwn internship surces If yur department has an internship prgram, the first place t start is with the internship crdinatr r faculty advisr in yur wn department. They may ffer guidance and/r have a list f pssible rganizatins. If yu have an internship site in mind that is nt n their list, discuss the pssibility f getting apprval fr the rganizatin yu are interested in. Yur faculty member may direct yu t the Office f Internships fr assistance in identifying placement sites. Hw t land an internship 1. Cntact the rganizatin that yu are interested in t set up an interview. Identify yurself as a majr (r student) at CSUSM. Intern cmmunity partners nly knw what yu tell them abut yurself. It is imprtant t express yur qualificatins in the mst psitive, albeit realistic, light. Remember, first impressins are imprtant. Have a letter f intrductin ready t send that includes the fllwing: a. A brief statement f interest in wrking in their rganizatin with sme backgrund ratinale if pssible. (The ratinale culd include the cnnectin between the internship setting and yur career plans, yur interest in the issues handled by the ffice, yur unique skills which culd be put t use, etc.). b. A specific set f dates utlining the duratin f the internship and the time cmmitment within that set f dates. c. A brief statement f ne s qualificatins that highlight key elements f yur frmal résumé. Specific examples f ne s abilities and skills are imprtant. The rganizatin may request a writing sample. It is apprpriate t include this in the initial package. d. A request fr further guidance as t what ther infrmatin the rganizatin needs t make a decisin. 2. A frmal résumé is the traditinal business methd fr presenting neself. Althugh the résumé may be prepared fr mass distributin, it is best when it is tailred t the specific applicatin at hand. The mre yu knw abut the needs f a particular ffice, the mre yu can highlight what yu have t ffer. Fr a cllege student with limited wrk experience, the résumé is smewhat different than fr a persn in the wrking wrld. Target yur résumé t a particular psitin, and highlight the relevant experiences and skills fr that jb. The résumé shuld include: Bigraphical and cntact infrmatin, e.g., current address, telephne number, , etc. An utline f specific skills, e.g. letter writing, research, statistics, cmputer wrk, public plling, cmputer skills, etc. Previus emplyment Educatin recrd 3

4 Academic experiences that indicate skills and the ability t wrk independently References (chse references frm thse wh are mst likely t tell smething abut yur ability t d the jb and frm thse wh are likely t carry sme weight with the ptential spnsr) Career plans Make sure the cver letter and résumé are errr free and prfessinal. Dn t rely slely n yur spell checker r yur wn eyes. Have smene else prfread fr yu. 3. Arrange an interview: Many internship partners require either an in-persn r phne interview. Prepare fr the interview by finding ut as much as pssible abut the interviewer and their ffice peratin and anticipating their questins, i.e., tell me abut yurself, why d yu want t wrk here, what skills wuld yu bring t the jb, what are yu mst imprtant strengths/weaknesses. Als, have sme questins f yur wn, i.e., what kinds f assignments can I expect t get, what did yur last (current) intern d, what d yu expect f interns, etc. Questins nt nly allw yu t gather imprtant infrmatin, but als indicate yur interest. At a minimum, ask the timetable fr making a decisin. Immediately send a fllw-up thank yu letter t the interviewer. This serves as a subtle reminder that they need t take actin and signals t the interviewer yur prfessinalism and cmmitment t fllwing thrugh. Be flexible abut yur wrk schedules and assignments. Be specific abut yur interests. Be realistic abut pssible placements. Yu re ffered an internship, what next? Let yur faculty supervisr knw immediately. In additin t instructing yu n hw t register fr curse credit, yur faculty supervisr will develp a learning agreement that clarifies the expected wrk t be dne, the learning utcmes, the lgistics, and specific number f hurs per unit f academic credit t be granted upn the successful cmpletin f the internship curse. Yu will have paperwrk t submit t yur faculty supervisr in yur academic department and t the Office f Internships. Cnsult with yur faculty supervisr fr paperwrk required by the department. In additin t paperwrk required by yur academic department, the fllwing dcuments must be cmpleted and upladed t the Office f Internships via the Service Learning and Internship Database here prir t the start f yur internship. Placement and guidelines Liability release frm (if under 18 years r if n University Cmmunity Partnership agreement is n file with the Office f Internships. The Office f Internships will advise yu n whether r nt yu need this). 4

5 Syllabus r learning plan develped in cnsultatin with yur faculty supervisr that clearly specifies fr what wrk yu will d, what yu are expected t learn, expected number f hurs, etc. Cmplete the Student Orientatin Mdule t review safety and emergency prcedures, and successfully pass the quiz t demnstrate yur full understanding. Hw t make the best f yur internship Frequently asked questins Am I eligible fr an internship? Cntact yur department internship crdinatr f department chair t inquire abut eligibility requirements as they may vary by department. Are internships paid r unpaid? Bth. Sme are paid and thers are nt. Many nn-prfit rganizatin are unable t pay their interns; hwever, nn-prfits can ffer very gd site training. Hw many credits can I earn fr an internship? Generally, an internship that spans ne semester is taken fr 3 credits, but it s pssible t earn fewer r mre credits, depending n the area f study. Talk t yur faculty supervisr abut specific department guidelines n hw many credits yu can earn. Hw much time is required? Again, yur supervising faculty can best answer this as it varies by department. Are academic internships graded? Yes. Students participating in an academic internship are either graded credit/n credit, r with a letter grade, depending n yur department. Yur supervising faculty will tell yu hw it is graded. When can I start an internship? Once a fully executed University Cmmunity Partnership agreement (r release f liability) is n file, yu have submitted the required dcuments (e.g. student placement and guidelines and learning plan t the Office f Internships, and have cmpleted the Student Orientatin Mdule, yu may start the internship. Hw d I find an internship? Begin by talking t yur faculty advisr r Department Chair as they ften have a database f internship sites that meet their department criteria. It may als be pssible t suggest an internship site t yur faculty advisr fr cnsideratin. Since we may nt already have a partnership agreement with yur suggested site, it is imprtant t discuss this with yur faculty advisr early s s/he can apprve recmmendatin and request t initiate a 5

6 partnership agreement which takes 2-6 weeks t apprve. If yur majr department des nt have an internship prgram, cntact the Office f Internships at (760) r internships@csusm.edu t see if we can help. Is it kay t intern fr a family member? N. T avid a cnflict f interest, yu may nt intern with family members. Can I intern with an rganizatin I already wrk fr? Prvided that yur internship wrk is distinct frm yur paid jb, it may be pssible t d an internship at yur place f emplyment. Hwever, a faculty member r department chair must apprve, and yu wuld have t submit a time sheet t the Office f Internships. Can I receive credit fr an internship I already cmpleted? N. Internships cannt be apprved retractively. I m nt sure hw t cmplete the student placement prcess? Yu can find clear instructins n ur website under the student tab by clicking n credit internships. My department desn t ffer an internship? Beginning Fall 2018, the Office f Undergraduate Studies, in partnership with the Office f Internships, will ffer a 3-unit internship curse, UNIV 495, pen t all majrs. Hwever, nly yur faculty advisr r department chair can apprve t cunt these units tward yur majr. Intern Respnsibilities Be prfessinal. Reprt t wrk when scheduled. Ntify yur site supervisr if yu cannt be at wrk. Keep yu site supervisr infrmed abut what yu are wrking n. Take apprpriate safety precautins if wrking arund peple and equipment. Infrm yur faculty supervisr immediately f any cncerns yu may have in yur internship wrkplace. Checklist fr Interns Yu have cmpleted and submitted the necessary paperwrk t yur Department and t the Office f Internships If yu are an internatinal student r a student interning abrad, yu have cntacted the Office f Glbal Educatin (760) t btain wrk authrizatin and cnsult abut travel and medical insurance. Yu have met with yur faculty supervisr t develp a learning agreement. Yu have met with yur site supervisr t discuss their expectatins frm yu. Yu have cmpleted the nline Student Orientatin Mdule and quiz. Yu satisfy the hur requirement and cmplete expected assignments. 6

7 Things t Cnsider in Yur Internship Experience Cntact the Office f Internships immediately is yu experience wrkplace discriminatin r sexual harassment. (760) Interns shuld be in a prfessinal setting with frequent interactin with and regular feedback frm a supervisr/mentr. The internship shuld avid all cnflicts f interest that can diminish the learning experience. Interns are nt permitted t intern in family-wned businesses (in ther wrds a member f their wn family wns the business) r t be supervised by an immediate member f the family (i.e., father, mther, sibling). Clerical and rutine ffice duties shuld be kept t a minimum. Interns may nt t transprt clients/cnsumers f their field internship agency at any time fr any reasn. Students are nt permitted t participate in dr-t-dr sales, telemarketing, r cld calling f any kind. Frms (Electrnically Submitted t the Office f Internships) In rder t reduce and mitigate risk fr all parties invlved, it is imprtant that fllwing dcuments are cmpleted prir t start f the internship via the Service Learning and Internship Database. Student participatin and guidelines frm Liability release frm (required nly when a fully executed University Cmmunity Partnership agreement has nt be secured). Liability release frm (when student is under 18 years f age, a parent r legal guardian must sign the dcument). Syllabus r learning agreement plan develped in cnsultatin with yur faculty supervisr that clearly specifies fr what wrk yu will d, what yu are expected t learn, expected number f hurs, etc. If yu are interning and are emplyed by the same rganizatin, yu must submit a cpy f yur student hur lg, signed by yur site supervisr and dated, t the Office f Internships at the end f the internship. (Yur faculty supervisr may require ne regardless). 7