Having been in recruiting for over a decade now, I have a lot of tips, processes, and stories to share. Let me share the true story of both my daughters, who graduated last year and this year.

Last year, in her senior year in college, my oldest daughter called an employee at Wachovia, whom she had read about in a newspaper story, regarding the Wachovia Golf Championship. My daughter loves sports and event planning. She was just making a networking phone call.

Little did my daughter know that the person she was calling was looking for the first intern, ever, for the Wachovia Golf Championship here in Charlotte. They met in a coffee shop, my daughter was offered the position and for the next six months of her senior year in college, she burned the candle at both ends, working and studying 12-16 hour days.

But upon graduation, she had the internship experience to put on her resume. When she pursued a job in the golf industry, and she got two offers in two weeks!!

After several months in Atlanta, she decided to move back to Charlotte and applied for an Event Planning position at Coca Cola. She had two interviews and was hired and now has her first dream job. All because of that internship experience. Both the practical experience she gained from the work, and the fact that she could put it on her resume created the perfect combination for her.

And now, my youngest daughter, who is a senior at UNC Wilmington, is doing an internship at a Recruiting Firm. She went through her school Career Counseling group and applied for two different opportunities before she landed one.

She will have no trouble finding a job here in Charlotte after graduation. Those internships are GOLD!

Robert E Jones
Recruiting Manager, Specializing in Information Technology
Sherpa, LLC
Charlotte, NC