From completing the college application to arranging the first job interview of today's college students, parents of Generation Y'ers are more involved in their children's lives than any generation preceding it. Commonly referred to as "helicopter parents," the difference between this generation and others is that many Millennials actually want their parents to be involved in their career selection process.

But what is a healthy medium between a parent properly advising their college-aged child on career planning as opposed to mapping out his or her entire career-causing corporate recruiters to run for the hills when they get a phone call from a parent of a potential Gen Y employee? Internships and co-ops are career door openers that parents can use to help guide their children as they transition from college to the workplace.

Through internships and co-op programs, college students can experience their chosen career field firsthand. When researching the various programs, parents and students should:

• Research the reputation of the organization-is the company well known as an employer of choice?
  
• Compare different types of internships -- is it a paid or non-paid internship, and does the company offer housing for its interns?
  
• Consider the daily work-will it provide actual experience that builds skills and knowledge in the chosen career field?
  

"Many major corporations like Aflac work with universities and high schools to train and recruit future employees-providing students with great experience," said Keyla Cabret, Aflac's university relations supervisor.

The insurance company's internship and co-op programs are unique because they offer the participants corporate housing, actual project experience and, upon successful completion, a permanent position. And best of all: Aflac's internships and co-op programs are paid, which is not always the case with most entry-level opportunities.

-- Article courtesy of Aflac.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 21, 2008 at 10:30 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

A college degree by itself no longer commands a quality job. That's a fact of life in a global job market tattooed with relentless change.

Having two or three quality school-related internships under your belt by graduation gives you an edge. The trick is to avoid those dead-end gigs so useless they should come wrapped in yellow crime-scene tape.

When you're partnering with your school, the good news is that you have rights. No one talks about them much but here's my take of what The Intern's Bill of Rights would look like. Or should.

Learning Opportunity. You have the right to expect a quality training experience with clear objectives in learning.

Strategic Choices. You have the right to target internships allowing you to build the specific kinds of experiences and relationships valuable to your future career. But when you have no work experience, almost any interning assignment can polish rough spots on soft skills in the workplace.

Good Matches. You have the right to turn down internships that do not relate to your education and that do not train you in the equipment and processes used in the career field you're exploring.

Active or Passive. You have the right to know your internship options upfront. Are you applying for a "passive" or an "active" internship? Interns in the passive category chiefly observe, learning by osmosis; they handle low-level tasks, often as clerical helpers. By contrast, interns in active internships do occupational-specific tasks within the field, rather than simply being immersed in the working environment.

College Credit. You have the right to receive course credits, objectively graded on your performance.

Job Offers. You have the right to ask your school's internship coordinator about the percentage of interns who received job offers after graduation from your prospective employer. Jobs are not guaranteed but many companies hire a high percentage of their interns.

Supervised Training. You have the right to expect your boss to write an evaluation of your work performance for a faculty supervisor.

Representation. You have the right to receive faculty intervention should the content of your internship differ substantially from the model presented before you signed on, as well as to know what, if any penalty you'll incur by not completing the misrepresented internship.

Unpaid. You have the right to expect consideration of flexible hours when you are an unpaid intern, leaving you time for a second paid job to stay afloat.

Your Work. You have the right to be a grown-up on the job and not to be surprised if your behavior is so performance-free that the boss complains to your faculty supervisor. Internship, done right, benefits both parties.

And now for the commercial:

Not only are internships good bait on your resume proving you have real experience, they're sources of powerful recommendations and new contacts in the business world.

-- Joyce Lain Kennedy, Author of Resumes For Dummies, 5th Edition, and Job Interviews For Dummies, 3rd Edition.

Posted by Steven Rothberg, CollegeRecruiter.com on February 19, 2008 at 1:26 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Many companies will hire former interns as regular employees. The best way to ensure that your interns want to return to work for your company after graduation is by giving them the best internship experience possible.

Below are 10 things that Dr. John Sullivan of San Francisco State University, in his article "Internships: Recruiting the Very Best College Interns," suggests that companies can do to give their interns memorable experiences:

1. Provide meaningful work: College students use internships to complement their education. Instead of treating them like student helpers, treat them like temporary skilled employees who happen to be going to college. The best internships allow students to do more than just file documents, make photocopies and fetch coffee.

2. A chance to complete a project: Tailor your internships to allow interns to work on a particular project and present the finished product to you the same way a regular employee would. This is a great way to make a student want to come back, says Dr. Sullivan.

3. Avoid bad managers: Interns, like regular employees, need to work for managers who are going to be considerate of their needs. Question your interns to discover which managers aren't working out, then make sure that those managers are no longer permitted to supervise interns.

4. The latest technology: Create an internship program that allows interns to work with cutting edge technology that they haven't yet had a chance to use.

5. An opportunity to make a difference: Many students want to have a social impact as well as a professional one. If possible, find a way to incorporate some type of community service opportunity into your internship program.

6. A chance to work with senior executives: What could be more exciting for a college intern than to have the opportunity to work on a project with a company executive? This goes far beyond the standard meet and greet session where a hand shake and a smile are the extent of their relationship with the company's upper echelon. The best internships not only ask interns who they would like to meet, but who they would like to work with directly as well, Dr. Sullivan says.

7. A great location: International internship requests are increasing because, let's face it, a great locale is icing on the cake of an exciting internship.

8. A mentor: A peer mentor - no more than three to five years older than the intern - is a wonderful way to make a college student feel comfortable during an internship; students who feel comfortable are more likely to return for another internship or a job.

9. Diversity: Hiring candidates from various backgrounds is vital and your competitors know this, so be prepared to adapt to the needs of interns with special needs. Your consideration will increase your odds of being added to their list of potential employers after graduation.

10. How much fun?: Although great internships offer fun activities for interns to participate in, they also keep in mind that students use internships to improve their skill set, gain networking contacts, and flesh out their resumes. If all they recall of their internships is fun and games, they'll go away feeling empty and will be unlikely to return.

The pressure is on to attract the best interns and new hires from the best colleges and universities, says Dr. Sullivan. If you're willing to adapt your internship program to meet the needs of your most desirable candidates, you'll most likely be able to hire some of the best and brightest recent college graduates year after year.

Posted by Candice Arnold on February 13, 2008 at 6:54 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The competition to recruit quality interns is as stiff as the competition to find quality internships. Companies from around the country have representatives on college campuses who are working hard to sell their internships to the most promising students.

Once again Dr. John Sullivan of San Francisco State University provides a list of methods - culled from his article "Internships: Recruiting the Very Best College Interns." - to help you stand out in a crowd.

1. Offer short-term projects: Some students are reluctant to commit their entire summer to an internship. Whirlpool came up with a concept that gives students more flexibility by offering internships of varying duration that can be completed throughout the year.

2. CEO talks: Campus speeches given by company CEOs have achieved incredible results for companies like Microsoft, Google, and Ernst & Young.

3. CEO calls: Calls from CEOs or other company executives to targeted students with internship offers have been almost 100% effective for companies that have attempted it, Dr. Sullivan says.

4. Post a video: Use sites like YouTube to post a video about your company or that profiles your current college interns or new hires.

5. Use "green" recruiting: Gen Y is very environmentally conscious, so if your company recycles or has other eco-friendly practices, make it known to targeted candidates.

6. Offer technical training on campus: This gives students a hands-on education that will complement their academic studies. And it will give you a chance to screen potential interns or new hires in the process.

7. Conduct career seminars on campus: This gives you increased visibility and lets potential interns or new hires know what your company has to offer.

8. Make "same day" offers: HIghly sought after students should be given an offer within one or two days of interviewing. This will prevent their going to a competitor because they're frustrated by the delay -- interns blog that waiting is one of their biggest pet peeves about the internship recruiting process, according to Dr. Sullivan.

9. Rewrite your internship descriptions: Write your internship descriptions like advertisements, emphasizing your company's best qualities.

10. Provide students with choices: Don't scare candidates away with rigidly structured programs. Be flexible in terms of "projects, locations, the duration of the internship, or which business unit", says Dr. Sullivan.

11. Write a blog: Blogs and podcasts are all the rage with college students these days so Dr. Sullivan suggests "having a recent hire, intern, or manager write a periodic blog that addresses college student issues" as a way to make your company more appealing.

12. Provide "local" internships: If your company has an office in the town where you're recruiting, allow students the option to do an internship there, instead of being forced to relocate.

13. Do "wow!" things: Try following Google's lead by doing something totally over-the-top like sending free pizza to the dorms or student lounge during final exam week, Dr. Sullivan recommends, adding that you should make it notable enough to be featured in the campus newspaper.

14. Offer video interviews: It's not always easy for students to interview on site. Be willing to allow a quality candidate to conduct an interview by video or over the telephone.

15. Hire interns early in their academic career: Competition for seniors is tough. Since students are encouraged to start doing internships as early as sophomore year, why not take advantage of the opportunity to attract the best candidates ahead of the competition.

16. Hire them both: Because college students often develop close relationships with their peers, take a chance and hire not only your chosen candidate, but his friend, too. Dr. Sullivan says this makes it more likely that you will get the best interns.

17. Check your negatives on the Internet: It's vital to keep up to date on what's being said about you - good and bad - on the Web because "your image can be tarnished very quickly," Dr. Sullivansays. He recommends visiting vault.com because it is a commonly used source of information for college students. And address any negative comments right away before they've had a chance to solidify in the minds of candidates.

18. HIghlight internships on your corporate career Web site: Make sure that internships are featured on your company Web site and that the message on your site is consistent with what you're pitching on campus.

Always remember that your best candidates will be researching you as heavily as you will be researching them. As long you're honest and straightforward about what they can expect from your company, you should do well on any campus where you're recruiting, and with time, your reputation as a good choice for internships and entry-level jobs will grow.

Posted by Candice Arnold on February 12, 2008 at 3:45 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

It's not easy to find the right person for a job. Weeding through resumes and conducting interviews can be time consuming and even discouraging if no one really seems to stand out. Finding quality interns isn't any easier; however, if you offer quality candidates internships that provide them opportunities to apply what they've learned at school and to participate in work groups with regular employees, you will probably solve the problem of how to find quality new hires.

More and more, companies are looking to former interns when they want to hire someone for an entry-level job. This can work out well if the company provides a challenging and enjoyable internship, and if the interns are hard working, qualified, and eager to learn and become a part of the team. Jim Stroud, in his article "When Recruiting Interns Remember, You Can't Fake Being 'Cool,'" he recounted a story about an intern who had a disappointing experience interning with Intel. The intern in question told a friend who then told Stroud, and the story continues to spread, because students will talk about their internships. And they'll talk more about a bad internship experience because they feel cheated. The complaints of the Intel intern got around to the career services department of his university and they are no longer interested in working with Intel. According to Stroud, "many companies have blacklisted themselves at major universities" by not providing enjoyable internships.

Dr. John Sullivan, Professor of Management at San Francisco State University's College of Business offers 13 ways to find quality interns in his article "Internships: Recruiting the Very Best College Interns."

First: Make use of graduate assistants because they often work closely with the best students.

Second: Use interns who are already doing internships with your company. Dr. Sullivan suggests paying the interns a stipend to recruit other students.

Third: Seek help from recent graduates who are new hires with your company.

Fourth: Use student referrals. Offer some sort of compensation ( i.e. mugs with the company logo, daily planners, t-shirts, etc.) to students who send top candidates to your company for internships.

Fifth: Use online contests to attract students and assess the level of talent that's currently in the market.

Sixth: Use professional student groups. Offering to sponsor the group or one of their meetings, Dr. Sullivan says, will give them a positive of impression of your
company, which can serve you well when seeking referrals.

Seventh: Use networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.

Eighth: Conduct Internet searches, looking for students who have won
scholarships or awards.

Ninth: Enlist the aid of faculty internship advisors. They know which students are looking for internships and which ones show the most promise.

Tenth: Offer scholarship contests.

Eleventh: Request faculty referrals, but be prepared for the possibility of rejection. Not all faculty agree with this practice.

Twelfth: Attempt to recruit student mentors.

Thirteenth: Purchase an ad in a campus newspaper.

These methods can help you to find just the right candidate for the internship your company is offering.

Posted by Candice Arnold on February 11, 2008 at 3:35 PM | Leave a Comment (0)