Internships,
a step forward in your professional career
By Claudia De León



In an era when competition for jobs is increasingly strong and at a time when a college degree may not be enough for us to attract employers, we must really make an impression to get that career job to which we have dedicated so much study time. Honestly, how long can we afford to be unemployed after we graduate?

Finding a decent job related to our field of study or something we would actually like to do is getting harder and harder for college graduates. The competition is growing even for graduates of Ivy-League colleges, and it is often no longer enough to simply have a good education to back us up when we enter the job market. Employers are now looking for outstanding qualities in their potential employees to separate them from the larger pool of applicants. What are they looking for and how do we build those qualities that stand out?

Peyton Haralson, general manager for Central Parking System in Columbus says, "As the world's largest operator of parking services, the need for quality employees is always present." For Haralson, a good academic background is always a plus, but it is not always enough to prove that a person would be good in a specific work environment. For Haralson, a good employee should possess confidence, good communication skills, the ability to work with others, the instinct for problem solving and other qualities that he says would more than likely develop after that person has been exposed to a work environment. [yo estoy contigo en este quote y creo que podemos cortarlo totalmente]

So how do we get that first job if our prospective employer is looking for experience and that is precisely what we do not have? The answer is: through internships. These jobs may not always be the most fun because you may end up running errands for people, getting them coffee and doing mostly "grunt work." Plus, you may not get paid. However, think of all the great things internships could do for you. They allow you to be in a real work environment, observing real situations and, most importantly, creating networks. Still, internships allow you to meet the people who could become your next references, your next co-workers, or even your next employers. Best of all, the internship allows you to develop all those qualities that the majority of employers seek: confidence, ability to work in teams, good communication skills and, most importantly, experience. You get to identify your weaknesses and work on them. You get to meet people from different places and situations, and most of them will be willing to share their knowledge with you, making you even more prepared than you were before to face different situations. It may even be the case that you won't run errands and serve coffee, but instead you might get to work on an advertisement or observe a business deal. In the end, it all works to your advantage.

Armando Flores, an International Business student at Fisher College, who also serves as treasurer of the University-wide Council of Hispanic Organizations (UCHO) and Hispanic Business Student Association (HBSA) as well as president of Alpha Psi Lambda, has participated in two internships. He worked with an export-import company in Cleveland and with a car insurance company based in Westerville. He tells us that, although the job was not directly linked to his major, he found the car insurance company more interesting because he knew little about that sort of business and this opportunity exposed him to something new. "I think it is a great idea to be exposed to areas outside of your field," Flores said. "The attributes you gain as a person through the experience is what is important, and these are common attributes that work well in any job you take."

While Armando's first internship was helpful, he found a second internship more closely related to his career expectations and the export-import company definitely put his major into a new perspective. "Working in trade allowed me to realize what my career was really about. I was able to see the relationship between other countries and our own. I learned to appreciate the metric system, as other countries use this for everything," Flores said, adding that he enjoyed a diverse environment that helped him establish great network opportunities. "I was amazed at the diversity among the people and how easily everyone could work together despite their differences. It made me a lot more aware of the importance of education and experience. I really learned to appreciate my field."

Armando Flores can be contacted for questions at flores.62@osu.edu. You can also find more information about internships through the Ohio State Career Center http://www.careers.ohio-state.edu/ or speak to your advisor about internships available through your specific department. This article is a contribution from Claudia De León, chair of the university-wide Council of Hispanic Organizations (UCHO). Claudia can be contacted at de-leon.6@osu.edu

This is a contribution from Claudia De León, chair of UCHO.