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| Frequently Asked Questions | ||
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For Students 1. Are there enough internship opportunities for me? Yes. We have many more companies looking for interns than we have students to fill those positions. So don't panic and don't jump at the first opportunity to come along, unless you know it's the perfect arrangement. 2. When should I start looking for an internship? You don't need to start until you have attended one of the internship meetings a couple months before you want to start your internship. 3. Can I do an internship before I meet the requirements? No. There are several reasons for waiting until you are a senior. 4. What are those reasons? We want you to be ready and educated so you can impress the company you intern for. We want you to be close to graduation, so if you get a job offer, you don't have to drop out of school or turn down the offer. We want your internship to be a first step toward getting a job. 5. Someone has just offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to intern for them right now, but I don't yet meet the requirements? Should I do it? No. You need to think about what the goal of an internship is. Is it to work for free for someone and then return to school the following semester, or is it to set the stage for a job in the industry? There will be many other "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunities when you are truly ready. 6. When should I start planning for doing an internship? You should start by working out your schedule of classes several semesters before you plan to intern. Consider taking an online course or two while you are interning. That means you need to wait, saving some online courses for that semester, instead of taking them sooner. 7. Can I count a job I already have as an internship? Only if you have meet the pre-requisites and have discussed this with the internship coordinator. We are in the process of adding co-op learning courses to address this issue. |
For Companies 1. How do I secure an intern? If you have not already done so, fill out a company application. If you need to update your information, fill out the form again. We will be updating this system soon so that you can manage your own listings. Also, attend our career day each spring. Try participating in one of our classes as a guest speaker. Students gravitate toward people in the industry who inspire them. 2. Are there enough students to fill all your intern requests. No, not by a long shot. We have many more companies asking for interns than we have students. 3. How can I increase my odds of getting an intern? Students pay tuition for the privilege of working with your company for no pay. Most also pay transportation costs to and from their internship. Keep that in mind. Provide a meaningful experience. 4. When is the best time of year to recruit interns? Contrary to popular opinion, it is not at the beginning of the semester. Most students already have their internships set up in advance. The best times are during pre-registration. For spring semester, that would be in early November. For summer and fall semesters, the best time is in early April. 5. Why do your students have to wait until they are seniors? We want our students to be ready to contribute to your company, without having to be taught everything about the business. 6. Can I approach students about coming to intern for us? Yes, but keep in mind that they must complete our required courses before they qualify for college credit. Our younger students may not know this. 7. Can I approach faculty members about finding me an intern? Yes. That is one of the best ways to find the right student for your needs. Our faculty know the brightest students in each area of the business and can refer students to you. 8. We used to get a lot of your interns, but they don't seem to contact us lately. What's wrong? It could be that your information in our database is outdated. Fill out another application. It could be that other students found the experience less than satisfactory (see #3) and have passed that information along to other students.
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2009 Middle
Tennessee State University, a Tennessee Board of Regents institution |
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