Making an Internship Work for You

Right now, your main focus is most likely on starting school. But this is also the best time to start thinking about your b-school internship.

This internship, which full-time b-school students usually do after their first year, can be critical in shaping your career path. Creating a strategy for your internship now is one more way of preparing yourself for long-term success in your post-MBA career.

In 2009, the Graduate Management Admission Council surveyed 2,825 employers from 2,092 companies worldwide that hire b-school graduates. According to the survey participants, more than one-fifth of 2008 MBA graduate hires (21%, on average) were interns at hiring companies. A wide range of organizations offer internship opportunities. The study shows that nearly half of small companies with fewer than 100 employees (46%) to the majority of large firms with more than 10,000 employees (80%) employ graduate business school students as interns.

According to employers: “Internships provide the best indicator of success”; “Structured summer internship program leads to full-time offers”; “ We hire the majority of candidates via a long-established internship program.”

B-school internships can be critical in your quest for employment after you complete—especially in a weak economy, when employers look for new employees with experience that directly fits the positions they want to fill.

Be open to opportunities, but look primarily for internships that will give you experience in your chosen career path. To lay the groundwork, work hard academically and take full advantage of your networking opportunities:

• Talk to the career services professionals at your school.
• Meet with corporate representatives at on-campus events.
• Ask for advice from speakers and professors in fields that interest you.
• Stay in contact with colleagues from previous jobs who might be able to give you advice or help you find an internship or a job.
• If you know students who have already completed internships in your desired field, ask them for guidance.

If your internship search stalls, don’t be discouraged. Ask a career services professional to help you tailor your résumé to the type of internship you want, and ask a few friends to conduct mock interviews so you can practice promoting yourself. Once you secure an internship, you can be confident that your hard work is likely to pay off well in your future job search.