There are a number of ways you can learn of internships:
1. My emails. I send out internship announcements via email to all CCB juniors and seniors.
2. This blog (which is really a history of the emails).
3. MonsterTrak (which is maintained by CRC with most of the postings coming in directly to CRC).
4. Other online services such as Monster.com, Internships.com, Google, Projo, Yahoo, etc.5. Word of mouth - students, parents, advisors, professors, etc.
6. Students send out resumes and cover letters on their own.
One of our UMD students recently learned of an internship opportunity on Monstertrak.com. Monstertrak is a service our UMD Career Resource Center uses to publicize internship opportunities and entry level job openings to UMD students.
The student went to his first interview and the employer made the opportunity sound great. He was told that he would need to go on an 8 hour job and shadow and that they would be taking him out to lunch. When the student started the internship they left in his trainer's car, and he was taken to McDonald's for lunch. From there they went over the some of the job's different aspects, and the pay (which is all based on commission) but didn't go over specifically what the intern would be doing. Here is a quote from the student:
“Finally, we get to where we we're supposed to go and it was a neighborhood, and he told me we would be doing door to door sales for the next 7 hours of my life. I was so upset if I knew it was door to door sales. I would have never went, their posting on Monster said nothing about it nor did their website. I just wanted to let you know just in case other people try to sign up for it not knowing what it was.”
Lesson: Please be careful. Learn as much as you can before committing yourself to an internship. Some employers use internships as a way to get low cost labor. You need to make sure that the work is challenging and that you will learn. Otherwise its a waste of your time.
When we receive requests for interns, we do some research and homework to help assure that the experience is solid. But also do your homework. Visit the company's web site. Write a list of questions. If it is marketing related, ask if you will be "selling" and how that will work. Many people confuse marketing with selling and unless you are looking for a career in sales, stay away from "marketing internships" that force you to do the selling. Some internships, such as those with financial services firms, do require some selling functions. But even in those situations, most of your work should be supporting the sales rep, not making cold calls.
