The Elusive Internship Beast

Internships are a very important part of today's collegiate experience. Every student is encouraged to find at least one internship in their field for a few months during their college career.?

The millennial generation is the largest since the baby boomer, and also has one of the highest number of college graduates. GenZ is also starting to graduate college or be in the work force. The sheer volume of students looking for internships, especially in large urban centers, is staggering.

But it has become more difficult to find internships in the last decade or so, and most college students don't understand why they seem so rare compared to past generations.

So what has changed? Quite simply, the law. After decades of systemic abuse and some lawsuits, the DOL (US Department of Labor) ended the practice of unpaid internship with two notable exceptions (government and non-profit industries). Although the law changed again last year, many companies may not be aware of it or aren't willing to abide by the new restrictions.This is how unpaid internships are legally defined:

• Both parties understand that the intern is not entitled to compensation.
• The internship provides training that would be given in an educational environment.
• The intern's completion of the program entitles him or her to academic credit.
• The internship corresponds with the academic calendar.
• The internship's duration is limited to the period when the internship educates the intern.
• The intern's work complements rather than displaces the work of paid employees while providing significant educational benefits.
• The intern and the employer understand that the internship is conducted without entitlement to a paid job at the internship's end.

The truth is, many smaller companies used to offer unpaid internships as a way to both help train and also get extra, semi-skilled professional support. The unfortunate reality is that many of those "unpaid internships" became a hotbed for abuse, treating interns as 'gophers' or drudges. Students got absolutely nothing out of the arrangement. Many large companies do offer internships, but only a limited number, often in conjunction with specific schools and programs.?

So, you still need professional experience on your resume and smaller companies cannot meet the new unpaid internship guidelines, so what should you do??

• There are still some good resources for finding internships independent of your college career center. Intern Queen, Vault, WayUp, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and Handshake are all great resources to check out.
• Connect up with alumni from your school, especially in your discipline, and look at those that own their own businesses, have titles with C- or VP in them, are in HR/Recruiting.
• Don't discount volunteering; just because something isn't titled an "internship" doesn't mean it isn't professional experience.?VolunteerMatch and Idealist are the top volunteer and non-profit websites.
• A good old summer job can be just as relevant as an internship; check out temporary staffing firms near you for summer opportunities.
• Consider Canada for an internship.
• Don't rely on external resources to aggregate opportunities for you. Take a week to go door to door to medium sized companies or develop an online target company list from regional Chamber of Commerce directory companies and ask them if they would be willing to hire you for 2 months at minimum wage, suggest reduced hours (15-20 vs 40 hours a week).
• Register with local temporary agencies; I spent two summers working temporary contracts that helped me learn valuable office skills.
• If all else fails, consider doing freelance work in your chosen field or contact smaller companies and ask if you can work with them to create a capstone project, even if is unpaid. Use Yelp to find local service providers (largest source of small businesses in North America). If you are in marketing, find a local mechanic and offer to help them create a social media campaign, or a locally owned salon may need a branding refresh. If you are studying accounting, go to a local bar and ask if you can help them with their summer accounts. Getting your degree in HR? Offer to help local fast food and retail shops to develop a social media recruiting campaign like TikTok videos or Instagram reels. Keep in mind, your work doesn't have to be 40 hours per week; quality is much more important than quantity. If you can offer to help a small local company for 10 hours a week, they may be able to pay you for your help. Find two or three more companies, and not only do you have professional experience, you now own your own business, which is even more valuable for potential employers (just make sure to get a business license in your state.)

The important take away I am trying to give you: be proactive, creative, and don't rely on your school career center to be the only resource you leverage.