Many business students are familiar with the pressure to getinternships or part-time jobs in their career field while inschool. The surest route to the career track for many is to take onthese limited-duration work assignments. Internships do giveemployers an easy way to size up potential applicants in a settingidentical to the one in which they would perform. And unlikeemployees, interns are easily terminated if they don’t pan out.It’s the same situation for part-time or summer workers, who aresometimes let go at a moment’s notice.
Internships are such a powerful tool for finding jobs that somestudents have begun to take on low-paid or even unpaid workassignments. While such “early bird†internships used to beprimarily associated with large organizations, many startups havebegun to attract students. For example, Remy Agamy took aninternship at a three-person design company, knowing that it wasn’tlikely to turn into a job. Still, in the job market she found thatother prospective employers were keen on learning what she’d donein this internship. “I think we talked more about my eight-weekinternship than my four years of consulting experience,†shesaid.
The value of internships for students, however, has long beenquestioned. While there may be a promise of a chance to learn, manystudents complain of doing little more than acting as unpaid,unskilled labor. Christina Isnardi is one student who feltexploited by the system. She described working 16- or 17-hour daysat Lions Gate Entertainment, doing work like taking breakfastorders or working in locations far from the actual film set. “Wejust feel as though our dreams are holding us hostage to thisunfair, unethical labor practice.†Isnardi’s experiences are notuncommon. Interns working for organizations as diverse as MTV,Warner Music Group, and Madison Square Garden describe similarexperiences, which is why all these organizations have all facedlawsuits from former interns.
In what might seem like a dream job, other students havenegotiated great-sounding internships at organizations thatregularly hire interns and pay them, but then don’t know what to dowith these temporary employees. One student we know of wasencouraged to make the best use of his time during his summerinternship in a major city, including taking a paying job elsewhereand just staying in touch by phone when work hours overlapped!Because of his ingenuity, he reported it was a very productivesummer, but the internship didn’t provide the learning opportunityhe was seeking. Many major organizations maintain internshipprograms as part of a broader corporate social responsibility (CSR)value.
Whether internships have value remains an open question. Most ofthe controversy does suggest that students need to know the detailsbefore agreeing to these arrangements, because not all internshipsoffer a fair living wage or a strong career experience. HRdepartments are responsible for monitoring and designing internshipprograms.
Question 1: What are the potential challenges for Human ResourceDepartment in the changing face of internship as it was originallyarranged?
Question: What are the benefits of internship to the potentialemployee?
Question 3: How can the Human Resource Department mopnitor anddesign internship programs?
