Do's and Don'ts of Internships

It sounds like a Catch-22: it's hard to land a job without having done the job.  Internships are not only a crucial way to bridge that experience gap, they've become an expectation for many companies. In fact the National Association of Colleges and Employers says employers in a recent survey reported 39.1 percent of their entry-level hires from the Class of 2010 came from their own internship programs. And of these companies' interns, 58 percent were hired into full-time jobs. 

Experts offer some tips on how to find and land the right internships and how to make sure it will be a foot in the door and not unpaid grunt work. 

Read the postings carefully. Lauren Berger, CEO of InternQueen.com and author of the upcoming book, "All Work No Pay," recommends not being wowed by the big company names. "Not all internships are alike. Look at what you'll be doing there. You might have a better experience at a mom-and-pop business than at a huge company."

Learn about the companies. You'll be asked why you want to be an intern there; count on it. Your answer must show you know what the company does. Spend some time on their web sites before you even contact them.

Apply early and often. Now that the word is out about the value of internships, competition is keen. You'll need to cast your net a little wider in order to land a good one. Berger recommends applying for at least ten internships each quarter or semester. "Summer is a good time for this, but you should try to fit in an internship whenever you can during the year."

Don't overload your schedule. Don't go for a 40-hour-a-week internship and you're already taking classes and holding down a full-time job. "A lot of students can't afford to turn down paying work for an unpaid internship, so they should be looking for part-time internships with more flexible hours," says Linda Smith, a career adviser at Los Angeles Trade Tech. And if you're still in school, make sure you won't have to blow off classes, Smith adds. 

Make a good first impression. Because your resume will be a little thin on professional experience – that's why you're applying for the internship – your cover letter is even more important. "Your cover letter connects the dots by explaining why you're applying there and what you hope to learn and why you're a good fit," Berger says. And, as with any full-time job search, your cover letter, resume and any correspondence should be professional, with no typos or misspellings.

Clarify expectations. Because you'll probably be paid little or nothing, the education and experience are paramount, according to Jenna Gausman, career counselor at Santa Monica College in California. "Don't be shy about asking the intern coordinator what a typical day of an intern is like. Find out how much or little structure you will have, what kinds of responsibilities and what you'll be learning."

Don't act like a student. "Because it's not a full-time job, some interns think they can take a casual approach or say no when asked to do something," Smith says. Interns should act like employees, and that means not wearing flip-flops and not spending down time listening to music or updating a Facebook page, Smith adds. "Approach the internship like a real job, make the extra effort, and you'll stand a better chance of being hired."

Set a time limit. There's a fine line between gaining great experience without pay, and being used. Experts agree that six months is the maximum you should spend at an unpaid internship. If you're at the company any longer than that, you should be drawing income.

If you're in school, the best place to look for internships is through the career counseling office. Counselors can also provide important guidance on business etiquette and how to get the most out of the experience. If you're not in school, check the online job boards or ads or sites like Volunteer Match. You can even approach a company and propose an internship program if they don't already have one.