The Working World

Interns: Wanted, and Working Harder

As the unemployment rate continues to reach new heights, I’m constantly asked about the interns (Why me? Because I’m an expert, having done 15 internships in my four years of college.). What everyone wants to know is, has the recession affected interns and their career paths? (Uh, yes – hasn’t it affected everyone’s career path?) Are they getting paid less? (Yes.) Working more? (Yes.) Are there more of them? (Than ever!)

An internship is the first stepping stone on a career path, the opportunity to break into a new business and really learn an industry from an insider’s point of view. Here are some of the new rules of internships in the recession.

The average intern is younger—by a lot. Students are beginning to understand the depth of our economic climate. Finding a job out of college was never an easy task but for many it has become nearly impossible.

When I graduated college in 2006, it was the norm to intern your junior or senior year of college. Students are now interning as young as high school. Many high schools around the country have implemented programs where high school students can intern and obtain college credit for their experiences.

Normally, interns get stuck doing administrative tasks. Now, they’re working on social media.

Interns are free, and companies want them. Employers that requested only one or two interns last year are requesting an intern for each department this year. Clear Channel Radio, for example, just posted five internships with me on a single day in August. They need interns in the following departments: Digital Platforms and Social Media, Editorial, Design, Hispanic Content, and Entertainment Production. Employers that I work with that only posted one internship last year are now posting fall, spring, and summer internships this year.

Social media is key. The combination of layoffs and the rise of social media has been good for interns. Normally, interns get stuck doing administrative tasks, making copies, and fetching coffee. Thanks to many hiring freezes and layoffs, interns are doing more work than ever, from what I hear, particularly in the area of social media. Many interns are coming on board to run social media campaigns for companies. The intern gets tons of experience and can build out a portfolio to bring to future jobs. The company gets an eager helper to assist with their projects.

Taking unpaid opportunities is no longer just a bad option—it’s often the only option. NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) recently put out a statistic that over 70 percent of college graduates have internship experience on their resume, an indication that internships are not optional. More and more unpaid opportunities are surfacing in the recession. The popular finance internships that used to pay great money are limiting the amount of internships they offer candidates. The student cannot write off internships and take part-time non-relevant jobs. Internships are a necessary part of their resumes and in many cases the only option is an unpaid opportunity.

That’s what I’ve seen and heard. I also asked my friends on Twitter how they felt about interning in the recession:

• lifeasanintern@InternQueen I have to balance my part time job and my internship! Prioritizing never was so important until now!
• MegWheel@InternQueen unnerving. Is it possible to be a career intern? Feels like that’s all that’s ahead for the next few quarters!
• kklausser@InternQueen I knew for a fact I was basically taking the place of a full time employee. I interned at a small non-profit, $$ was very tight.
• rileywk@InternQueen It has just made my employer even more grateful of having an (almost) free worker.
• smt504@InternQueen It really gives you an invested interest in getting the most out of the experience because you aren’t getting paid.
• colesing@InternQueen It’s great, it’s like being another co-worker that asks a lot more questions than usual lol.

Lauren Berger is known as “The Intern Queen” after participating in 15 internships during her four years of college. Berger graduated from University of Central Florida in 2006 and currently resides in Los Angeles. She runs Intern Queen, a full-service internship advice site, and Quarterlife, an internship listings site with over 500 available internships opportunities. Berger has been featured in BusinessWeek, Washington Post, NY Post, Los Angeles Business Journal, E! News, and more. Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/internqueen.

Tags: employers, intern, internships, jobs, social media, The Working World