Off-Campus Internship Program

An internship is a work experience related to a student's major and/or career interest that takes place during a semester or in the summer. Typically students participate in projects or work alongside practicing professionals as they tackle special day-to day challenges. The benefit of an internship is that it allows students to implement their classroom learning in the world-of-work. Internship opportunities are available in the corporate and non-profit sectors and can be paid or unpaid. Employers offering internships are expected to have clearly articulated educational objectives. There are three different types of internships that the career center handles:

1. Not for academic credit - This is the most common type of internship. The internship is directly related to the student's major and is project related.

2. Required by the department, not for academic credit - The academic department will contact the employer regarding goals and procedures that are required.

3. For academic credit - The student and the internship provider will develop the specific structure of the internship before the internship begins. Then the academic department must approve the structure of the internship. The academic departments handle granting credit for an internship.

Why hire a Clemson student for your internship?

• Meet project needs.
• Bring new innovative ideas to the workplace.
• Evaluate and measure student performance before hiring full-time.
• Year round source of highly motivated pre-professionals.
• Flexible, cost effective work force not requiring a long-term employer commitment.

When should you hire an intern?

Most companies/organizations start looking for undergraduate interns during their rising sophomore, junior and senior levels in school. These students are excellent candidates for entry-level projects. Graduate students possess many skills at a higher level that are beneficial for more advanced projects.

1. On campus interviewing:
   
   • Employers can conduct on campus interviews from September-December and February-April.
     
   • Call (864) 656-2152 to set up your interview schedule and receive your username, password and instructions for ClemsonJobLink, our online recruiting system.
     
   • Interviewing rooms are available for reserving as early as the summer before the academic school year.
     
     
2. Posting an Internship Position:
   
   • Companies that have internship opportunities can post their positions to our online recruiting system (ClemsonJobLink).
     
   • Call (864) 656-6000 to receive your password and instructions for ClemsonJobLink.
     
   • Employers can utilize this opportunity to discuss internship opportunities and display the organization's products and/or services. Some organizations utilize this time to arrange interviews or conduct preliminary screening.
     
   • If needing more information, please call (864) 656-6000.
     
     
3. Career and Internship Fairs:
   The Fall (September) and Spring (January or February) career fairs give employers seeking interns and full-time permanent employees direct access to students. Please visit our web site for further details: http://career.clemson.edu/fairs

Tips for turning an Intern into a Full-time employee!
Recruiting Students: "Planting seeds for the future."

• Select an intern as carefully as you would a new employee.
  
• Conduct on-campus presentations to discuss internship opportunities.
  
• Include former interns in presentations, fairs, and in helping you to select future interns.
  
• Devise handouts that outline details of the internship.
  
• Give students a sense of the type of work they will be doing during their internship.
  
• Provide projects that relate to a student's major or field of interest.
  
• Provide assistance with housing, for example, provide guidance to students in helping them locate housing, contact some of the local colleges and universities for reduced housing rates, and/or provide a stipend for housing.
  

You've got the intern. What's next?
"Providing a good all-around experience"

• Provide an orientation for your new interns.
  
• Pair your interns with a mentor who can help them through the first days of work and can serve as a contact for the intern (protocol, advice, company culture, etc).
  
• Provide opportunities for interns to meet with other interns, departments, and managers within the company.
  
• Provide projects that interns can own and give them clear directions about their job duties.
  
• Involve interns in on-site training opportunities.
  
• Involve interns in company picnics, softball teams, or involve them with special projects.
  
• Give interns company promotional items, such as t-shirts or giveaways.
  

At the end of the internship:
"Get a return on your investment"

• Keep the communication lines open by staying in touch with your intern by phone or e-mail.
  
• Invite your interns to participate with you at their school's job fair, invite them to lunch or to stop by and see you when you are recruiting on campus, and/or include them in your class presentations or informational sessions.