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Create Your Own Internship
Here are a few steps to follow if you are
interested in creating your own internship:
1. Define the type of position
you want.
- What
career area(s) do you want to know more about?
(i.e., advertising, accounting,
personnel)
- What skills do you enjoy and want to develop
further? (i.e., writing, public speaking)
- What
types of businesses interest you? (i.e., banking,
retail)
2. Identify employers who could
provide you with the types of experiences you want.
- Conduct
an internet search for your career and/or geographic
preference. Use google.com and type in employer
names or internships.
3. Research.
- Use internship
listings on the internet, through GauchoLink,
and our website
under “Summer National Internships”.
4. Call or e-mail the companies
or organizational contacts you’ve now identified.
- Ask for the human
resources department and/or the person responsible
for internships.
Find out types of internship opportunities, requirements
and deadlines.
5. Apply.
- Send cover letter and resume
and whatever application materials are required.
Santa Barbara Employer Directories
and Links
211
Santa Barbara County
A comprehensive resource to private and public nonprofit social services agencies
and programs. Includes name, address, phone and description of services provided.
Santa Barbara and Ventura County
Industry Guides
Available in the Career Resource Room, the wonderful guides provides brief
description, contact, address, and phone number of companies by industry categories.
Goleta
Valley Chamber of Commerce
Voluntary organization of business and professional people founded to advance
the interests of the Goleta Valley.
Santa
Barbara Chamber of Commerce
Non-profit organization dealing with local commerce for the Santa Barbara area.
Other Helpful tips to creating
your own internship:
Schedule an information interview
with alumni or professionals involved in career fields
of most
interest to you. Go to the UCSB Alumni Association's Career
Connections for contacts
and questions.
Questions to ask are available HERE through the the UCSB Alumni Association.
At the end of
your information interview ask for advice on preparing for career field.
If they say
get internship experience, ask if their organization
has a program, or if they would be interested. Anticipate
the following questions:
-
What will it cost me? Explain
that most internships are volunteer or offer a stipend
of $300-$500 per quarter.
The major expense will be their time to orient, train,
and supervise you, but in exchange, certain projects
or tasks would get done by you.
-
What type of experience
do I need to offer? Most employers are
concerned that in order for you to get credit,
your department will want you to receive specific
types of assignments. Reassure them that the experience
is
largely dependent upon their needs and your career
goals and interests.
-
How many hours must I offer? The
Career Services Internship Program requires a
minimum
of 10 hours per week or 100 hours per quarter.
This is negotiable,
some internships run for more than one quarter.
-
What
should I expect if I sponsor you? A
Learning Agreement that the two of you would
complete, as
well
as a final evaluation the employer would do on your
performance. Both forms are on-line for your sponsor’s
convenience under “Employer Services- Internship
Program” on
our website.
If the employer is interested,
get more details on what they have in mind, and
ask if they would be willing to
work with you in preparing a brief description outlining your responsibilities
and projects.
If your employer does not have a program or
is not able to take on intern help, ask for
referrals for other employers who might. Ask them
if you can use their name when contacting them. Write
them a brief thank you note for
their help.
The Internship Program does this for you by providing
a program for university certification. This certification
qualifies as credit, so you don’t have to pay
for units you don’t need or want. Assuming you
now have an interested employer willing to sponsor
you, you will need to obtain the necessary FORMS to
legally register your internship when you are not getting
paid. Here is a list of forms
involved:
In some cases, the employer will not
hire you as an intern without proof that you are enrolled
for “credit” or
in this case “certification”. We are more
than happy to provide you with a sponsor letter for
this purpose,
or sign whatever form your employer
gives you. We will ideally want the
employer offer a quality pre-professional,
non-clerical experience.
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