We are excited about your interest in hiring Gauchos! We have hundreds of students at any given time looking for full-time, part-time, on-campus, and internship opportunities. UCSB has more than 200 majors, degrees, and credentials offered through five schools and a graduate division. Whether you are looking to hire a Ph.D. researcher, a mid-level manager, or an entry-level employee, our talented students possess the right skill set to meet your hiring objectives.
Browse our tips and resources below to learn more about recruiting at UCSB and our premium recruitment platform, Handshake. We look forward to connecting you to our beautiful campus and helping you find the talent you need for your organization’s growth and success!
Recruiting Made Easy
Sign up for a Group Information Session and learn about ways to recruit at UCSB or, if you already know how you want to engage at UCSB, fill out the Employer Interest Form and let us know the events in which you wish to participate.
- Handshake
- Quarterly Career Fairs
- In-person and virtual information sessions
- Networking events and mixers
- Marketing/brand-building options
- Workshops and programming
- Alliance Program
- Sponsorship Opportunities
Start Recruiting Gaucho Talent
Begin Your Search Today
Companies who are most successful in recruiting and promoting at UCSB are constantly working to build a consistent presence on campus.
Handshake is UCSB’s online gateway to posting positions. Every student has access to Handshake and this is the first place they go when looking for opportunities.
An internship program can be a cost-effective method for identifying candidates for full-time hires and they become goodwill ambassadors for your intern pipeline.
Make sure students’ understand your brand, your values, and why your company is a good match.
Become a member and play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of UCSB students’ career achievements.
Hire an Intern
UCSB students are eager for real-world experiences and we encourage all companies and organizations to offer them internship opportunities.
Don’t know where to start developing your internship program? This is a good place! We are experienced in internship program design and are happy to help you develop a new program or enhance an existing one. Please review the resources below and if you have any further inquiries, please contact the Experiential Education Initiatives Team at Employer.Services@sa.ucsb.edu.
Why Recruit A UCSB Intern?
- UCSB students are motivated, driven, and highly qualified to become interns at your organization and collaborate with your professional staff.
- An internship program can be a cost-effective method for identifying potential candidates for future full-time hires and interns become goodwill ambassadors for your future intern pipeline.
- UCSB students will contribute a fresh perspective to help with key projects at your organization while they learn essential industry knowledge.
- Offering internship opportunities to UCSB students will increase your visibility on campus and the community while supporting your organization’s goals.
Support for Internship Providers
Our Employer Services Team can help you design an effective recruitment plan, and we offer a variety of on-campus and virtual recruitment tools for you to participate in based on your needs.
Career Services will:
- Provide free access to Handshake, our premier job posting board. You can specify the applicant criteria to target a specific population, and your recruiters can manage applications and interviews.
- Offer opportunities for your organization to participate in quarterly Career Fairs, host information sessions, or take part in on-campus interviews. We also offer supplementary quarterly on-campus events.
- Support your team to create an internship program from scratch, develop internship descriptions, and enhance existing internship recruitment strategies.
- Provide additional ways to find talent! Explore our Building Your Brand at UCSB section of our website.
What Constitutes an Internship?
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), an internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships allow students to gain valuable applied experience, make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths, and allow employers to guide and evaluate talent.
As such, an internship is a short-term, hands-on, supervised work experience with a professional organization designed to increase a student's knowledge of a professional career field. More than a part-time job or volunteer experience, an internship includes intentional learning objectives related to increasing student knowledge, training to develop additional skills, and quality supervision to guide and mentor the intern.
Developing an Internship Program
The most popular type of internship is part-time, approximately 10-20 hours per week for at least one quarter (10 weeks). A well-designed internship will provide students with professionally oriented activities, enabling them to experience work similar to that of an entry-level professional in the field; however, the student will not assume work that a regular employee would routinely perform. Clerical or non-professional tasks must be limited to 20% or less of the overall responsibilities.
UCSB Career Services’ Internship Toolkit
Career Services offers the Internship Toolkit, a resource designed to help internship providers and student interns strengthen internship opportunities by recording and formalizing components of the pre-professional experience. The Internship Toolkit can be used to:
- Plan internship details and establish mutual learning objectives for an internship experience
- Record employer expectations and student intern's participation with the Learning Objectives template
- Identify the skills, interests, and professional goals of new student interns during the onboarding and training process
- Facilitate regular communication, encourage training opportunities, and streamline ongoing feedback using the template forms
What Students Look for in Internship Postings:
- A valuable, pre-professional experience - Illustrate learning outcomes that reflect meaningful assignments and projects that relate to the student’s field of study or career interest. Consider including other benefits of the internship, such as if the intern will work on a project that can be used for a professional portfolio.
- Who they will be working with - Let students know that they will have the opportunity to shadow and be mentored by professional staff member(s) and include specific department(s). This will help applicants understand the value and diversity at the company that can contribute to their learning.
- Company goals and work culture - Include a brief overview about the company/staff and any fun facts or perks about the work environment.
- Competitive compensation - Internships that provide hourly compensation attract the most applicants. Most internships with for-profit companies should be paid at least minimum wage, taking into consideration the industry and skill level desired of applicants.
- Hire a lot of Gauchos? Tell them! - Although employers should not guarantee employment upon completion of an internship, it is great to let students know that your company hiring needs are expanding or that you have many Gauchos on staff.
Internship Posting Samples
Strengthen Your Internship Program
To build a top internship program, the National Association of Colleges and Employers provides 15 Best Practices for Internship Programs. Considering paid versus unpaid? Check out this article from Bloomberg about the benefits of paid interns
Contact the Internship and Experience Manager for further assistance developing your internship posting description and recruiting UCSB students Employer.Services@sa.ucsb.edu
FAQs
The most successful internships provide monetary compensation. In most cases, private companies must pay interns at least minimum wage, and neither a stipend nor academic credit negates your responsibility to provide at least minimum wage compensation.
- Internships can be paid or unpaid and compensation can vary by site between hourly, salary, stipend, travel allowance, housing provisions, or scholarships. A quality internship does not exploit or take advantage of the student.
- Internships must abide by the criteria for an experience to be defined as an internship, set forth by Department of Labor Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act and the National Association of Colleges and Employers Position Statement on U.S. Internships. Employers agree to these terms upon registering with Handshake and all internship postings must clearly demonstrate alignment with our policies.
- Department of Labor Fact Sheet (NACE) – January 23, 2018
UCSB supports students who pursue internship/work experience courses and recognizes that such courses can help employers and students manage their experience. However, UCSB does not require academic credit for students who intern. The University of California does not accept any responsibility for liabilities incurred by organizations that sponsor internships and/or caused by students who are engaged in internships. Employers who prefer interns to participate in a related academic course must advise applicants during the recruitment process to inquire with their academic department ahead of time to see if this is a possibility. Please note: in order to increase the applicant pool, we discourage employers from requiring academic credit as a hiring criteria since limited availability of courses can hinder students from applying.
Consider the Following:
- The availability and requirements for academic credit varies greatly across majors and colleges. It is the intern’s responsibility to work with their employer and academic department to pursue options.
- Interns can provide an employer proof of UCSB enrollment by requesting documentation through the UCSB Office of The Registrar or their GOLD account.
- UCSB Career Services does not provide academic credit and is not authorized to sign internship agreements.
- Receiving academic credit does not negate employer's responsibility to compensate the intern. Academic credit cannot be listed in the compensation/salary field in the Handshake internship posting.
The UCSB Workman's Compensation and Liability Coverage does not extend to student interns. The company/organization will assume liability for interns/co-ops working on their premises. This holds true for both paid and unpaid (volunteer) interns. The University does not accept responsibility for student liability during an internship. No employee of the University or any UCSB student is authorized to sign a "hold harmless and indemnification" agreement. It is the responsibility of organizations that sponsor internships to consult with their legal counsel and insurance provider as to the coverage afforded by their workers’ compensation and general liability insurance policies when they sponsor internships.
Please review the Liability and Risk Management statement and contact Risk Management & Insurance with any questions
Note: This statement applies to all internships regardless of compensation or participation with academic course credit.
Internships are flexible; students often plan their internship schedules around their class schedules on campus. A part-time internship during the school year can involve anywhere between 10 and 20 hours per week. Once you identify an intern candidate you will need to discuss their availability and agree on a schedule that will work for both parties. Oftentimes summer internships can be closer to full time since student’s schedules can accommodate working more hours.
We encourage internships during the school year to align with the quarter system in terms of starts and also at least lasting the span of one quarter (10 weeks). Summer internships can start in mid to late June and last for the length of the summer (until early to mid September). While internships can technically start at any time and do not have to follow the starting and ending dates of the academic calendar, it is important to keep in mind that students will plan their course schedules and commitments around the academic quarters, so offering internships in line with that schedule may allow employers to recruit a wider array of talent. An internship generally lasts between two to nine months and can begin in summer, fall, winter or spring.
Timing is important! UCSB is on a ten week quarter system. Part-time internship listings during the school year should be posted at least a month in advance in Handshake and the academic calendar should be taken into consideration. Many summer internship program deadlines occur as early as November and end before spring break. Consult the UCSB academic calendar to plan your recruitment timeline.
Internships can take many forms (i.e. part-time or full-time hours, single or repeat experiences, paid or unpaid). Due to this there tends to be confusion about the difference between an internship, part-time job, or volunteering. The major differences are the learning objectives or goals that serve as the foundation for any internship. Students take on internships to apply what they have learned in the classroom to a professional setting and do so by gaining general knowledge, skills, and/or in-depth understanding of a particular industry. To ensure this happens:
- Internships should be related to students’ area of study or professional goals.
- Students should receive constant feedback from an assigned professional supervisor about how the learning objectives/goals are being met.
- Students should continually come back to their learning objectives/ goals to reflect on whether they are being met.
- The students’ learning is primary.
If a position you are hiring for is primarily clerical, is replacing the work that would normally be done by a current employee, is completed with compensation as the primary motivator, or is not professional in nature it is not an internship. Depending on pay, it is more likely to be either a part-time position or a volunteer opportunity.
Recruitment Resources
Tools for Recruiting Success
About UCSB
Helpful Information for About Our Campus
Contact Us
Building Access (M-F)
Building Access: 8:30 am- 4:00 pm
CRR Access: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Closed during official university holidays
See advising section for service-specific hours
Appointment Hours (M-F)
Peer Drop-In Hours: 10 am to 4 pm
Peer Appt Hours: 10 am to 4 pm
Counselor Appt Hours: 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
See the Advising section for service-specific hours
Phone and Email
(805) 893-4412
Students: careerhelp@sa.ucsb.edu
Recruiters: employer.services@sa.ucsb.edu
Events: careerevents@sa.ucsb.edu
Location, Directions & Parking
Career Services is located in Building 599, the pink building next to Storke Tower
See Visit UCSB for campus info and directions. Parking in Lot 22 (permit required)
Mailing Address
Career Services, Bldg. 599
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California 93106-7140
Meet the Team
Get to know Our Team of staff members at Career Services
Services for: