Summer job hunt: why internships are crucial

It's that time of year.

Not only is coursework piling up but summer job hunt season has hit a fever pitch -- and it's a fever hot enough to make you sick.

From sitting at the computer terminals in the library to standing in line at the coffee shop to walking through the hallways in between classes, it's easy to sense the frustration and panic among those of us without summer jobs.

In my program, as in many business schools nowadays trying to cater to students' desire for flexible studying schedules, internships aren't required. In fact, if students don't want to work from May to September, they can just keep attending classes through those hot months and graduate one semester ahead of schedule.

But while early graduation is an attractive proposition, especially for those of us floating around the age of 30 and with some years of work experience under our belts, a summer internship may have much more value.

For those looking to change career direction -- who make up the lion's share in my program -- that summer job is a way to both apply course material to real-world situations and to see if they are making the right career move. Whether it's an engineer looking to switch to finance or a teacher pondering a move to marketing, a summer internship is really the only way they will know whether they'll find the right fit.

Summer internships are also a way for students to try to secure post-graduation jobs. Numerous recruiters who come to campus looking for interns say that a summer star could well end up with the offer of a full-time position, to start upon graduation.

Summer jobs also expand students' network, providing them with contacts in the industry to talk about future opportunities, what day-to-day jobs are like and hiring trends within the sector.

And with tuition costs of $20,000 to $30,000 a year, internships are a necessity for many students to meet the next year's costs.

The first step in my summer-job hunt was to make a list of media-industry executives I'd like to talk to, then try to set up information interviews -- asking for 20 minutes of their time to chat about their career paths and the industry, seek advice on my résumé and gauge whether there are any summer opportunities at their firm.

Success. A vice-president at a company I used to work for, a major Canadian radio operator, agreed to sit down and talk, as did the head of an on-line-news organization and a part-time professor at my school with an in-depth knowledge of the TV industry.

"It's going to be a challenge," warned the radio executive, who graduated with an MBA in the 1980s. "Nobody really comes to campuses to recruit media MBAs, so you have to be creative and be prepared to talk to as many people as possible. I managed to do it though. I'm sure you will, too."

Indeed, getting an internship is a lot harder than it may appear.

Sure, there are on-campus counsellors willing to help generate leads and postings that go up on the school's career-services centre website throughout the year, but the bulk of recruiters are from big banks, consumer packaged goods, oil-and-gas and retailing firms.

Many students not aiming for a traditional MBA career path (such as not-for-profit, the arts or media management) are forced to seek out their own jobs -- which means calling HR departments; begging friends, family and former colleagues for contacts of people in a position to take on a summer student; and the dreaded cold call.

Sometimes students are so desperate to try their hand at a particular sector that they'll work for free. "I'm telling people -- just give me enough to cover my bus tickets and you can have me for the whole summer," said one classmate. To her, the value of getting quality arts-management experience is much more important than minimizing her debt load.

She's not alone. Other students realize that numerous firms, especially small and medium-sized organizations, don't have the financial resources to hire, train and administer an intern, so they're prepared to work extra hours waiting tables on the weekends or seek out bursaries from their school to help offset their unpaid summer work.

The latter has been a popular course of action in some areas of the United States and here in Canada.

A few years ago, the Cox School of Business at Dallas' Southern Methodist University launched an awards program that gave dozens of students a $2,500 (U.S.) stipend to cover unpaid internships. After SMU unveiled the program, 52 companies asked to take on summer students.

"We want students to take a good opportunity that will put them in the best position to get a full-time job next year, rather than just a summer job to pay the bills," SMU dean Albert W. Niemi Jr. said at the time the program was launched.

At York University's Schulich School of Business, a similar program is in place for students in the arts and media specialization because administrators realize that getting experience in the field essential -- and because there are very few recruiters from those sectors looking for MBAs-in-training.

I'm hoping to be able to use one of those bursaries to fund a summer job in the media sector. Financially, I know it won't be much -- but, as Mr. Niemi explained, it could be a ticket to that coveted full-time job upon graduation.

And I could use the in.

Richard Bloom is a former Report on Business writer who has enrolled in York University's Schulich School of Business to obtain an MBA. He will write regularly on the career lessons he is taking away from the classroom.