Tag Archives: National Association of Colleges and Employers

Did you know that employers nationwide offered full-time positions to their interns nearly 65% of the time in 2013? And 79% of the interns accepted the offer.

I find these figures from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) fascinating because they are a testament to the value of internships. Many employers now treat internships as an extended job interview of sorts – training the next generation of talent in order to build their workforce. A 2015 survey by NACE confirms this trend. The report reveals about 70% of employers indicated that seeking full-time, entry-level employees is a main function of their internship programs.

An additional benefit to internships is the return on investment. A study cited by Purdue University Calumet showed that in 2012, college students with internship experience made on average 15% more money than those who did not complete an internship. More coin in the pocket …

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As a college student, you are given a lot of freedom in how you choose to spend your time.  There are classes to attend and homework to finish.  But as you decide how to spend your time, many students have to choose whether or not working fits into their school schedule.  Before deciding whether a part-time job or internship experience is worth your time, consider the following:

The National Center for Education Statistics (Horn & Malizio, 1998) found that students who worked 1–15 hours per week had the lowest risk for enrollment interruption, even when compared with students who did not work.

Retrieved from: http://rer.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/76/1/63

What does this mean?

Working students are more likely to graduate on time vs. those who don’t work.

In a study by Van de Water (1996), student grades tended to improve as students worked more hours per week, up to a total of …

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Although wage should not be as important as experience when determining which internships to pursue, the idea of making a good chunk of change is always appealing. 

When I was still an undergraduate student, I would ask my fraternity brothers if anyone else planned on interning in the summer.  I remember asking a younger guy in the house if he planned on applying for any internships.  He replied, “No, I plan on working at a factory like I do every summer where I can make $15/hr, so that’s way better.”

He, like many other students today, didn’t realize that internships pay fairly well:

On average, bachelor’s degree students taking part in internships in 2011 will earn an average of $16.68 an hour, according to results of NACE’s 2011 Internship & Co-op Survey. 

At the master’s degree level, the average hourly rate is $24.21.

Aside from the possibility of making a …

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From Inside INdiana Business

It’s easy to list specific reasons why an organization should start an internship program: increased productivity, enhanced creativity, effective recruitment – to name a few. But it’s the coveted notion of saving time and money while getting quality results that’s music to the ears of any employer.

In fact, these days when hiring for a full-time position, some organizations may not have the time or financial resources to recruit a seasoned individual. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ (NACE) 2010 Internship and Co-op Survey (based on 235 employer responses), 83% of employers said that they use internship programs as a tool for recruiting entry-level talent, an increase of approximately 5% from 2009.

NACE’s survey also indicated that 44.6% of respondents’ full-time entry level hires from the class of ’08-’09 were from their internship programs, an increase of approximately 10% from the prior year.

…

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Entry by Pat Patterson

Career fairs are fast-approaching – are you prepared to market your organization?  Regardless of whether you are a large or small organization, career fairs are a great opportunity to recruit new talent:

“Think about all the money AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Ford Motor Company put into national advertising and promotional campaigns,” explains Keever-Watts, president of The Keever Group. “In the arena of college recruiting, however, any company can be a ‘big fish’ on campus.”

She points out that this is due to employers dealing in a much smaller, more confined market. In addition, Keever-Watts adds, the target audience—which is composed of students—is buying what the employer is selling.

“To make things even more favorable, it’s an employers’ market, which means that students are casting a wider net when it comes to finding a job,” she notes. “While the economic downturn hurts us …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

Are you looking for something to do this weekend?  Why not polish up your resume?  Now, I bet you’re all thinking, “Yeah, right…I thought this blog entry was going to be about some fun event or promotion.”  Just keep reading…

I’m not suggesting you spend all weekend working on your resume, but it may be a good idea to add recent internships that you have not yet added.  The more time that elapses after your internship, the more you will forget important details.  You never know when an opportunity may arise when you will need to submit your resume, especially given the fact that college hiring and recruiting is expected to increase:  

NACE’s current hiring index shows college hiring at 126.4, compared with 86.8 last year at this time. The October poll also found that nearly half of responding employers expect to increase …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

For students, if you have yet to do an internship, the findings from a recent employer poll through the National Association of Colleges and Employers may motivate you to do so.  The survey indicates that a majority of employers use internship programs to identify full-time hires:

Among employers responding to NACE’s 2010 Internship Survey, 83.4 percent say internship programs are designed to help the organization recruit entry-level college hires. Around one-third (31.1 percent) say the programs are there to help students gain experience, and just under 20 percent report offering internships as a way to build relationships with key schools. (Note: Respondents were able to offer multiple answers.)

For employers who are still hesitant to hire interns, the survey also points to a positive correlation between internships and employee retention:

The survey also found a correlation between doing an internship—either with the full-time employing organization or …

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Entry by Pat Patterson

In the current competitive job market, students need to begin thinking about and planning for their potential careers early on in their college experience.  Since students go to college to attain an education that will eventually be used to secure a career, students (and parents) should explore each college’s career services office on their campus visits.  A recent news release from Wake Forest University echoes this sentiment: 

As high school students and their parents begin the annual fall ritual of campus visits, experts are recommending that families make the career office one of the first stops on any college tour. “In this competitive job market, the tools and resources that a career office provide have become nearly as important as academics when choosing a college or university,” said Patrick Sullivan, Associate Director of Experiential Education at Wake Forest University.

In fact, college internships can be one …

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