Thinking About an Internship?
My Next Step
Meet civil engineering student, Tanna Schley. She walked us through a day in her life as an engineering student, and also shared how she was able to get an internship through her relationships with faculty. Her internship with a local engineering firm gave Tanna the professional experience, practical skills, and confidence to go out and be the best engineer she can be.
Internship Information
If you're interested in meaningful work experience in your major, it is time to check out the WT Internship Program. Students intern for a variety of reasons including:
- To obtain valuable work experience
- To see if I'm in the right major
- To earn money to pay for my college education
- To help me choose a career
- To earn academic credit
- To establish contacts for future employment opportunities
- For personal growth: confidence and to interact professionally
- To apply skills and knowledge I've learned in school
- To enhance and add to my classroom education
- To find out what it is really like to have a real full-time job
Post-graduation data shows that WT students who reported an internship made on average $3,200 more in their first year and $6,100 more in their second year than those who did not report having an internship. A staggering 95 percent of employers said candidate experience is a factor in hiring decisions, according to an annual survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE.) Our office is committed to helping all WTAMU students in their internship search.
Set an Job/Internship Search appointment with our office through Career Connections!
NOTE: Print out or download the How To Find An Internship PowerPoint presentation before viewing the videos. There are links on the presentation you may want to use in order to dig deeper.
How To Find An Internship PowerPoint file
How To Find An Internship PDF file
Once you have viewed the video, remember to:
Make an appointment with a Career Advisor on Career Connections. Once you log in, you will click into the Appointments tab on the left-hand side of the screen. From there, you can select a day and time that works best with your schedule.
Meetings are typically 15-30 minutes and designed for us to get to know you better, provide you an opportunity to ask questions and hopefully develop action steps fro your internship search.
If you want to jump to certain parts of the video, here are the chapter time stamps in the video.
- The Reason Why Internships Are Important- 0:00
- Internship Goals- 2:19
- Why Employers Like Internships- 6:44
- Two Types of Internships- 8:12
- How To Apply- 13:16
- Ideas To Build Your Top Employers List- 15:40
- The Creative Job Search- 19:10
- Networking Ideas- 22:15
- Quick Tips for Success in an Internship- 31:12
- Partnering with Career Services- 34:05
- What If I Find My Own Internship- 36:33
- Academic Credit- 37:22
- Ethical Considerations- 38:36
- Wrapping It Up- 39:46
- Questions- 41:30
Good luck in your search for an internship!
How can I benefit from an internship experience?
What is involved in receiving academic credit?
Am I guaranteed a placement if I participate in the Internship Program?
What is the typical hourly wage that interns earn?
Are most placements in the Canyon & Amarillo area?
Where are your offices and who can I contact for more information?
An internship is a work-learning arrangement. This arrangement is a supervised, career-related work experience combined with reflective, academic study that help you to "learn by doing". Great way to gain real-life experience, confirm what you like to do and make professional connections.
To participate in the program, students must be classified as at least a sophomore, have a 2.5 or higher GPA and have a declared major.
To get involved, the first step is to attend the How to Find an Internship Workshop.
How can I benefit from an internship experience?
- Personally-- Boost your maturity and self-confidence; improve your communication and interaction skills; prepare for life after graduation; gain a greater clarity about your career.
- Academically-- Integrate classroom theory with real-life experiences; understand the relevance of your course work; increase your motivation to learn; use resources that are not available on campus.
- Professionally-- Explore a potential career field; develop career-related skills and abilities, including effective job search, resume writing and interviewing techniques; establish a work history; observe professional people and behavior; build a network of professional contacts; gain a competitive edge for employment or graduate school admission.
- Financially (most co-op & internship placements are paid)-- Subsidize tuition costs.
Yes. We will work with any major to try and help them find an internship experience related to their area of study.
Our placements have tended to be more with business, engineering and mass communications majors, but we will work with any major.
Internships may be eligible for academic credit, if approved by your academic department. Credit is typically elective credit. Also, credit may be for one semester of work; however, some departments require students to work for two semesters in order to earn credit.
If credit is possible, our office will assist you in coordinating all details with academic departments.
What is involved in receiving academic credit?
Requirements vary depending on the faculty member supervising the placement; however, here is basically what you can expect.
At the beginning of the semester you are registered for credit, you develop a set of learning objectives with your employer. These will be shared with your faculty advisor and will guide your experience throughout the semester. You will also be required to send in periodic updates answering questions designed to help you reflect on the learning experience.
At the end of the semester, your direct supervisor fills out and discusses an evaluation of your performance over the semester. You are required to turn in an academic assignment for your faculty advisor. Assignments vary--paper, an oral presentation, a journal, etc.
Your faculty advisor takes the above information into consideration and assigns a letter grade for the experience.
No. Some students don't receive credit because they don’t need or want the elective. However, if the credit counts toward your degree, we encourage you to take it.
International students must receive academic credit to participate in an off-campus internship. This is part of Curricular Practical Training. Learn more about this program here.
Am I guaranteed a placement if I participate in the Internship Program?
No. Placement decisions ultimately rest with the employer. It is possible to participate in the program and not find a placement.
However, by participating, you dramatically increase the probability of finding a placement. You’ll also develop effective job search, resume writing and interviewing skills along with being connected with employers looking to fill internships.
You have everything to gain and very little to lose by participating.
What is the typical hourly wage that interns earn?
Employers determine the hourly rate they pay so there isn’t a set wage for interns; however, wages tend to be higher than typical college jobs. Last semester, our intern students averaged around $13.00 per hour.
Are most placements in the Canyon & Amarillo area?
Yes. Many students want to work and attend school at the same time so the many placements are in the local area.
However, students find internships across the country. There are outstanding intern opportunities outside this area. Let us know if you are interested in these opportunities.
Where are your offices and who can I contact for more information?
We are in the Student Success Center, Classroom Center 113. If you need more information, you can contact our intern coordinator:
Shelby Ford
Assistant Director for Internships and Employer Relations
CC 113 in the Student Success Center
(806) 651-2345
sford@wtamu.edu
wtamu.edu/career
Find us on social media. We're WTCareer
Internship Twitter- @WTIntern
Career Connections
Career Connections is the jobs and resume database used by WTAMU. All internships we know about will be posted here. All current WTAMU students have an account, you'll login in with your Buff Portal login.
Be sure to keep your profile updated so that employers can find you in addition to you finding them!
Ethics Statement - These are our expectations of every student seeking an internship.
Resume Workshop - A strong resume increases the chances on finding an internship.
Interviewing - Participating in our mock interview program is the best way to polish your interviewing skills (and make professional connections!).
Getting Credit For Your Internship - General information on the process of proposing academic credit.
Credit Proposal Form - Use this form to propose credit. Each academic department works differently but this form is used in many. Contact the Office of Career and Professional Development or your faculty advisor for major-specific information.
Getting the Most Out of Your Internship - Check out the following videos to learn how YOU can make the most of your internship!
InternQube.com - Great website with intern resources on professionalism, growth & success.
Program Rationale
The academic Internship Program represents a positive step in developing partnerships with education and enterprise. The College of Business, in partnership with the WTAMU Internship Program, works together to offer students learning opportunities outside of the classroom through job experience related to the student's field of study. Quality internships provide students with:
- an increased understanding of principles learned in the classroom,
- the opportunity to clarify career goals,
- the potential to develop a network of professional contacts,
- enhanced self-confidence and skills,
- an opportunity to learn about a particular industry, and
- the ability to earn money for college and personal expenses.
The College of Business fully supports academic credit for internship experience. All internship opportunities for academic credit are under the full academic supervision of the College of Business. The Internship Program offers undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to get course credit while gaining work experience in a related area.
Note: the College of Business encourages students to get relevant work experience even if they cannot get course credit.
Undergraduate business students may use an internship course to REPLACE any advanced elective in their degree plan. Graduate business students may use an internship to replace an elective as appropriate to their respective degree plans.
Participating corporations are expecting to receive high-quality work and active participation from the students they sponsor. Experience directly related to a student’s major makes the student more marketable when seeking full-time positions after graduating.
Student & For-Credit Internship Requirements
To participate in the internship program for academic credit, a student must be:
- enrolled in the College of Business
- in good academic standing
- have a GPA of 2.8 (3.0 for graduate students) or greater within their College of Business courses
- undergraduate students must have completed 24 hours in the College of Business core requirements.
Internship job descriptions that will be considered for credit must meet the following criteria as determined by the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE):
To ensure that an experience is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all the following criteria must be met:
- The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
- The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
- The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
- There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
- There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
- There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
- There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.
If these criteria are followed, it is the opinion of NACE that the experience can be considered a legitimate internship.
Other factors used to determine if an experience qualifies for credit include:
- Academic credit isn't given retroactively.
- For an individual currently working within an organization, no academic internship credit will be given for an existing functional area experience. Ideally, the student wouldn't do any of their previous job duties and have a different supervisor.
- Internships must include a minimum of 240 hours of professional duties.
- Internships must be paid.
- Home-based business internships are not eligible.
- Virtual internships are not eligible.
- Students may not take an overload during the semester they receive internship credit.
- Academic credit is not given for full-time positions where employment is expected to continue after the internship.
One purpose of an internship is for the student and employer to evaluate full-time job potential at the end of the internship. Full-time employment is not a given at the conclusion of the internship.
Ultimately, the College of Business determines if an experience qualifies for credit and the above criteria are simply a starting point for making this determination.
Internship Credit Request Process
To be considered for credit, proposals must be submitted at least two weeks before the semester in which a student wants to receive credit.
** NOTE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS**
Before we can consider your internship proposal, you must meet with the International Student Office Director to ensure you are eligible to participate in CPT
- Secure an internship offer. Internships can be found through Career Services resources or a student's own search.
- The Office of Career and Professional Development offers a How to Find an Internship Workshop. They also offer career fairs, assistance with resumes and interviewing, and access to Handshake, a free database with internship listings. Learn more at Career and Professional Development's Homepage. Contact the Office of Career and Professional Development with questions-- (806) 651-2345, CC 113.
- Complete a "Credit Proposal / Learning Agreement Form" together with your employer. Download the fillable Word version of the form here.
- College of Business Associate Deans ultimately decide whether a position qualifies for academic credit. Please see "Student & For-Credit Internship Requirements" section above.
- Submit completed "Credit Proposal / Learning Agreement" to the Assistant Director for Internships and Employer Relations, Shelby Ford, sford@wtamu.edu, (806) 651-2345, Classroom Center 113
- If approved and the student agrees with the internship course syllabus, the appropriate College of Business Associate Deans, undergraduate or graduate respectively, will complete a blue card and send it directly to the registrar enrolling the student in the course.
- Please note that not all internship proposals are approved. Please have a "Plan B" in place in case your internship is not approved for academic credit.
- If approved, the student meets with the appropriate College of Business Associate Dean and/or Experiential Education staff to review the internship syllabus. This happens at a mandatory Internship Orientation meeting. Distance students will participate in phone or virtual orientations.
Typical topics covered in an orientation are:
- Syllabus Review (the academic assignments required for the class)
- Every intern receiving credit is required to complete academic assignments. Examples are end-of-semester presentations, informational interviews with senior-level people in the student's career area of interest, readings, interaction with other interns through WTClass, weekly journal, etc.
- Professionalism
- Keys for Success
- Q&A
9. The appropriate Associate Dean submits a grade for the student at the end of the semester. Grading policy is outlined in the syllabus.
Ag Student Named WT Intern of the Year Following Impactful Work in D.C.
Kylee Henneberry, a junior agricultural business and economics major from Slinger, Wisconsin, was selected from a field of 13 nominees across the University. She was honored at a Nov. 6 reception in the lobby of WT’s Happy State Bank Academic and Research Building on the Canyon campus.
Read More About KyleeMaking the Most of Your Internship - June 3
Being Prepared - June 10
Halfway Through - July 1
Professionalism - July 15
Professionalism
July 15, 2022
The most important things you’ll learn in your internship aren’t technical skills directly related to your major. Those are definitely important and I hope you’ve learned some, but professionalism is probably the most valuable thing to take away from your internship.
One thing I’ve realized over the years is that employers want new hires who demonstrate professionalism. Technical skills are great but employers can teach those. It is much more difficult to teach a great attitude and professionalism.
This video has excellent ideas on professionalism. Check it out.
Take these ideas to heart and apply as many as you can in your internship. The more of these employers see from you, the more likely your internship turns into a full-time job opportunity!
Keep working hard and learning all you can. Make the most of your opportunity and finish strong!
End-of-Summer Evaluations
Evaluations are scheduled to go out on Monday, July 25. You and your supervisor will get an automated email with a link to a survey. Your survey is an evaluation of the internship itself. It gives us a good idea of the experience and what you learned. The feedback you share isn’t shared with your supervisor.
The survey your supervisor receives is an evaluation over you. They answer questions about you performance, how you got along with others, your work ethic, etc.
These evaluations are required if you are receiving academic for your internship this summer. We share evaluations with your faculty and they factor them into your final grade for the internship.
I’ll email supervisors a couple of days before the automated emails are sent to give them a heads up. However, can you also let them know that this email is coming? If they don’t receive it for some reason, let me know and I can send them a generic link to use.
Let me know if you have any questions about this process. The summer will be done before we know it!
Hope you’re having a great experience and learning a lot from your internship. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Steve
Halfway Through
July 1, 2022
Happy Friday!!
Whether you found your internship through our office or landed it on your own, WT Career and Professional Development wants to connect with you. I'll email regularly with internship tips and/or ideas to connect with our office. These emails are also on our Buffalo Intern Blog page (expand the “Buffalo Intern Blog” section) in case you miss one.
Your summer internship is half over – 4 things you should have done or should start planning to do
Congratulations on making it halfway through your internship!!
Now is a great time to make sure you are taking steps to get the most out of your experience. Here are four ideas.
- Ask your supervisor for a mid-summer evaluation.
You are in a routine but you want to make sure you are in the right routine. Send your boss an email and ask for a quick meeting to ensure you are on the right track. In the meeting, try saying something like,
I’ve really been enjoying my position with your company, and I’ve been learning a lot. Now that I’m halfway through this internship, I was wondering if you’d like to offer any feedback so I can improve upon my work. Are there any aspects of my performance I should give more attention to?
I know this is intimidating but the feedback you receive is worth it. Keep an open mind, don’t be defensive and remember that their comments are for your benefit. Listen respectfully and take notes on how you can improve. After all, your boss probably knows what they are talking about.
- Ask for more responsibility and pitch new ideas.
Don’t be the intern your boss never hears from. Ask for more responsibility (in a non-pushy way), especially if you are handing current responsibilities well and maybe even getting a little bored. Remember, you want the internship to challenge you.
Also, if you are handling your current assignments well, think of three to five new ideas or projects and pitch them to your supervisor. Your boss wants to hear that you’re creative, invested in the company, and forward-thinking, so don’t be afraid to suggest new things! If they end up using one of your ideas that will be a great thing to add to your resume. - Network with other departments.
Try to connect with one person per week outside of your department. Ask them about their jobs and their advice for your career. Send them an email introducing yourself and ask if they are free to grab a cup of coffee. Who knows, meeting someone in another department may open up a new career path for you. - Think to the future.
The best way to stay on track is to create a list of goals for your internship and your future career. What do you still want to do in the time you have left in your internship? Whether it’s a contact you wanted to make or a project you wanted to work on, write it down to make sure it doesn’t slip your mind before you’re done; two to three months can go by pretty fast.
Here is a great letter to interns halfway through their experience. It is dated, but the information is good- ask yourself if you really like the internship, pay attention to jobs full-time people around you are doing, be a good person instead of opportunistically networking, etc. Worth the read.
Let us know if we can help you with anything career. We are here all summer. :-)
Have a great Fourth of July weekend.
Hope the internship is a great experience!
Steve
Being Prepared
Friday, June 10, 2022
Happy Friday!!
Whether you found your internship through our office or landed it on your own, WT Career and Professional Development wants to connect with you. I'll email regularly with internship tips and/or ideas to connect with our office. These emails are also on our Buffalo Intern Blog page (expand the “Buffalo Intern Blog” section) in case you miss one.
The Value of Being Prepared
Here is a great video from the College of Ag, Nursing and Natural Sciences about the value of preparation.
Ms. Bachman has excellent thoughts on preparation. Here are my quick takeaways.
* Preparation alone doesn’t make us successful, but continued success can be attributed to being prepared.
* The effort and time we spend in being prepared has a tangible result.
BONUS – Check out the Kentucky Derby aerial view. Amazing back-of-the-pack to first race for Rich Strike!
How does this apply this to your internship? What can you do every day to prepare for opportunities that may come your way? Here are some ideas - beyond the basics of showing up and putting forth strong effort on assignments given to you. :-)
Learn more about the business or industry. Are there websites you can study, trade journals/books you can read?
Learn more about a colleague’s role at the company. When the time is right (not when they are extremely busy), ask questions like,
* What is your role? How does it fit into the big picture of the company?
* How did you get interested in this type of work?
* What skills are most important?
* What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?
Buy them a cup of coffee for this conversation, if possible.
Be curious and learn something new about your internship site every day. Employers love employees who are curious and want to learn about the company or industry.
Keep a journal. You don’t need to write a lot—5-10 minutes every other day. Write about skills you are developing, accomplishments, people you meet, what you like and don’t like, etc. Regular reflection helps you get more out of the internship because it helps you understand your career preferences- type of work you enjoy, people you want to be around, culture, schedule, etc. You are more likely realize an opportunity is a good one for you when you know your career preferences. Also, a journal helps when it is time to update your resume and prepare for interviews. J
Summer is a Great Time to Mock Interview
Our office uses actual employers to conduct mock interviews with students, even during the summer. Mock interviews help you* Polish your interviewing skills (and we ALL need help with this)
* Make a connection with an actual employer
All mock interviews are virtual so you can participate even if you aren’t in the local area. Learn all the details here. I encourage you to participate because it is a wonderful way to improve interviewing skills, AND make career connections. You never know how these connections might help in the future!!
The next mock interview date is Tuesday, July 5th. Let us know if you have questions about signing up.
Hope your internships is going well. Would love to hear about cool things you are learning. Don’t hesitate to reach out!
Steve
P.S. Amarillo interns- Don’t forget about Uncover Amarillo: Intern Experience. The first event is Tuesday, June 14.
Congrats on your internship this summer! Do you want to enjoy local restaurants and find things happening in the community? The Amarillo EDC wants to invite you to the Uncover Amarillo: Intern Experience where you can explore the city, meet other interns from outside your organization, and hang out at some favorite local spots. These events are free to WT students participating in summer internships for local employers. Uncover Amarillo events are in June and July. Please take a look at the dates and RSVP here: https://www.amarilloedc.com/2022uncoveramarillorsvp Please email sabrina@amarilloedc.com if you have any questions.
Making the Most of Your Internship
Friday, June 3, 2022
Hopefully, you've settled in for the summer and started your internship (or will soon). This is a great opportunity so I hope you make the most of it!
Whether you found your internship through our office or landed it on your own, WT Career and Professional Development wants to connect with you. I'll send an email every other week with internship tips and/or ideas to connect with our office.
For the first email, here are tips to make the most of your internship this summer.
2 Short Videos With Tips To Make The Most Of Your Internship
How To Make The Most Of Your Internship - No Matter What Field
The Internship Advice Video I Wish I Had Seen
There is also a good “What And What Not To Do At Your Internship” video on the InternQube website. Check out the video here (scroll down to the bottom of the page). There are also a ton of professional development resources on InternQube. Be sure to check them out.
3 Things to Get From Your Summer Internship
- A project. You want to walk away from the summer with a completed project. This makes great resume material and provides significant examples to use in future interviews.
- A letter of recommendation. WOW them with your performance so you can get a letter of recommendation at the end of the summer. A letter is best because who knows where your supervisor might be in the next couple of years. These will help you land other internships or a full-time job after graduation.
- Contacts. Don't be a wall flower. Introduce yourself to people and get to know them. What they do at the company, family, etc. You don't have to be best friends, but learn who they are. Once you do this, write down their names and contact information so you'll have the information later if you need it. You want to walk away from the internship with a list of contacts.
Start with these ends in mind and you are much more likely to have a productive internship.
I’m excited about your experience this summer. Don’t hesitate to send me an update on how it’s going. We love to hear from you. Also, don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Steve
P.S. If you are in an Amarillo internship, check out this cool program from the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) designed to help interns learn more about the great things Amarillo has to offer.
Congrats on your internship this summer! Do you want to enjoy local restaurants and find things happening in the community? The Amarillo EDC wants to invite you to the Uncover Amarillo: Intern Experience where you can explore the city, meet other interns from outside your organization, and hang out at some favorite local spots. These events are free to WT students participating in summer internships for local employers. Uncover Amarillo events are in June and July. Please take a look at the dates and RSVP here: https://www.amarilloedc.com/2022uncoveramarillorsvp Please email sabrina@amarilloedc.com if you have any questions.