Many employers value a candidate's internship experience highly. When students are competing for positions with other candidates who have experience in the field, internships can prove beneficial. The best way for students to gain career and job advantages from the internship is to get to know the people they are working with.
Internships are an ideal way to build information and referral networks.
Resident Expert Student interns bring special skills, knowledge, and fresh ideas to an organization. Professional staff with expertise in the area of work should supervise students. On the other hand, interns are not expected to perform primarily routine or uninteresting work for an organization. Since most positions and projects involve some routine work, we recommend that it be limited to twenty-percent of students' time as interns. Regardless of the financial arrangements, interns are not the same as volunteers.