Você está na página 1de 16

Education and student internships 1

RUNNING HEAD: Education and student internships

The Effects of Education on a Students Potential


Internship
Colleen Rumsey
Communication Research
February 25, 2016

Education and student internships 2


Abstract
Objective: Internships are the beginning of a students professional work experience. They have
the potential to lead to full time job offers and students gain valuable work experience. To obtain
internships students must get an education that will not only help them succeed in the workforce,
but also prosper and gain real world insight. The research question being studied was whether
or whether not the Tim Russert Department of Communication at John Carroll University does a
good job at preparing students for professional internships within their specific field?
Methods: To conduct this research one in-depth focus group was held in the Communication
Conference Room at John Carroll University. Five students who had all previously or were
conducting internships were present.
Results: At the conclusion of the focus group five main themes were found. The main themes all
dealt with the different things John Carroll University could be doing to help enhance the classes
and projects that are carried out inside the classrooms. Each theme focuses on something
different that could contribute to better preparing interns for real world job experiences.
Conclusion: Overall, it can be concluded that the John Carroll University Department of
Communication does a good job preparing students, but there are things that need to be worked
on, such as classwork and professionalism.

Education and student internships 3


Introduction
Internships provide students with an education that extends outside of the classroom
setting. The internship field is very competitive and students feel the continuous pressure of
finding an internship and eventually finding a job. McDonough, Rodriguez, and Prior-Miller
(2009) stated, students increasingly realize that internships not only offer a mean of testing their
skills, but also provide valuable experience that can be highlighted on a resume (p. 140). The
testing of these skills must happen outside of the classroom and a student must be able to
integrate their knowledge. Therefore, successful interns are those who have the ability to
assimilate classroom knowledge into real world settings, and have positive communication
tactics among their specific school, internship advisor, and the company they are completing the
internship with.
Literature Review
Internships have the possibility of helping decide where one may or may not get a job.
Building a relationship with advisors and the internship supervisor will all help one look more
attractive to the company. Outside of just building these relationships, a person must have special
skills that set him or her apart from the competition. In jobs today skills like critical thinking,
able to communicate well, and problem solving still play a large role in ones success. Hopkins
(2011) explained, given the highly competitive job market, many employers have become more
selective and demand more skill sets and traits in new employees (p. 1). Students entering the
job world must be able to learn new roles quickly and stand out against the competition.
Players
There are three very important roles that all go into making an internship possible; these
three roles are the university/college faculty, industry recruiters seeking graduates, and the

Education and student internships 4


students. Each role is essential and could not function without the others. Certain characteristics
such as were skills/characteristics, the interview process, resumes, classroom activities, and
having a college degree specific to your major play a huge role in the process of obtaining an
internship states Burns (p. 2). While these are not the only skills a person wants to have these
will help benefit a student in the long run.
When a student first gains an internship, recruiters are hoping for the best, but are ready
for the worst. If a student is able to follow instructions and listen to their boss they have a better
chance of continuing to work for this specific company. Burns (2013) found that many students
not only gain an internship experience, but they sometimes even gain a job afterward. 60% of the
time students are able to turn internships into jobs after completing them, found by The National
Association of Colleges and Employers. This is an important part of the internship because once
the boss has trust in the students bosses are then able to rely on them for bigger tasks, have
proven they are a leader, and they are also able to let them be more creative in their work.
Having leadership potential also plays a big role in the internship process. Potential
employers want to be able to see that a candidate will be able to lead other students but also be
able to take control when necessary. Student agencies are student run organization that in turn
prepares a student for the real world. These agencies help show students how to be leaders and
be profession in the job world. Bush went into detail explaining two critical needs that these
agencies help fulfill are process-oriented experimental learning and the acquisition of
professional skills (p. 27). This is only one way students are able to gain leadership
opportunities, the next being internships. Internships are a way in which students are offered
experiential learning (p. 29). Students have the ability here to take control and brand themselves
in a way that would impress potential recruiters and advisors.

Education and student internships 5


Aside from getting the experience of an internship some students also gain credits for a
class. It was not until the early 1980s that students were finally able to receive credit for
completing internships. It is important for a student to gain knowledge in a classroom but then
also be able to go out and integrate this information into work life and everyday life. While
classroom skills still play a large role in our lives being able to gain real world experience also
needs to hold priority. Burns states that a review of popular literature shows undergraduates
who complete an internship bring more to the classroom experience to supplement content,
including through greater self-awareness by having greater exposure to the habits of the
professional world (p. 1).
Roles
Roles are also an important topic in understand internships. One is not automatically
going to rule at the top without being at the bottom first. McDonough stated that two groups,
boss and interns, are likely to hold different perceptions because they have differing roles,
purposes, prior experience, and communication potentials.
There are three main groups that a student must focus on when looking for an internship.
These groups are the student themselves, advisors, and recruiters looking for potential interns. It
is important to focus on these groups and maintain feedback with them to see how the internship
process has gone. These people are more than beneficial in a specific way. The students, because
they are the ones on the hunt for the internship, are ready to work, and gain real world experience
outside of the classroom. The advisors because they have to see how a student is doing while at
an internship and the progress this student has made. The advisor and student both will conduct
middle of the internship and end of the internship reports. Hopkins found that sometimes these
reports differ based on what the question is. Finally, the recruiter also has a large job in the

Education and student internships 6


process. They are the people who seek out students and are ready to teach the students the ways
in which a business is run.
Conclusion
Throughout the literature review it is concluded that when advisors, students, and
recruiters play a large role in the internship process students have the ability to gain experience
they probably would not have been able to receive. When this experience is officially gained
students are able to apply things they have learned in school and things they have learned at the
internship into real life situations. Students are also able to take back experience to the classroom
and vice versa to benefit other students or other employers. Therefore, the research question to be
studied is whether or whether not the Tim Russert Department of Communication at John Carroll
University does a good job at preparing students for professional internships within their specific
field?
Methods
Participants
John Carroll University students (N=21) within the Tim Russert Department of Communication
who are currently enrolled in or had completed an internship within the past two years were
invited to participate in a focus group to discuss their internship experience. Six students agreed
to participate.
Procedure
The students met in the university conference room. A facilitator and two note takers
were present for the discussion. The guiding questions for the focus group discussions included
inquiries about general internship experiences, student-supervisor relationships, and how the
skills taught within the classroom led to internship success and/or failure. The duration of the

Education and student internships 7


focus group was approximately 60 minutes. Focus group discussion data was analyzed by
identifying emerging issues and organizing related concepts into categories and themes.
Results/ Discussion
At the conclusion of the focus group five themes became present. These themes were the
importance of open communication; classroom emphasis on realistic projects; more emphasis on
digital skill sets; more emphasis on corporate and professional etiquette; and finally, more
emphasis earlier on experimental learning.
Open Communication
The importance of open communication between supervisors and interns is key to being a
successful intern. Building a relationship with their supervisor was also important because the
interns in the focus group felt like they had someone to turn to with questions. This in fact built
up the trust between the interns and the supervisor. Once this trust had become built supervisors
felt they could rely on the interns for bigger jobs. Bremner states the importance of an open
communication pattern in an intern experience. Open communication allows the intern to feel
comfortable in the workplace and become socialized as they transition into a new job or setting.
Interns need to be able to transition into the business setting and this can occur by having an
open communication between interns and supervisors.
Classroom Preparation
Classroom projects that are realistic, for example having constraints that mirror realworld expectations, were the ones that interns reported as being the most beneficial.
Unfortunately, the interns noted that they had too few of those experiences. Each participant felt
that the classroom work was beneficial, but these projects needed real life budget constraints,
legal issues, or deadlines. Participant two relayed a class project that was a campaign for Coca

Education and student internships 8


Cola that she perceived as unrealistic because Coca Cola was never going to see the campaign.
Students had the ability to spend any amount of money and post to their Instagram anything they
thought would benefit the company. In the end, students received a grade, but the projects were
never touched again. In the literature, this was never directly stated that projects needed to be
more life like, but it is a very important point to relay to The Communication Department. Burns
talks about projects being important in a students learning ability, but never directly talks about
how realistic these projects need to be. The realism of the projects help a student learn just how a
specific company project is carried out.
Digital Skills-A Deficit
The next point that came up was the fact that there is a greater need for education on
digital skill sets that are necessary in the work place. Interns need to be proficient in applications
such as Adobe, Photoshop, and Illustrator, but are never taught in class how to use these
applications. These applications used daily for advertisements among many things and if an
intern is unable to use them, then they have to learn fairly quickly. The participants did mention
two classes that they thought had really benefited them: Branding (CO 415) and Creating for
Integrated Marketing (CO 407). Specifically, the Integrated Marketing class had an aspect of
how to make IMC Plans and each participant agreed that it was helpful in learning the course.
These classes had taught students the different aspects of communications, but going back to
point two they needed realistic projects. Even though the literature never talks about digital skill
sets being of such high importance, but one must realize that these applications are very new.
Digital skill set is highly important, but from the literature it seems that there are a couple other
points that are higher than having digital skill set ability.
Corporate and Professional Etiquette

Education and student internships 9


Another theme that emerged was the emphasis on corporate and professional etiquette.
The participants gave an example of how in The Boler School of Business students go out to
dinner with professors and then critiqued based on their eating techniques, table manners, etc.
The participants agreed that professional and corporate etiquette are highly important.
Another point brought up was email etiquette. This is very important because email was
many of the participants sole communication paths and it was hard for them to be sure if their
email was professional. Participant 3 stated I do not know how to even write a professional
email. The other day I found out starting an email off with hi or hello, it not professional.
All the participants agreed that corporate and professional etiquette is highly important but rarely
taught in The Tim Russet Department of Communication. Even though the literature never
directly states the importance of professional and corporate etiquette, Bush talks about how it is
important in any professional setting to act with respect in any business or professional setting.
Experiential Learning
The final point brought up was that students did feel prepared for internships, but
experiential learning is key to achieving success in future careers. The participants all agreed
with the fact that overall they felt prepared, but in the end it is more important to go out and gain
knowledge from an actual internship. By completing the internship students felt more prepared to
enter the work force and carry out their specific duties to the best of their ability. All of the points
stated above are correct, but one of the best ways of learning is by doing. Participants felt that
The Tim Russert Department of Communication did well preparing them for internships, but
there is only so much classes can do. The literature also agreed with the fact that by doing an
internship will help a student gain more experience and a taste into the real world work force.

Education and student internships 10


McDonough, Rodriguez, and Prior-Miller agreed with this fact and explained that it is beneficial
for students to obtain internships because it gives real-life work experience.
Overall, the five points helped us gain a better understanding as to what the department is
doing very well and what could be better. One thing that needs work is some of the class
projects. For example, the department needs classwork that does have budget restraints or legal
issues. Finally, there needs to be a greater emphasis put on corporate and professional etiquette.

Limitations/ Future Research


After carrying out this focus group we found our research question has been
supported. Even with our research question supported there were still some limitations that went
along with it. Some of the limitations include but are not limited to, the fact we only had women
participants, students were not randomly selected, and we only carried out one focus group. Our
research team sent out an email to any student who had participated in a internship through the
Tim Russert Department of Communication. We had sent the email to 21 students and we only
got five responses, which were all female. It would be nice to have more variety in the focus
group, but we were only able to get 5 participants. Another thing that could have been different
was the fact we only carried out one focus group. When the study is redone it would be
beneficial to hold more than just one focus group to get more results and hopefully get some
male responses.

Education and student internships 11


References
Burns, M. (2013). Undergraduate internship expectations: strategic encouragement of student
involvement. Student Pulse, 5, (1-2). Retrieved from
http://www.studentpulse.com/a?id=838
Bush, L. (2009). Student public relations agencies: a qualitative study of the pedagogical
benefits, risks, and a framework for success. Journalism and Mass Communication
educator, 64, 27-38. Doi; 10.1177/107769580906400103
Hopkins, C. D., Raymond, M. A., & Carlson, L. (2011). Educating students to
give them a

sustainable competitive advantage. Journal of Marketing

Education, 33(3), 337-347.

doi: 10.1177/0273475311420241

McDonogh, K., Rodriguez, L., & Prior-Miller, M. R. (2009). A comparison of


student interns

and supervisors regarding internship performance ratings.

Journal & Mass

Communication Educator, 64(2), 140-155. doi:

10.1177/107769580906400202

Education and student internships 12

APPENDIX A
Email invitation:
Good morning!
My name is Janessa Brickman, and I am a sophomore Communication major in Integrated
Marketing Communication. For my CO 201: Intro to Communication Research class, Anne
Brennan, Mary Colleen Rumsey and I are conducting research about JCU students preparedness
for their internship experience. The data from the focus group will be used to help the Tim
Russert Department of Communication evaluate how well they are preparing interns.
You are receiving this email inviting you to participate in a focus group conversation about your
internship experience through the Tim Russert Department of Communication. Your names were
selected from among a list of students who met these requirements.
We will be asking you about your Internship and how your experiences as a John Carroll student
prepared you. You will be able to say as much or as little as you like and to follow-up on
someone elses comments to agree or disagree with him or her.
The focus group will be conducted on Wednesday April 6, 2016 at 6:15 pm in the
Communication Conference Room (OC 47). Please reply to my email by Monday April 4
indicating whether you will be able to participate. Thank you.
Email follow-up:
Thank you to everyone who has responded about the focus groups. Just a reminder to please
notify me if you are able to participate in the focus group about internships by tonight. Once
again, the focus group will be Wednesday April 6, 2016 at 6:15 pm in the Communication
Conference Room (OC 47). Thank you.

Education and student internships 13

APPENDIX B
Focus Group Questions:
Introduce yourself and tell us where you interned at and when.
How were you feeling as you started your internship? How long did it take you to feel
comfortable in the work environment?
What was your job at your internship including your role and tasks completed?
If it was a positive experience, what were the factors contributing to that? If it was a negative
experience, what were the factors contributing to that?
What was the most important skill you needed to be successful in your internship experience?
Do you feel you built any personal relationships with your supervisor through your internship
experience?
Was your supervisor helpful throughout the process or did you rely on previous knowledge to be
successful?
Do you feel your John Carroll education prepared you for your internship/potential job
experience?
What specific classes and projects did you feel helped your preparedness for your internship
experience?
Are there any additional comments you have about your experience as an intern or how your
John Carroll education affected your internship?

Education and student internships 14

APPENDIX C
Focus Group Notes and Comments:
Thank you for coming today and participating in our focus group. As I mentioned in the email,
we are conducting this focus group for our CO 201: Intro to Communication Research class. We
are looking at the experiences of interns on John Carrolls campus within the Tim Russert
Department of Communications and how prepared interns felt for their experience.
Introduce yourself and tell us where you interned at and when.
-Student 1: Fahlgren-Mortine
-Student 2: Suburban Temple
-Student 3: Brand intern at Sherwin-Williams
-Student 4 Marketing intern-Destination Cleveland
-Student 5:Parson Parsol, semester
How were you feeling as you started your internship? How long did it take you to feel
comfortable in the work environment?
-2:Never felt uncomfortable, but never feel like you ran the joint
-if you never experienced it beforehand it can get uncomfortable. Adjusting to the general work
environments
-within the first month when youre meeting all the different people in a company and realize the
roles that they play it becomes more comfortable. Never felt uncomfortable
-1:Felt she had the skills to know she wouldn't mess up the internship, but no understanding of
general work culture (deadlines)
-5: Know what its like to be prepared for the specific days. Understanding what its like to be
prepared
-Understanding how the organization works, getting acclimated to the space
What was your job at your internship including your role and tasks completed?
-2:man & staff a think tank: prepare all materials (competitive audits, best practices and uses of
media, website and platform developments) and analyze temples. Facilitated conversation at
think tank. General research
-1:Clip reporting, news releases, press releases, social media content and monitoring for big
companies (McDonalds, Elmers, etc.), crisis communications
-3:Website maintenance, social media content writing, brand outreach
-4:Research events to get diverse and high number of people (Indians home opener, Cavs playoff
season) and think about what would be best to have there to help advertise. A grassroots
campaign for how to activate programs through downtown Cleveland. Learning to get things
approved and all the hoops you have to jump through.

Education and student internships 15

-4:How to market to university students, and what attracts the audience


-5:swatch books, social media research (hashtags), growing email lists, monthly parcels,
If it was a positive experience, what were the factors contributing to that? If it was a
negative experience, what were the factors contributing to that?
-very positive. Always busy. Gotten a very good portfolio
-2:Okay experience. Has two bosses of equal status that dont talk much to each other. Hard to
know what they want of her. Good learning experience, interesting and difficult to deal with.
-3:Positive experience. In general Sherwin has a good intern program and you get to network.
Many communications aspects have been involved. Includes brand marketing, graphic design,
content marketing, etc.
-Overall good learning experience. You figure out where you fit in in the company and the
overall internship. You are part of a team and have genuine and important work to do
-5:Boss has become a mentor to her, have learned so much about all that goes into learning your
own business, learned about the different things you can do with your major because you can
really do a lot
What was the most important skill you needed to be successful in your internship
experience?
-5:Listening: being on the same page with everyone and trying to get things done the right way
-1:Time management: having 11 clients can get really busy and stressful but managing your time
well
-1:Excel: you need to know all the different buttons and what they do. Many people say theyre
proficient but they arent really. Ive relied on it a lot more than Ive ever expected to
-4:Organization: Knowing and prioritizing tasks. Communication with boss
-Adobe, Photoshop, illustrator. Many internships expect you to know these programs. Know how
to do basic stuff but not design full things
-Being comfortable enough to push for something and being able to effectively communicate
your ideas. Also being able to know how to cut your losses
-Taking initiative. Wish there was an intern 101 class. What is the protocol, what is expected of
you
-Speed dating, talking and hearing feedback from fellow peers to help each other. Meeting with
other interns as well as advisors would be helpful

Education and student internships 16


Do you feel you built any personal relationships with your supervisor through your
internship experience?
-Supervisor was helpful. Boss checks in multiple times a day and gives a low-down on tasks.
Very comfortable
-Supervisor had more questions about what I was doing because I was trying to accomplish his
tasks.
-Supervisor takes me very seriously and asks me if I need help or what I want to be doing
-Combination. Organizational and writing skills have always been very good and has gotten
better since college
What specific classes and projects did you feel helped your preparedness for your
internship experience?
-IMC and Branding have helped but I relied more on my supervisor because youre doing real
tasks. You see how much you can accomplish on a real-world scale instead of a theoretical
situations and tasks
-If I hadnt had the skills from class I wouldnt be as comfortable
-Classes teach us how to think in a real-world work environment
-Theres certain things that cant be taught, its situational
-Slightly disappointed on the skills we havent been taught. Only remember referencing two
specific assignments in class (journalism, press release). A lot of our assignments we are lost on.
We should be taught all forms of writing from start to finish
-NEED TO LEARN MORE DIGITAL SKILLS. Adobe suite, Google analytics (analytics in
general. Learn more about trends)
-Interviewing skills, email etiquette, linked-in etiquette, corporate etiquette
Are there any additional comments you have about your experience as an intern or how
your John Carroll education affected your internship?
-We should know that we need legal clearance on some stufflike the business legal class. Just
know some general rules. We dont really know where the roadblocks in our line of work are.
-It should be pushed more starting junior year to get students into internships
-The Canvas emails are very helpful. Should focus more on agencies and utilize the alumni
network

Você também pode gostar