Internships

Looking for Success? Find it With an Internship!

As you continue to work toward earning your degree and setting goals for the future, gaining practical work experience through an internship will provide you with a multitude of advantages when entering the professional world. Most employers prefer to hire students who have had previous internship experience or those students who interned directly for them. Acquiring an internship while you are an undergraduate student is an ever-increasing component to the educational experience. Internships provide you with varied work experiences and offer a wide range of professional opportunities. By being a proactive student who actively seeks out internships you will not only gain knowledge, but also vital work experience.

What are the benefits of an internship?

Explore a possible career.
Gain an understanding of a professional work environment.
Put your academic theory from the classroom into practice.
Get an inside view of a company or organization.
Learn the language and nuances of a particular industry.
Increase your confidence by becoming a more proficient and skilled worker.
Utilize networking skills to foster strong professional connections and references.
Build a strong resume and interviewing skills.

When can I intern?

The Career Center recommends that students begin planning for the internship process early in their academic careers as freshmen and sophomores. Internships generally are offered in the fall, spring and summer. Students should have a suggested minimum of one internship during their college career, but more if possible.

What types of internships are available?

The Career Center posts many different types of internships in a wide variety of fields for students. Internships may be paid, unpaid or for credit. Internships vary according to industry and organization.

For Credit Internships – Many internships may meet eligibility requirements for you to earn academic credit through either your major department, the Off-Campus Education Office, or the Study Abroad Office. Internship descriptions must be supplied to one of these offices to qualify for credit. Please check with your major department for internship guidelines and requirements:

Non-Credit Internships – Some internships do not require academic credit, or a student may not wish to earn academic credit. When participating in a non-credit internship, students may then be compensated with a salary, stipend, or travel reimbursement. Or, an internship may be unpaid but offers a wide variety of career opportunities and a beneficial learning experience.

How can The Career Center help me find an internship?

The Pride Career Management System (Pride-CMS) – The Career Center’s online database, accessed through the MyApps feature of the Hofstra portal, receives daily internship postings from a variety of employers nationally and internationally.
Internships.com – The largest database in the world focused solely on internships with thousands of active listings, the link is available through Pride-CMS.
Pride Recruiting ─ The Career Center’s on-campus interview program that brings employers and first-round interviews to campus.
Hofstra.edu/career – Our website offers a variety of suggested internship search links through the Suggested Websites page.
The Career Center Job and Internship Fairs – A variety of fairs are offered throughout the year to give students the opportunity to meet employers and apply for internships.
Information Sessions – The Career Center hosts organizations, throughout the semester, looking to promote their opportunities .

How can I get started with the internship process?

Make an appointment to meet with a career counselor at The Career Center to discuss your needs.
Visit your department’s chairperson or internship coordinator, the Off-Campus Education Office, or the Study Abroad Office.
Attend an Internship Orientation workshop through The Career Center.
Attend your academic department’s events.
View a Resume Writing Webshop and have your resume critiqued during The Career Center’s Quick Question walk-in hours.
Attend an Interview To Impress workshop and participate in Employer Mock Interviews at The Career Center.
Keep current with Internship news and programming through the monthly Internship Newsletters.

Student Success Stories!

Emily Miethner, Fine Arts with a Concentration in Graphic Design, May 2010
Internships: +1 Records, The Knitting Factory, Partisan Records , Time Out New York Magazine
“When I was looking for and applying to internships, I was in The Career Center twice a week. My counselor helped me edit and perfect my resume and cover letters. She also gave me a mock interview which was really helpful. Everyone who works there is really supportive and gets you pumped about preparing for "the real world," taking something that can be really scary and making it exciting! You know when you leave the Career Center you are leaving prepared.”

Saudia Thomas, Accounting, May 2010
Internships: Cargill, Inc-Global Procurement and PricewaterhouseCoopers
“The Pride Recruiting Program is great! As a participant in On Campus Recruitment, I was provided with several interviews with reputable accounting and finance institutions, participation in leadership conferences, diversity conferences in the New York Metro area, networking opportunities, and it even led to my future internship next summer with PricewaterhouseCoopers!”

John Santucci, Journalism & Political Science, May 2011
Internships: ABC News, Fox News
“The Career Center offers Job and Internship fairs which are great opportunities to walk around a room with dozens of potential employers and receive several exciting opportunities. They also helped make my personal resume stronger. The best part of the Career Center is Pride CMS. The system allows a student to log on and see which employers are currently hiring. It is a simple, convenient and wonderful system that can provide help to all Hofstra students. The Career Center has provided me with the reassurance that a team of people are always available to provide me with guidance and support with major concerns, internship advice, and my future career.”