Welcome to the UIS Career Development Center

Welcome to the University of Illinois at Springfield

Job Search:
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    Informational
    Interviewing
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    Job Shadowing
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    Networking
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    Career Fairs
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    Mentoring
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    Volunteering
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    Service-
  Learning
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    Internships
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Grad School:
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     Learn More
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     Choose It
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     Grad School
     Fairs
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      Informational      Interviewing
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      Visit Schools
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     Cost Factors
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      Tests and
     Prerequisites
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Special
Populations
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CDC Services
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Internships

Internships offer students a chance to get “hands-on” experience while working for a semester or summer in a field related to their major. Internships often offer experience beyond clerical duties. Recruiters usually look for students with some experience in the field in which they will be working. Internships have proven to be great networking opportunities which often lead to future employment opportunities. Internships can be paid or unpaid, can be credit-bearing or not, are fairly structured, and can take place over a summer, in place of school in the fall or winter, or part-time while still in school. There are many resources available to those who are searching for an internship. Online resources, printed resources, and human resources all provide valuable information about internship possibilities.

» Keys to an Internship
» Find an Internship
» Internship Opportunities
» Tools for Internships
» Additional Resources

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Keys to an Internship

Clarify your goals, priorities, and objectives. Are you willing to take an unpaid internship for the experience? What experiences are you seeking? If you have no prior experience, an unpaid internship may lead to paid experiences in the future.

Use your network. Often the best sources of information are your departmental faculty and academic advisors. Many departments have established relationships with organizations that hire interns on a routine basis.

Keep using your network! Let people know you are seeking an intern experience. Be specific about what you’re searching for. Talk to friends who have been successful in obtaining internships themselves and ask what methods they used and found successful.

Create your own opportunities. Research organizations at which you are interested in interning, whether or not they are known to have a formal internship program. Although many large organizations have more formalized programs, small organizations can offer wonderful experiences as well…you just have to ask!

Explore professional organizations. Campus “branches” of professional organizations in your field (e.g., Society for Human Resource Management) can put you in contact with unadvertised positions.

Utilize the Chamber of Commerce. They generally maintain exhaustive lists of local organizations and can provide a good lead when researching companies that may have intern opportunities.

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How is an internship different than a job?

Internships generally benefit the intern more than the employer.
Internships are generally always related to your expected career field.
Internships generally incorporate strong educational components and experiences.
Internship supervisors typically serve as an active mentor for the intern.

How is an internship different than an ongoing volunteer experience?

Internships are generally always related to your expected career field and combines work experience with your academic, personal, and career goals.
Volunteering is generally focused on being socially responsible and giving back to the community.
Internships involve a strong, active mentoring and supervision relationship with the supervisor.

While many internships are unpaid, most internships can offer alternative benefits such as:

Real-world experience and skills to put on your resume
Obtain experience in possible career choices
Letters of reference
Mentoring
Networking
Free housing
Transportation stipend
Food stipend
Utilize your studies and education in a real-world setting
Possibility to receive a full-time job offer after the internship

When searching for internships, a clear plan is needed based on your career and academic needs. Some questions to consider:

Are you willing to move for an internship? How far away?
Can you afford to not be paid in exchange for the internship experience?
Can you afford to be paid little in exchange for the internship experience? How little?
Will you need the employer to pay for your housing or can you afford it?
How will you locate housing and will they allow short-term leases?
Can the internship be arranged for credit if it is not already?
Is there a possibility for full-time employment after the internship?
How many hours a week will you be able to work? Part-Time, Full-Time?
Have you considered an online or virtual internship? What about an internship abroad?
Would you consider an internship that requires you to travel as part of your duties?
Would you prefer a highly structured internship or one that is flexible?

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Find an Internship

The Career Development Center and Academic Departments frequently post advertisements for intern positions. Begin your search process early and check back frequently!

The UIS Career Development Center uses
UIS CareerConnect to advertise available positions.

Click on the UIS CareerConnect to login

Learn more about Internship Opportunities, go to http://www.uis.edu/careerservices/jobs/internship_opp.html

Learn more about the UIS Applied Study Term, go to http://www.uis.edu/appliedstudy/

For a list of academic departments, go to http://www.uis.edu/academics/internships.html.

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Internship Opportunities

Use these links to help you explore the wide variety of internship opportunities that exist…but don’t stop here! Continue to explore and research on your own as well! This list contains opportunities from multiple types of organizations and many different sectors. Remember that organizations have many different opportunities in many different fields! Be sure to check out UIS CareerConnect for additional internship opportunities! Need help finding and choosing an internship or preparing your resume or interviewing skills for an internship? Schedule an appointment with the UIS Career Development Center today, also through UIS CareerConnect!

Science/Biology/Chemistry/Ecology Internships
Alaska Conservation Foundation Internships
http://www.akcf.org/_pages/programs_amp_initiatives/conservation_internship_program.php

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals Student Opportunities
http://www.azandu.com/

Audubon Center of the North Woods Employment, Internships & Volunteering
http://www.audubon-center.org/employment.htm

Chicago Botanic Garden Internship Program
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/internship/index.php

National Science Foundation Undergraduate Summer Internship
http://www.nsfstc.org/

Student Conservation Association Internships
http://www.thesca.org/

Government/Political Internships
Alabama Policy Institute Internship
http://www.alabamapolicyinstitute.org/internship.php

American Indian Science and Engineering Society Internships
http://www.aises.org/

Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ Internships & Fellowships
http://www.apaics.org

Cato Institute Internships
http://www.cato.org/jobs/intern/

Chicago Federal Executive Board
http://www.chicago.feb.gov/

City of Chicago Internships
http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/home.do

City of Phoenix, Arizona Internship Program
http://www.phoenix.gov/interns/

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
http://www.chci.org/internships/

Heritage Foundation Internships
http://www.heritage.org/About/Internships/

Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities National Internship Program
http://www.hnip.net/

Hudson Institute Internships
http://www.hudson.org/learn/index.cfm?fuseaction=internship_home

Illinois Department of Natural Resources Internships
http://www.dnr.state.il.us/volunteer/intern.html

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Governor’s Environmental Corps Summer Internship Program
http://www.epa.state.il.us/gec/index.html

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Pollution Prevention Internship Program
http://www.epa.state.il.us/p2/internships/index.html

Illinois State Police Internship Guidelines
http://www.isp.state.il.us/docs/1-189.pdf (PDF)

INROADS/Greater Washington Internships
http://www.inroads.org/

Institute for e-Health Policy Internship
http://www.e-healthpolicy.org/internship.asp

Institute for Women’s Policy Research
http://www.iwpr.org/About/employment.htm#internships

Making the Difference Federal Internship Listings
http://www.makingthedifference.org

Migration Policy Institute Internship
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/about/internships.php

National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Internships
http://www.nafeo.org/community/index.php

National Security Agency (NSA) Internships & Opportunities for Students
http://www.nsa.gov/careers/opportunities_4_u/students/index.shtml

Oak Ridge Associated Universities Internships & Fellowships
http://www.orau.org/science-education/internships-scholarships-fellowships/default.aspx

Organization of Chinese American’s Congressional and Government Internships
http://www.ocanational.org/

Partnership for Public Service Fellows Program
http://apps.ourpublicservice.org/fellows/default.aspx

Presidential Management Fellows
https://www.pmf.opm.gov/

St. Louis County Parks Internships
http://www.co.st-louis.mo.us/parks/volunteer/intern-4.html

State of Illinois Internship Opportunities -
Michael Curry Summer Internship Program
Dunn Fellowship Program and Marzullo Internship Program
http://www.illinois.gov/gov/intopportunities.htm

United Nations Headquarters Internship Programme
http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/sds/internsh/index.htm

U.S. Air Force PALACE Internship
http://ask.afpc.randolph.af.mil/main_content.asp?prods1=1&prods2=14&prods3=181&prods4=698&prods5=1628
U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service
http://www.ncis.navy.mil/join/internships.asp

U.S. Office of Personnel Management Student Educational Employment Program
http://www.opm.gov/employ/students/index.asp

Washington D.C. Internships
http://www.dcinternships.org/

Washington Internship Institute
http://www.wiidc.org/

Washington Internships for Native Students (WINS)
http://www.american.edu/wins/

White House Fellows Program
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/fellows

Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities
http://www.dol.gov/odep/programs/workforc.htm

World Policy Institute Internship
http://www.worldpolicy.org/wpi/internship.html

General/Other Internships
Boston University Summer Study Internship
http://www.bu.edu/summer/summer-study-internship/

Chicago Internship Program
http://www.chicagointernships.com/

Illinois Intern
http://illinoisintern.com/

Institute of International Education Opportunities & Internship Programs
http://www.iie.org/

St. Louis Internship Program
http://www.stlouisinternship.org/

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Tools for Internships

» Job Search Checklist (Word)

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Additional Resources

How to Turn an Internship into a Job
http://internships.about.com/od/internshipsuccess/a/InternshipJob.htm

Tips to Land the Internship Job You Want
http://www.resumebear.com/blog/index.php/2009/04/15/tips-to-land-the-internship-job-you-want/

Top 8 Tips for Finding an Internship
http://internships.about.com/od/internsites/tp/howtofind.htm

Internship Ratings
http://www.internshipratings.com/

American Campus Communities Student Housing
http://www.studenthousing.com/

Intern Housing.com
http://www.internhousing.com

NYC Intern.org
http://www.nycintern.org

OASIS- Orlando Area Student Intern Society Housing

http://www.orlandointerns.com/
University of Illinois at Chicago Summer Internship Housing
"http://www.housing.uic.edu/intern