While some economists foresee that the recession will ease up this academic year, others are not as certain. Currently, the economic climate remains tenuous. Given the fluctuating economy and the increasing reality that competition in the job market is fierce, securing internships to gain practical job experience in career fields outside of the classroom should be considered an advantageous co-curricular component.

Internships Today

At present, internships are more valuable than ever before. Current economy conditions have resulted in an increase in job layoffs in turn increasing internship opportunities. Graduating students face the competitive job market against not only their peers but also the experienced industry professionals who recently lost their jobs. Qualified candidates have the benefit of experience and professional networks. Generation Y or the Millennials, as they are often referred to, do have one advantage in the face of this; they understand social media and its power for networks like no other generation and have fully integrated it with their every day lives. Thus, these students will find their best combat to be in leveraging their capability in social media and gaining the needed experience through internships.

Benefits of an Internship

Internships are becoming an essential phase one goes through in his or her journey to become a professional in their chosen career. At their best, internships create opportunities to network, provide mentors, and present an environment for learning and growth. Typically, they are entry-level positions that provide students, recent graduates, and those seeking a career change with opportunities to gain experience in a particular field. For recent graduates or individuals considering a career change an internship is a way to try a new job without making a permanent commitment. For students, internships also supplement academic classes and, in some cases, earn university credit.

An internship on one's resume enhances his or her marketability and shows to future employers that they are both experienced and skilled in their field.

Another aspect of internships is the opportunity they provide for job seekers to discover their career path, dreams and ambitions in a particular field. This is a valuable experience for both students with no direct job experience in their area of study and individuals looking for a career move or new employment from a recent layoff.

Finding an Internship

Internships can be competitive and the recruitment process requires as much tenacious planning as a regular job search. Finding the right one requires patience, research, a plan of action and sometimes, luck. One of the benefits to internships is that even if a company does not have an opening or an internship program implemented, they opportunity for job seekers to create a place for themselves as an intern within his or her desired company can exist. It will require creativity and planning on their part to assess where they might be needed and how they will manage to convince the decision maker of their value within their company.

The Employers Perspective

Internships benefit employers for a number of different reasons. They are an effective way for companies to find energetic, highly motivated employees who undergo the specific training provided by the company and can potentially become competent full-time employees. In this way, internships are a cost-effective mean that companies can utilize for recruitment. They can also create the opportunity for the enhancement of the company's image when internship students share their experience with others. Internships also fulfill a societal need to help young people gain important skills and develop leadership roles.

Source : http://www.galtglobalreview.com