It’s the time of year when Murray State students begin their search for summer internships, and Murray State is providing resources to help students during their search and application process.
Regardless of your major, internships can be a big part of developing your future career plans and building your resume. The Murray State website lists many resources for finding internships and housing options. One of these is the Handshake app, which lists many internship opportunities provided to the University. It also directs you to the Office of Career Services, which helps prepare students for future career opportunities.
Amanda Mansfield, the career experience coordinator for the Career Services Office, helps students interested in pursuing internships, co-ops, job shadowing and other experiential learning opportunities. She advises students interested in internships to reach out to their departments for potential opportunities, as well as attend the career fairs Murray State and individual departments host to connect students to employers. She also recommends students reach out to the people around them to inquire about opportunities.
“I would suggest you use your network first and foremost,” Mansfield said. “Speak to professors who you’ve worked with. Speak to your fellow students who may have done internships in the past. We also have the Handshake platform that we run through Career Services where employers can go and post their internship opportunities.”
The different departments at Murray State also have people in charge of handling internship opportunities in their field. Gill Welsch, a senior lecturer and curriculum coordinator, serves as the internship coordinator for the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications. He said students interested in internships should contact their department’s internship coordinator, who is often the department chair. Departments may also keep records of previous internships and student reports of their experiences, which Welsch said could be a good source for students looking to pursue their own internships.
Both Mansfield and Welsch said that students should start looking for internships early, around November or December. Mansfield said this is when employers will start looking for recruits for the summer.
Welsch’s advice to students applying for internships was to treat the opportunity like a job, and not a summer vacation. Welsch said many companies treat internships like job auditions, and students who do well can come back to Murray with new job opportunities after graduation.
“Treat it just like a job,” Welsch said. “You know when you’re applying for an internship and you’re writing a cover letter, you need to explain to the internship people what you can bring to the job. You won’t do very well if you say, ‘Well, I need this internship because it will help me.’ We know it would help you, but the company wants to know what you can do for it.”
Mansfield’s advice to students was to visit the Career Center to work on their resume, cover letter or to do mock interviews, which will prepare students for the real thing. Mansfield also said to check with your department for how to get credit for summer internships, as departments may have special courses or requirements necessary to get the credit.
“Have a strong resume,” Mansfield said. “Try to get some experience before your internship, so whether that be paid work experience or volunteer experience, or even experience with student organizations in leadership positions.”
Internships can be great for finding new employment opportunities and sharpening the skills you learn in class. Lane Gamble, a transfer student studying occupational safety and health, completed an internship for H&R Agri-Power in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Through the internship, he said he was able to better develop the skills he learned in university. He was also offered full employment after his graduation next December.
“It was a really good experience,” Gamble said. “A lot of stuff that we learned in class is obviously very helpful. But at the same time having a mentor like I did that’s very experienced with that stuff, that’s what really helped my learning more than anything.”
Ryan Potts, a masters student studying occupational safety and health, completed three internships through his undergrad career at Murray. One was with Nevada Gold Mines in Battle Mountain, Nevada, which he found through LinkedIn. The other two were with Eastman Chemical in Tennessee, which he found through an information session held by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health. These sessions include presentations and interviews with employers, and are meant to connect students with different businesses.
Through his internships, Potts said he got a lot of on-the-job experience doing safety work, shadowing operators and working with members of the safety team. During his time at Eastman Chemical, Potts said he helped develop a program for preventing serious injury and fatality at work. The program involved operators working hand-in-hand with supervisors to make observations, provide feedback and develop ways to make the job safer. Potts said this program was later implemented across sites globally.
Potts said he was excited that the work he did made a lasting impact on the company. And he said that the internships he pursued had a big impact on his career goals and that he valued the experience he gained.
“I think they’ve been very beneficial for my future career goals. They gave me a chance to see in the real world how my studies are being put to use,” Potts said.
Potts’ advice to students looking for internships is to not get discouraged if you are not accepted. He said it took multiple applications and interviews before he landed his opportunity. He also said students shouldn’t be afraid to travel.
“Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone,” Potts said. “I went all the way out to Nevada where I didn’t really know anyone. I got to go to a lot of places that I never probably would have got to go before, so really it’s a good opportunity to learn how to live by yourself as well.”
For any questions regarding internship programs, or for help applying, contact the Career Center at [email protected].
