Building experience is one of the best ways to enhance your chances of getting a job after graduation or changing your career path. The more experience you have, the stronger your chances of being a strong candidate. Internships and externships provide opportunities to gain new skills, experience in new professional fields, engage with the business world, and acquire practical experience that you can include in your resume.
Benefits of Internships and Externships
What you learn during an internship can help you land a job, choose the right job offer, and even stay in the position. When employers have equally qualified candidates, the one with internship experience is often the candidate who gets the job, according to the 2020 Job Outlook survey results released by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
At the same time, the NACE 2020 Internship & Co-op Report indicates that the job offer rate was 68% for candidates with internship experience, and those employees tend to stay longer at the company compared to those without such experience. Additionally, the one-year retention rate for interns with internal experience is 68.7%, 55% for those with external internship experience, and 40.3% for candidates without prior experience.
What is an Internship?
An internship is a short-term position that gives students and recent graduates the opportunity to gain skills and experience in a practical work environment. Internships are available in a wide range of professional fields, including business, technology, education, government, and non-profit organizations.
Many internships are arranged through high school guidance counselors, college internship programs, or career services offices. You can also apply directly to employers and set up your own internship experience.
Depending on the organization, internships can be remote or in-person, paid or unpaid. The U.S. Department of Labor has established guidelines to determine when an intern is considered an employee who must be compensated.
Internships are typically completed during a college semester or over the summer or school breaks. They can be full-time or part-time, and interns may be able to earn college credit for their internship.
What is an Externship?
An externship is a way for participants to connect their career interests with the workplace and gain practical experience while learning how businesses operate. Most externships are short-term, but there are some graduate programs, such as law school, that offer full-time externships for a longer duration.
Like internships, externships can be arranged through the college or set up directly by the participant.
Short-Term Externships
Short-term externships provide students and recent graduates an overview of a career or workplace without investing a long time. Participants may observe the workplace, attend meetings, and conduct informational interviews with employees.
Externship durations can range from one day to several weeks. They are similar to job shadowing programs, where participants spend a day or two with a professional to learn about a job and field.
Externships give participants the opportunity to gain insight into a variety of workplaces to help them explore their career interests and professions.
Externships for College Graduates
Graduate school programs also offer externship opportunities. These programs are similar to internships and are designed to help participants gain real-world experience that complements their education. They are long-term, credit-bearing, full-time or part-time, and may be paid or unpaid.
Differences
Internship vs Externship
The goal of both internships and externships is to provide hands-on training, resume-building experience, introduce participants to the work environment, and offer professional networking opportunities. However, there are differences in the scope and duration of the programs.
| Internship | Externship |
|---|---|
| Skill and experience acquisition | Overview of a profession |
| Working within a team | Observing the workplace |
| Semester or summer program | Short-term (days or weeks) |
| May earn college credit | Usually does not earn college credit |
| May be paid or unpaid | Usually unpaid |
How to Find Internship and Externship Opportunities
Check with your college
For college students and recent graduates, the best option for finding internship and externship opportunities is to utilize your college. Depending on the institution, you may find formal internship and externship programs, lists of paid and unpaid positions, and access to alumni you can connect with to find opportunities that match your career interests.
Search online
You can also find opportunities on your own online. Handshake allows students to connect with employers who post internship and externship opportunities, as well as full-time job listings. You’ll need a .edu email address to get started. You can search for internship and externship jobs on LinkedIn by selecting “Internship” as the job type or experience level, or typing “internship” or “externship” in the search box. Also, check out the best job sites for recent graduates, many of which have internship and externship opportunities in addition to full-time jobs.
Leverage your social network
Networking works too. If your school has a database of professional alumni, ask for access so you can connect with graduates in the career fields that interest you. Also, make use of your college-related groups on LinkedIn and other social media. Alumni are often willing to help candidates from the same university.
How to Include Your Experience on Your Resume
When you finish an internship or externship, be sure to add it to your resume. It will show potential employers that you have practical experience and skills in the workplace. These are valuable assets that can help you stand out as a job candidate. Even if you are not currently looking for a job, adding these experiences to your resume is a good way to keep track of what you have done.
Source: https://www.thebalancemoney.com/internship-vs-externship-5115708
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