New services sell internship placements
Allie Vasilakis
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: News
Students vying for top-notch internships can boost their career prospects by turning to private placement firms to increase their chances of getting a foot in the door within selective industries.
Washington Internship Institute President Mary Ryan said companies prefer to hire interns filtered through the Institute, which charges more than $6,000 for its summer programs.
"We certainly know Washington and over the years have developed strong relationships with a number of companies and organizations," Ryan said. "We have some organizations that would rather not have an intern unless they can have one of our interns."
Eric Lochtefeld, chief executive officer and founder of the University of Dreams, said with the company's connections, students bypass the "black hole" of thousands of other candidates to get the internship they want.
"When a student comes to us, we're helping them to get their resume ready and then actually handing it off to an employer who's waiting to get that resume from us to fill a position," he said. "When we make an enrollment offer to a student, we're guaranteeing them an internship in the industry of their choice."
The internship services the University of Dreams offer cost from $5,000 to $9,000 -- what Lochtefeld said is a small price to pay, considering most college students do not have a job when they graduate. After graduation, about half of the program's participants get a job at the company where they interned, he said.
The University of Dreams allows students to choose and rank five companies they would like to intern with, he said.
At the Boston University Career Center, students can browse through job databases and make appointments with counselors to discuss their needs for free. Career Services Director Richard Leger said students should learn how to successfully apply for internships with BU's program.
"Any service that a particular individual student needs to help them in getting an internship, we provide," he said. "We do not get internships for students, we teach students how to research, how to look for them and how to prepare themselves to go after them."
Students do not usually tell Career Services about their employment success stories after graduation, Leger said, so there is no way to tell how effective their services are. He said they help students develop strategies for the application process, from resume writing to interview tips.
"In reality, when you get a job or an internship it's because you interviewed well, because you identified the right area and location and because you did the right thing in approaching the organization for the internship or for the job," he said.
Washington Internship Institute President Mary Ryan said companies prefer to hire interns filtered through the Institute, which charges more than $6,000 for its summer programs.
"We certainly know Washington and over the years have developed strong relationships with a number of companies and organizations," Ryan said. "We have some organizations that would rather not have an intern unless they can have one of our interns."
Eric Lochtefeld, chief executive officer and founder of the University of Dreams, said with the company's connections, students bypass the "black hole" of thousands of other candidates to get the internship they want.
"When a student comes to us, we're helping them to get their resume ready and then actually handing it off to an employer who's waiting to get that resume from us to fill a position," he said. "When we make an enrollment offer to a student, we're guaranteeing them an internship in the industry of their choice."
The internship services the University of Dreams offer cost from $5,000 to $9,000 -- what Lochtefeld said is a small price to pay, considering most college students do not have a job when they graduate. After graduation, about half of the program's participants get a job at the company where they interned, he said.
The University of Dreams allows students to choose and rank five companies they would like to intern with, he said.
At the Boston University Career Center, students can browse through job databases and make appointments with counselors to discuss their needs for free. Career Services Director Richard Leger said students should learn how to successfully apply for internships with BU's program.
"Any service that a particular individual student needs to help them in getting an internship, we provide," he said. "We do not get internships for students, we teach students how to research, how to look for them and how to prepare themselves to go after them."
Students do not usually tell Career Services about their employment success stories after graduation, Leger said, so there is no way to tell how effective their services are. He said they help students develop strategies for the application process, from resume writing to interview tips.
"In reality, when you get a job or an internship it's because you interviewed well, because you identified the right area and location and because you did the right thing in approaching the organization for the internship or for the job," he said.
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