On her second day on the job at West Beach Entertainment, a company that creates documentaries for the Discovery Channel and other networks, Farideh Sadeghin’s supervisors asked her to fly to London to pick up tapes they’d shot for a Travel Channel project.
The company-sponsored trip halfway around the world was only the beginning for the communication major. Though the internship was unpaid, Sadeghin said it proved invaluable for her career.
By the time Sadeghin graduated in 2004, West Beach Entertainment offered to help her find a job. Today she works as the production coordinator at West Beach.
Her experience with the company not only gave her the opportunity to become a working part of the production process but also helped her to meet other professionals in the field, she said.
“These contacts can help you after graduation in finding a job,” Sadeghin said. “Networking rules.”
It’s never too early to begin looking for internships, said Mark Kenyon, assistant director for experiential learning at the Career Center. Internships lay the foundation to gain experience and become more competitive in the future.
Starting in their first year, students should lay out a career plan and begin to apply for internships that will help them meet their goals, Kenyon said.
There are four general questions students should ask themselves before beginning their internship search, Career Center advisers said.
First, what type of experience are you looking for? Becky Zonies, internship coordinator at the Career Center, urges students to “think outside the box” and create their own internships by applying to places where they dream of one day working.
“A huge percentage of students go from internship to full-time job,” she said. “If you want to work somewhere, intern there.”
Second, when do you want to work? This helps students frame their searches, Kenyon said. He advises students to send out applications a semester before they expect to work.
Third, where do you want to be geographically? The Washington area is perfectly situated to provide an endless variety of jobs.
“Internships are as diverse as the students at Maryland,” Kenyon said.
Finally, do you need to be paid? According to Zonies, about half of students get paid for their internships, yet she emphasizes that sometimes the unpaid internships provide the best opportunities and potential for future employment.
The Career Center, located in Hornbake Library, is a valuable resource for students searching for internships. One of the most useful tools is TERP Online, a database of internships, part-time and full-time jobs, Zonies said. The database gives immediate access to hundreds of internships, 24 hours a day.
“All of the employers are looking specifically for University of Maryland students,” Kenyon said.
In addition, section three of the career library in the Career Center’s Resource Room is dedicated to internships, with a directory of more than 50 internships categorized by subject, state and employer.
Tomorrow’s Spring Career Fair will offer a great opportunity for networking, Kenyon added. Details on the fair can be found on page of this guide.
