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Copyright © 2011 Heather R. Huhman All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. Published by Happy About® 20660 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 210, Cupertino, CA 95014 http://happyabout.com First Printing: June 2011 ISBN: 978-1-60005-203-3 (1-60005-203-7) Place of Publication: Silicon Valley, California, USA Cover Art: Ranilo Cabo (ranilocabo@yahoo.com) Trademarks All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Neither Happy About®, nor any of its imprints, can attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark. Warning and Disclaimer Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible. The information provided is on an “as is” basis. The author(s), publisher, and their agents assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor do they assume liability or responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the use of information contained herein.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword ................................................................................................................................. 6 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 8

What is an Internship? ....................................................................................................... 8

Why This Book? Why Now? .......................................................................................... 12

Why Me? ............................................................................................................................ 14

Laws Surrounding Internships ....................................................................................... 14

What You Can Expect .................................................................................................... 15

Chapter 1: Recent Controversies Surrounding Internships ........................................... 16 Unpaid & For-Credit-Only Internships ........................................................................ 16

Pay-to-Play Internships ................................................................................................... 25

Interns as Employee Replacements ............................................................................... 27

Hypocrisy & the Fair Labor Standards Act .................................................................. 29

Ross Perlin’s Intern Nation ............................................................................................... 29

Chapter 2: The Importance of Internships ...................................................................... 32 Chapter 3: Characteristics of a Good Internship Program ............................................ 38 Chapter 4: How to Create an Internship Program .......................................................... 43

Step 1: Things to Consider ............................................................................................. 43

Step 2: Setting Goals ........................................................................................................ 45

Step 3: Writing a Plan & Program Design .................................................................... 46

Step 4: Recruitment.......................................................................................................... 47

Step 5: Management......................................................................................................... 49

Step 6: Providing Feedback & Evaluating Your Intern ............................................. 50

Step 7: Evaluating Your Program & Making Necessary Changes ............................ 52

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Chapter 5: Current Problems & Possible Solutions ........................................................ 54 Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) & Compensation .................................................. 54

Protection for Interns ...................................................................................................... 56

Regulation of Good versus Bad Internship Programs ............................................... 56

Interns Replacing Regular Employees .......................................................................... 57

Chapter 6: When Internships Go Bad .............................................................................. 60 Chapter 7: Interns: How to Turn Your Internship into a Full-Time Position ............ 69 Chapter 8: Employers: How to Turn Your Interns into Full-Time Employees ......... 74 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 77 About the Author ................................................................................................................. 80

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FOREWORD What happened to internships, in their purest form, representing the opportunity for experiential education? When did we begin openly debating unpaid versus paid internships – caring only about the “paid” issue, with hardly a mention of the quality of the experience? How did we let the poor economy dictate – even dilute – our expectations of the internship as a whole? In the old days of labor unions and skilled craftsmanship, there was a clear ascension through the ranks of the employable: emerging talent would serve as an apprentice under a master-craftsman turned mentor, thoroughly developing a specific trade or skill. Today, that process is completed – for many – through internships. Instead of fostering a positive entrance into the workforce, we have allowed a sixty-five-year-old policy,1

a labor law that doesn’t even mention the word “intern,” and results of unfortunate choices made by interns themselves to create a firestorm of controversy, false prophets, and used-car-salesman techniques surrounding internships.

Our government (“see no evil”), our higher education system (“hear no evil”), and the worst of them all to some, corporate America (the antithesis of “do no evil”) are the proverbial Three Wise Monkeys. They simply deal with impropriety and inequity by feigning ignorance and refusing to acknowledge the issue in a meaningful way. This “blind eye” policy allows less ethical people to expect interns to work forty, fifty, sixty hours a week with no pay. Others are emboldened to speak of “intern profits” in a get-rich-quick mentality with zero fear of consequence. Still more, in an attempt to fix a system that is clearly broken, turn to the written word; in the past year alone, entire novels, dozens of op-eds, and thousands of blog posts have appeared – all on the subject of “fair” internships and the “exploitation” of interns. 1 "elaws - Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor," United States Department of Labor, accessed May 21, 2011, http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/trainees.asp.

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At first glance Lies, Damned Lies & Internships: The Truth about Getting from Classroom to Cubicle appears to be yet another entry into the written word category, but it seeks to calm the controversy surrounding internships. Heather Huhman – a genuine and well-respected professional firmly entrenched in the internship and entry-level job industry – emphasizes real suggestions to improve the situation. Most importantly, her solutions – aimed at intern candidates, mentors, employers, nonprofits, career centers, higher education, and our government (specifically, The Department of Labor) – are relatively simple to implement and would make all parties involved accountable for their actions and decisions. If nothing else, this work – regardless of the lack of effort by the Three Wise Monkeys – will make you think. How important are high-quality, mentor-based internships to education and our economy? As an intern, should you really allow a company to use you as free labor? As an employer, is it right to exploit young talent to save a few dollars? What can you do personally to provide mentorship to a young professional instead of contributing to even the perception of exploitation? I encourage you to think creatively as you read, then to offer and implement your own solutions. Resolve to make the internship experience a positive introduction to the workforce for our future workers, leaders, and entrepreneurs.

Mark Babbitt, CEO of YouTern A passionate supporter of Gen Y talent, YouTern CEO Mark Babbitt is a serial entrepreneur and mentor. Mark has been quoted in Forbes, Mashable, ReadWriteWeb, and Under30CEO.com regarding internships, emerging talent and the current job market. He was recently honored as one of GenJuice’s “Top 100 Most Desirable Mentors”2

list.

2 "The Top 100 Most Desirable Mentors List," GenJuice, accessed June 1, 2011, http://tinyurl.com/3oen7jk, www.genjuice.com/community/the-top-100-most-desirable-mentors-list/page/6/.

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INTRODUCTION Spoiler alert: I’m an internship advocate. Perhaps more importantly, I’m an intern advocate. I’ve dedicated my life (and in some ways, my career) to helping young professionals find, land, and succeed in their first jobs out of college – and internships play a big role in this process. Now, just because I’m an advocate doesn’t mean I don’t see problems with the system. Plenty of important issues exist and will be discussed in depth in this book. It’s safe to say there’s no such thing as “perfect”; our current internship process is far from ideal – and we need to work together to do better for our future leaders.

What is an Internship? One common complaint is the lack of an official definition of “internship,” and thus participants receive extremely varied experiences. Let’s change that, shall we? The following blog post, “Empower Yourself! Write Your Own Definition of ‘Intern,’”3 YouTern was written by Dave Ellis of , which connects emerging talent with dynamic start-ups, change oriented nonprofits, and driven entrepreneurial mentors:

I looked up the definition of “intern” on Dictionary.com. I was surprised to read the first entry: “To restrict to or confine within prescribed limits[.]” Then I realized that in this case the meaning referred to captivity during wartime (i.e., internment). I read further and found something more along the lines of what I was

3 Dave Ellis, “Empower Yourself! Write Your Own Definition of ‘Intern,’” The Savvy Intern (blog), May 18, 2011, http://tinyurl.com/3c7av3c, www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2011/05/18/empower-yourself-write-your-own-definition-of-%E2%80%9Cintern%E2%80%9D/.

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looking for: “A person who works as an apprentice or trainee in an occupation to gain practical experience.” When I thought about it further…although those definitions are in very different contexts, combined they create a single definition befitting of what many people think of interns: Intern (v): To restrict to or confine within prescribed limits, a person who works as an apprentice or trainee in an occupation to gain practical experience. That combined definition is a good summation of how many inexperienced internship seekers view internships, and their role as an intern. They may project that in an internship one is severely limited – confined by the role’s traditional perception where the skill you’ll improve best is the speed at which you deliver coffee. If that is indeed how you think you’ll spend your days as an intern…let’s get you a new definition. I challenge you to view your role as an intern as empowered…as having choices…as being able to get coffee only for yourself! Let’s look at some common perceptions about internships that fit my combined definition above, and why those misconceptions need to be revisited.

I’m Too Young (or Too Old) for an Internship Companies realize that emerging talent has a lot to offer. Today’s young workers are the first generation to grow up immersed in technology, on the Internet and with social media, for example – important skills to many businesses. Start looking for internships while still in high school, and certainly during your freshman year. Don’t wait…your career competition isn’t! Think interns can’t have a couple of grey hairs? Workforce veterans are finding internships a valuable resource to transition into new careers. Companies are often happy to bring your experience on-board, and often

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these internships turn into full-time positions.

I Have to Live Near the Company Offering the Internship In the past, one most often found an internship in their town, or they relocated for a few months to participate. Today, however, more companies offer “virtual” internships. Through social media, Skype, instant message, and email, one can live in the Midwest…and intern for a company in New York City. The intern gains valuable business experience at a flexible pace, with no commute or relocation!

Only Large Companies Offer Internships The Disney’s, Google’s, Procter & Gamble’s, and “Big Six” accounting firms still have the internship cache. However, there are thousands of start-ups, entrepreneurial small businesses[,] and non-profits in all industries more than eager to hire interns! These small-team organizations offer the same experiential education and mentorship as a large corporation. At these smaller companies, however, interns participate closer to the core decision making processes of the business. In quite a few small business internships, interns are mentored directly by high-level executives and even the CEO. (Good luck working directly with Robert Iger or Eric Schmidt of Disney or Google.)

An Intern is “Just an Intern” If you find yourself making coffee and copies in your internship… You either made a bad choice in the company where you chose to intern, or you’re making bad choices during your internship. An internship is no different than any other business position…to a large

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degree you can “make your own position.” Granted, you’re an intern…you’re not an executive. You’re learning and gaining your first business experiences. But because you’re the “new kid” doesn’t mean you have nothing to contribute. Take it upon yourself to be a pro-active intern – and create your own position. At every company one can identify inefficiencies in the business process. In your spare time, or [on] your own time, put together a project plan and present it to your supervisor. Detail your project’s goals and a timeline. Make an impression and an impact during your internship. You’ll learn more, and will likely come away with a stellar recommendation…and maybe even a job offer! To paraphrase an old Oldsmobile commercial, “This isn’t your father’s internship.” Interns today have more choices – in terms of both companies and industries – in which to intern. And they have vastly more resources for finding internships than at any time in the past. No longer are you as restricted by age limits, geographic considerations, company sizes – or an outdated definition of what it is to be an intern. Let’s embrace a new, empowered definition… Intern (v): To gain business experience while contributing your already developed valuable skills; an empowered team member who learns through hard work and mentorship in a dynamic business environment.

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Why This Book? Why Now?

“Free labor.” “Slave labor.” No, that’s not how companies see interns; that’s how interns see themselves. It’s time for interns and potential interns to stop playing the victim and take control of their careers! If you can’t afford an unpaid internship, don’t take it. If you don’t receive any benefit from a for-credit-only internship (other than the experience), don’t take it. No one is forcing these options on you! History lesson: Slaves didn’t have a choice. You do. There are millions of available internship opportunities in the U.S. alone. Many do pay – and don’t require you to fork over money upfront for the opportunity. Make the right choice, for you! It’s time to face the harsh reality that the world of work has changed dramatically in recent years. Argue all you want about why and how unfair it is, but good luck changing things “back to the way they were.” If you think about it, the workplace has always been changing and evolving. You’re probably just noticing it more now because you’re ready to join the workforce. Throughout your life, you were probably told that a college degree would guarantee

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you a job after graduation. Nope. Once you started college, everyone told you to get as many internships as you could and that would guarantee you a job after graduation. Wrong again. Let me give you an analogy. If you bought a treadmill, would you be guaranteed to lose weight? As a former treadmill owner, I can tell you the answer is “no.” In order to lose weight, you have to use the treadmill – it can’t just sit there collecting dust. And trust me, complaining about the fact that you’re not losing weight doesn’t help either! Instead, you need to get off your butt and accept the fact that weight loss will only happen when you take the appropriate action with the treadmill: burning more calories than you consume. The same applies to your entry-level job search. Trust me, you’re going to need the degree and the internships (just like the treadmill), but having them simply isn’t enough. The people who get hired do more than pull all their information together on a resume and submit it to a job board. They analyze their online presences for “red flags,” get their cover letters and resumes in shape, join and engage in professional and social networking communities, create online portfolios, start professional blogs, utilize search engine optimization to get found on Google, become experts in their fields, and take other actions to go above and beyond their fellow candidates.4

Not every single person deserves or is a good fit for every single job (or internship). Rejection is going to happen during your job search. Life is tough, but the good things in life are worth working and fighting for.

Yes, the system is broken, and it’s about time we work together to fix it. However, you must stop blaming the system – and take back control of your career.

4 Heather R. Huhman, Attention Job Seekers: Your Search is at Stake! 9 Steps to Becoming an Expert Marketer & Getting Hired in Today’s Digital World (Heather R. Huhman, 2011), http://tinyurl.com/3v8sw7y, www.slideshare.net/ComeRecommended/attention-job-seekers-your-search-is-at-stake-9-steps-to-becoming-an-expert-marketer-getting-hired-in-todays-digital-world.

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Why Me? I’m a five-time intern. I have been hiring and managing interns for the past decade. Because of my experience, I’m a verbose writer for many different outlets (including U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal) offering internship and entry-level advice and counsel. Because of my reputation in the internship space, I am honored to work with and consult many true experiential education experts and advocates – and I’m proud to include the opinions of many of these colleagues throughout this book.

Laws Surrounding Internships Did you know there are laws that govern internships, particularly unpaid ones? Many people don’t. So, what exactly are these laws? The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)5

1. The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to what would be given in a vocational school or academic educational instruction;

states:

2. The training is for the benefit of the trainees; 3. The trainees do not displace regular employees, but work under their

close observation; 4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate

advantage from the activities of the trainees, and on occasion the employer’s operations may actually be impeded;

5. The trainees are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period; and

6. The employer and the trainees understand that the trainees are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.

This law is clearly open to interpretation and needs a serious update; I take a first shot in Chapter 5.

5 "elaws - Fair Labor Standards Act Advisor," United States Department of Labor, accessed May 21, 2011, http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/docs/trainees.asp.

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What You Can Expect Throughout this book, the following topics will be discussed:

• Recent controversies surrounding internships • The importance of internships • Characteristics of a good internship program • How to create an internship program • Current problems and possible solutions • An analysis of “internships gone bad” • How to turn an internship into full-time employment • How to turn interns into full-time employees

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Heather R. Huhman, founder & president of Come Recommended, has nearly a decade of public relations and marketing experience, specializing in media relations, content marketing, and social media. She is also a well-recognized career expert, an experienced hiring manager, and someone who has been in nearly every employment-related situation imaginable. Heather knows and understands the needs of today’s employers and internship and entry-level job seekers. Her expertise in this area led to her selection as a contributor to Business Insider, Campus Calm, CAREEREALISM, Career Rocketeer, Examiner.com, GenJuice, Glassdoor, HR

Communicator, Intern Advocate, Personal Branding Blog, Talent Culture, USNews.com, Wall Street Journal, and Yahoo!. Additionally, she is the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010) and the e-books Attention Job Seekers: Your Search is at Stake! 9 Steps to Becoming an Expert Marketer & Getting Hired in Today’s Digital World (2011), 10 Years, 12 Jobs, 3 Careers: Lessons Learned from Taking My Career from Classroom to Cubicle to Penthouse (2010), Relocating for an Entry-Level Job: Why You Probably Have to & How to Do It (2010), Graduated, Unemployed & Un(der)insured: Why You Need to Stop What You’re Doing Right Now to Purchase Health Insurance and How to Pick the Provider & Plan Best for You (2010), and Gen Y Meets the Workforce: Launching Your Career During Economic Uncertainty (2008). Heather has a master’s certificate in Internet marketing from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. in communication from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She resides in the Washington, DC area with her husband, dog and two cats. She is available to answer your questions (heather@heatherhuhman.com) or speak at your next event.

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