Gain Paid Professional Experience
Internships are an important part of many students' career development. While it's true that internships help, they are not essential, particularly prior to the summer before you graduate. Internship alternatives can build your resume year-round and graduates without internships find dream jobs at top employers too.
Internship Options
There are several types of internships. The most common are summer internships, which we estimate 75% of CICS undergraduates and 90% of our Master's students do. Summer internships are nearly always paid (otherwise they are considered volunteering or must meet FLSA requirements). They are not credited and therefore do not involve faculty.
Co-ops are internships which occur during the fall or spring semester, sometimes combined with a summer internship. According to UMass Amherst policy, co-ops must be paid, related to your major, at least 30 hours per week (not part-time), during a semester or a semester plus a winter/summer break period, and reporting to a professional, on-site supervisor who is not a relative. While "on co-op" you are not taking any regular classes -- you are not withdrawn, so your return to campus is expected and coordinated.
CICS Credited Internships are designed to give all undergraduate CICS students an option to learn with select industry partners, while earning CICS credits. They also occur during the fall or spring semester. However, students earn 6 CICS credits by demonstrating learning outcomes to a volunteer faculty member and typically also take 6 academic credits to remain full-time status. Currently, only the following employers have been vetted and approved: MathWorks, Wayfair, Retail Business Services. Note: We do not "place" students for these opportunities -- it is up to students to earn offers and notify CICS Careers to begin this process.
CICS students may also do UMass Credited Internships in the rare situation that the internship is unpaid and credits are required by the employer (typically a non-profit). Note that this option does not advance CS students toward their CICS degree, and therefore is usually not worthwhile.
HOW TO GET AN INTERNSHIP
Each of the 3 recruiting seasons has opportunities to find internships with employers. The fall and winter seasons are when most students receive internship interviews and offers, which is why our major career fairs are scheduled then.
STEP 1: ANSWER "WHAT KIND OF INTERNSHIP DO YOU WANT?"
Don't skip this step or it will make the other steps harder! Focus on having a specific and memorable response, knowing that you can and should change your mind. Responses like "anything to get experience" are not good enough.
Bonus: Create an elevator pitch! Learn More: Decide What Matters
STEP 2: CREATE A PROFESSIONAL RESUME
Everyone can create a 1-pg resume, and if you aren't satisfied with it yet, that's ok! Over time your resume and LinkedIn will get better. Everyone is looking for their first internship at some point. What you learn in class as well as the projects you do will give you the knowledge and skills you need to earn the experience.
STEP 3: START LOOKING FOR INTERNSHIPS
Use Step 1 to come up with a list of your favorite employers who offer internships. Better yet, tell your family and friends your preferences and let them give you ideas. It's more important to find a quality match than to have a long list, so prioritize and iterate.
- Join the CICS Slack Community and actively check for #hot-internships and #employers
- Start with our monthly search templates posted by CICS Careers on Slack
- Attend a recruiting event -- research the employers in advance so you're ready to make a strong first impression
STEP 4: PREPARE FOR INTERVIEWS
Even if you don't have any interviews yet, you want to start practicing. If you a stuck and not getting any interviews, ask CICS Careers for help.
Get Help Before "Reneging" On An Offer
"Reneging" or declining a job offer that you've already accepted typically leads to exclusion from CICS Careers services and programs. The short-term compensation or role advantages can be tempting, but it's bad for your professional reputation. Reneges are also problematic for your peers. Employers may think twice about recruiting UMass Amherst students in the future.
Communication and negotiation for more time is key. We expect that employers abide by the UMass guideline allowing students until Oct 31st to respond to summer internship offers, or granting at least 2 weeks from the receipt of the written offer to accept or decline.
Need Help?
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FRAUDULENT EMPLOYERS
HOW TO SPOT A PHISHING SCAM:
- The sender is suspicious. The domain is often generic, like gmail or yahoo, and doesn't match the employer they are claiming to be. There are noticeable errors in spelling and grammar.
- The correspondence requires "urgent" action or the sender is asking you for money.
- The job description is vague or the compensation does not match the work required.
HOW YOU CAN PROTECT YOURSELF FROM A SCAM:
- Never give out personal information. A legitimate employer will not ask you to email a social security number, bank account details, credit card numbers, driver's licence numbers, or passwords.
- Don't apply to a job that unexpectedly lands in your inbox, without doing your research.
- Look up the sender's email address and try to find them on LinkedIn. If you can't find information on the sender, ignore or report it.
- Do not click on hyperlinks or open attachments from a suspicious email to protect yourself from unintended data transfers.
- If you think you were scammed, take immediate action to safeguard yourself, including contacting your bank and notifying the government.
- Report a suspicious email or employer to CICS Careers and watch our Slack Community for alerts.
