Getting an internship is a good way of gaining hands-on experience for one’s career. Before going into the next step, people should know the skills they need to succeed. Career Services held an Essential Skills for Internships Workshop to inform Kean students on the skills needed to succeed in an internship and for the future.
Essential Skills for Internships Workshop is built to inform students on their next steps after getting an internship. The workshop is for understanding these skills and implementing them into practice. While the event is a mandatory requirement for anyone doing an internship, others were also welcome to attend.
“Whether it's someone bringing you on or whether it's someone connecting you to another opportunity, the ultimate goal of an internship is to really introduce you to opportunities that are abundant,” said Laureen Delance, managing assistant director of internships.
The workshop opened by explaining the importance of internships. Delance and Paul Casey, managing assistant director of internships, shared how internships positively affected Kean alumni. The hosts also mentioned the benefits of internships such as an impressive resume, a peak into the profession and valuable work skills.
“63% of graduating seniors completed at least one internship and seven out of ten of those who did were offered full time jobs,” Delance noted about the benefits of internships.
When going over the valuable skills, Casey discussed the National Associations of Colleges and Employers’ eight readiness competencies. These skills are a vital guide for incoming interns and can help one become a better worker. The eight competencies for internships are:
- Career and Self Development
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Equity and Inclusion
- Leadership
- Professionalism
- Teamwork
- Technology
“These career readiness competencies really identify the competencies that give entry level workers a foundation from which to demonstrate the skills that prepare you for the workplace and your career,” Casey said.
In the workshop, the host defined what each skill is and what it means in the workplace. Sample behaviors were also shown for each of the eight competencies. Participants of the event even shared how they have applied these behaviors in their internships, at their jobs and in other areas.
After going over the skills, participants were welcomed to a discussion on the different areas of an internship. Some of the topics included ways to deal with people in the workplace, the do and don’ts of an internship and case study examples. Through these discussions, students gained awareness on how to handle a situation and how to carry themselves in their future endeavors.
If anyone requires assistance in getting an internship, or even learning more about these skills, then students are free to contact Career Services through their email or in Room 201 of the Center for Academic Success.
“Ultimately our goal is to make sure that when you come in needing our support, you know you have the confidence to go out there and to continue being the amazing professional you are so that not only are you representing Kean University, but you are representing yourself,” said Delance.
