Internships: Why Students and Recruiters Don't Understand Each Other
31 January 2008
Read by 1454 persons
They meet but rarely understand each other: on one side, students looking for educational internships but not always aware of market realities; on the other, employers sometimes out of sync with the expectations of these young people. Overview of the mistakes to avoid.
In terms of internship searching, a world sometimes separates the universe of students from that of the company. On the one hand, employers are not always aware of what is happening in schools. On the other hand, students find themselves uncomfortable with vague titles, especially since they only have limited knowledge of the market. Here are the main mistakes of both, identified by Nicolas Faure, director of PlaceOjeunes.com.
Companies' Mistakes
Too vague wording. During lean periods, the summary title offering an internship was likely to succeed. This is no longer the case today. "A business school receives on average between 5 and 6000 offers per year for 400 potential candidates," notes Nicolas Faure. In other words, a poorly detailed, unattractive mission has no chance of finding a taker.
Insufficient remuneration. Is the era of the internship at 300 euros over? Yes, according to the head of PlaceOjeunes.com, who claims that the average remuneration is currently around 1000 euros per month.
Poorly identified target. Some business managers are no longer in tune with the current job market. The typical example is the director who sends internship offers to his former school. However, the aspirations of the students of this school have changed. "We insist on offering sales internships to management schools. However, their students are aiming for positions in finance, auditing, marketing or management control." For sales and commerce, it is better to contact vocational licenses, or even schools with bac + 2/3. The same applies to engineering schools that receive dozens of offers for IT programmer positions for which a bac + 2/3 would suffice.
Poorly chosen period. Two major periods are conducive to recruiting interns: between October and December for long end-of-study internships (approximately 6 months) starting in January/February. Between February and March for end-of-year internships. Finally, the increasing number of students who choose to do a gap year entirely in a company between their 2nd and 3rd year carry out their searches from January-February for an internship starting in September.
Problems Encountered by Students
Finding an internship that matches the market. A brief overview of internship offers is essential because it allows you to see what the market offers. There is no point in starting with an overly broad idea such as "I want to do sustainable development in Africa." A valid and viable project meets a demand.
Choosing an internship that matches your project. The difficulty is no longer finding an internship, but the right internship. And students don't necessarily go about it the right way because they have no idea of the positions offered. "I advise you to take your time, to start searching in October while doing your research to better understand the different functions. Analyzing the descriptions helps to know what such and such a job corresponds to. Failing to find exactly what you want to do, it is possible to proceed by elimination by defining what you do not want," concludes Nicolas Faure. Unsolicited applications are to be reserved for people who already have a very specific professional project. On the other hand, it is the best way to find a truly "tailor-made" position.
Posted on February 4, 2008
L’Expansion
In terms of internship searching, a world sometimes separates the universe of students from that of the company. On the one hand, employers are not always aware of what is happening in schools. On the other hand, students find themselves uncomfortable with vague titles, especially since they only have limited knowledge of the market. Here are the main mistakes of both, identified by Nicolas Faure, director of PlaceOjeunes.com.
Companies' Mistakes
Too vague wording. During lean periods, the summary title offering an internship was likely to succeed. This is no longer the case today. "A business school receives on average between 5 and 6000 offers per year for 400 potential candidates," notes Nicolas Faure. In other words, a poorly detailed, unattractive mission has no chance of finding a taker.
Insufficient remuneration. Is the era of the internship at 300 euros over? Yes, according to the head of PlaceOjeunes.com, who claims that the average remuneration is currently around 1000 euros per month.
Poorly identified target. Some business managers are no longer in tune with the current job market. The typical example is the director who sends internship offers to his former school. However, the aspirations of the students of this school have changed. "We insist on offering sales internships to management schools. However, their students are aiming for positions in finance, auditing, marketing or management control." For sales and commerce, it is better to contact vocational licenses, or even schools with bac + 2/3. The same applies to engineering schools that receive dozens of offers for IT programmer positions for which a bac + 2/3 would suffice.
Poorly chosen period. Two major periods are conducive to recruiting interns: between October and December for long end-of-study internships (approximately 6 months) starting in January/February. Between February and March for end-of-year internships. Finally, the increasing number of students who choose to do a gap year entirely in a company between their 2nd and 3rd year carry out their searches from January-February for an internship starting in September.
Problems Encountered by Students
Finding an internship that matches the market. A brief overview of internship offers is essential because it allows you to see what the market offers. There is no point in starting with an overly broad idea such as "I want to do sustainable development in Africa." A valid and viable project meets a demand.
Choosing an internship that matches your project. The difficulty is no longer finding an internship, but the right internship. And students don't necessarily go about it the right way because they have no idea of the positions offered. "I advise you to take your time, to start searching in October while doing your research to better understand the different functions. Analyzing the descriptions helps to know what such and such a job corresponds to. Failing to find exactly what you want to do, it is possible to proceed by elimination by defining what you do not want," concludes Nicolas Faure. Unsolicited applications are to be reserved for people who already have a very specific professional project. On the other hand, it is the best way to find a truly "tailor-made" position.
Posted on February 4, 2008
L’Expansion
