Internships and Work Experience Sought By Employers
By Jill Randolph
July 12, 2010
The following is an interview transcript with Eileen Kohan, the Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Executive Director of the Career Planning and Placement Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Currently, Eileen directs USC's multifunctional career center, which serves 34,000 students and 200,000 alumni. She lectures at the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and has also taught at the Marshall School of Business and the Rossier School of Education. She developed the first distance learning class offered to undergraduates and the first alumni distance learning career course.
Prior to USC, Eileen directed the Center for Career Services at Columbia University in New York, where as the national spokesperson for collegians seeking work, she appeared on the MacNeil Lehrer Newshour and numerous CNN, CNBC and MSNBC broadcasts. She has also worked with AT&T and NYNEX. In 2004, in partnership with the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Eileen created the USC Center for the Study of Work bringing together faculty research on workplace issues.
Jill Randolph: How has the job search process changed from the past?
Eileen Kohan: Internships are becoming more important. College students today need to complete internships, and they can't wait until their senior year to decide what they want to do career-wise.
Another change is that pre-med and pre-law students are taking a year off to work and make sure that graduate school and their career path is the right decision for them. There is a lot of pressure on students today to find a job immediately after graduation, especially with those who have large loans to pay off. That financial burden puts pressure on students and gives them a sense of urgency to find something quickly. As financial burdens increase, it really impacts how people job search.
Students today also have to plan on the job search process taking longer. Finding a job takes more time than in the past, and students are not able to simply walk into an interview and receive a job offer, because there is so much competition today. Employers have three or four rounds of interviews before they make a decision, including in small companies, because they want to be sure that they are making the right hiring decision.
However, applicants still need to complete ample research about the companies they are targeting. I am amazed that we continue to receive feedback from employers that students have not researched the interviewers' companies. Researching company information today is such a simple thing to do, and students don't understand the negative ramifications if they don't complete it.
In a competitive marketplace, students and graduates can be certain that there are other candidates vying for the same position who are researching the company and selling their skills accordingly. Unprepared interviewees insult employers by wasting their time. By researching the role and the company, however, applicants will be able to speak intelligently with interviewers and stay competitive in the difficult market we are currently experiencing.
For example, the field of broadcast journalism provides one example of the competitive nature of the job market. I have a student in our journalism program who decided she wanted an on-air internship this summer, after having completed two other internships for TV stations over the last few years. She researched and called 400 TV stations around the country to see if her appearance fit the broadcasters' needs. The level of detail she went into with her research was amazing, but she only ended up with four job offers. The positive fact is that she does have an on-air broadcast internship this summer, even if she only received offers from four out of 400 stations.
This clearly illustrates to students - and all other job seekers - that if they really want to work in a particular job or industry, they need to spend time researching and asking pertinent questions and they'll eventually find what they are looking for. When researching, students need to spend at least as much time as they do studying for final exams, however, some students don't do that.
Jill Randolph: How has the job market in your area changed over the past year, and have you seen any signs of improvement?
Eileen Kohan: I definitely think that the economy is getting better. The largest positive impact I have seen was in the hiring of interns for the summer. Many Fortune 500 companies that did not attend our career fairs last year are now recovering and again offering opportunities to our students. From the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2009, there was a minimal improvement, but we experienced a dramatic improvement in the spring of 2010. The first area to improve was in the financial services sector. Most of the large investment and commercial banks were back on campus this spring, enthusiastically interviewing students for full-time summer internship programs, as they had been doing before the recession hit.
However, California has been hit especially hard because of the real estate market. That market has yet to recover, and I don't think it will in the near future. The entertainment industry is going through dramatic changes as well, and there aren't many productions in process here in Los Angeles.
Therefore, there are some challenges for students looking for employment in this area, but I think most of these challenges stem from limited traditional opportunities. There are jobs available, but students have to work harder to find them. One unique feature of Los Angeles is that we are not a Fortune 500-heavy location. Most of our employers are companies that employ 1,000 or less, and this is reflected when our students begin to look for work. It's hard to find an employer that hires more than five or six of our students because of the diversity of the market in this area.
Therefore, at USC, we teach and encourage our students to start their own businesses. We always have a significant number of graduates starting new businesses, and we saw a bit of an increase of entrepreneurial endeavors in the graduating class of 2009. In my opinion, new businesses started by recent USC graduates will continue to rise in the future.
Southern California is a great place to start a new business because an entrepreneurial way of life is very accepted here. Trying something and then moving on to try something else is viewed very positively. That may be influenced by the entertainment industry, as it functions basically on a project-to-project basis. People are hired to work on a TV show, and then hired to work on a film, and there is a finite block of time that they are dedicating to those particular projects. That is the mindset here.
There aren't many people who move to California and expect to work for the same organization for 30 years. People here plan to move from project to project, from startup to startup. Our entrepreneurial mindset has saved us a bit from the economic downturn, because people are comfortable finding short-term employment. It is not as frightening to people here because they are used to doing freelance work. If their first attempt doesn't work, they try something else, so there is less stress around finding an ideal job.
Jill Randolph: You mentioned that many people in California have had to change jobs numerous times in this economy. How do you recommend that these people market themselves so that employers don't view them as job hoppers? Do you recommend that they create more of an experience-based resume rather than using a reverse chronological format?
Eileen Kohan: I don't think people necessarily need a regular, reverse chronological resume for their first five or six years after graduation. They can always highlight their functional expertise and how it relates to a particular position in their cover letter.
In my opinion, the job-hopper bias has gone away in this economy because many people have had to do whatever they can to make money. Having a variety of work experiences is not something that should be viewed negatively. Both employees and employers should instead consider all the experience gained from this situation. This is where interning while in college also becomes important for students.
I teach an internship class, and one of my students recently decided she wanted to try something outside of entertainment after having only previously interned within the industry. She is a film major and intends to go that route after graduation, but she wanted to see how another business functioned. This semester she is interning for a medical supply company, and she is having a great experience. She is learning a lot, and though it's not her chosen career path, she now has new experiences to add to her resume. Ten years in the future, she may decide that she wants to try a position in healthcare, and she will be at an advantage by having this experience on her resume.
If a student in college today does not complete an internship, I really believe that is a huge mistake. If students do nothing else before they graduate, they need to determine what they want to do after college, and internships are the best way to try potential career paths.
Jill Randolph: What if one of your students is interested in a subject that your school doesn't offer? How do you recommend that he or she find related internship opportunities?
Eileen Kohan: Quite frankly, we encourage students to try jobs outside of their major. For example, students in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences are currently involved in internships in every imaginable industry, from healthcare to entertainment. Students worry too often that they will not be able to find a job in business if they are not a business major, or that they won't get a job in public relations if they don't major in communications. The only fields where specific training is required are in engineering and accounting. Most others can find a job with the college degree that they have.
Last year, something happened that we had not experienced before. When employers were looking at credentials of students during on-campus interviews, we saw a change from a focus on grade point average to a focus on practical and internship experience. These two aspects have become more important in the employer decision-making process than graduates' academic records. The fact that a student has been in the workplace and understands the professionalism of that environment gives him or her a competitive advantage over other candidates.
Jill Randolph: You talked earlier about the entrepreneurial spirit that is present at USC and in the greater Los Angeles area. Do your graduates who decide to start their own business typically stay in California or move their business elsewhere?
Eileen Kohan: Entrepreneurs strive to be successful, sell their business and then try something else. They never want to stay in one field or sector for too long. On the other hand, the founders of Kinko's, MySpace and California Pizza Kitchen are all graduates of USC, so this has historically been a great place to start a business.
When one thinks about the population of California, it makes it a great place to start a business because there is a large and diverse population on which entrepreneurs may test their ideas. USC is also very diverse, as we have the largest international student population of any school in the country, so there is a global aspect added as well. Our students are interested in bringing their ideas to a global audience, and our focus is on the emerging markets in Asia.
We also offer an internship program where we send 25 students on a grant to Asia every summer. This will be our tenth summer sending students to Asia, and USC now has five offices on that continent that we use for admissions, alumni relations, and also to help with the internship program. It's a unique program, and it gives students an experience that they would not have at any other school in the country. We strongly encourage a spirit of globalization, and this university is very concerned and connected with global issues, which makes it very exciting.
Jill Randolph: Which employment sectors are the largest in the Greater Los Angeles area?
Eileen Kohan: The largest sector in this area is probably the entertainment industry. Real estate has always been a very large part as well, simply because of the growth in this area. People are always looking to move to Southern California, as it has a lot to offer in terms of quality of life.
However, this area was ground zero for the problems in the real-estate market, so it will take us a while to recover. Commercial real estate, on the other hand, still seems to be doing well, and there are many new commercial developments around the Los Angeles area. This may change in the future, but currently we encourage students to enter commercial rather than residential real estate if they are considering this field.
There is also a lot of hi-tech growth in this area and many of our students are interested in game development. People need very specialized skills in order to pursue a career in this field. If a graduate had courses in these subjects, however, it won't be a problem for them to find employment.
Regarding the entertainment industry, many of people think only in terms of the production side, but there is also a public relations side. A company such as Disney also needs accountants, public relations specialists, marketing professionals and finance professionals. Entertainment companies are like any large Fortune 500 Company. People don't have to be interested in the production side of entertainment; there are many other opportunities as well.
The education system has also always been a provider of employment opportunities, but here in Los Angeles we are struggling in that area as well, due to the overall economic problems in the state. California's economy is very much based on the entrepreneurial growth of technology companies in the northern part of the state, but that has slowed dramatically over the last few years. With that, the state's tax revenue has slowed, and that has negatively impacted educational budgets. We see institutions of higher education, local, state and federal agencies all having furlough days as well. It will be difficult to find job openings in these areas in the foreseeable future.
Jill Randolph: Have jobs in the entertainment industry been outsourced to other countries?
Eileen Kohan: Productions have left California because of the tax incentives other cities and countries provide. Jobs have moved out of California and into Canada, New York and other cities across the country and the world.
Jill Randolph: You mentioned the budget problems in California's educational system. USC is a private university. Are you seeing budget cuts at your school like those at public institutions across the state of California?
Eileen Kohan: When one looks at state universities, there have been dramatic cuts. I know that people have taken furlough days in the state university system, and the California Board of Education recently announced that the school year will be shortened by a week in Los Angeles. Education is taking a serious hit right now, as every field is. For any service that is taken away from a school system, however, there will be an entrepreneur who creates an opportunity to provide that service outside of the school system, so it's not all bad.
Jill Randolph: Has there been a push for more online classes because of budget constraints in the educational sector?
Eileen Kohan: We have not gone in that direction at USC. As a matter of fact, we are more focused on in-classroom interaction and on trying to reduce class sizes. As a private institution, there is more pressure on us because people look at higher education as a commodity in many ways. Parents are looking for a return on their investment, and private universities especially have to show that we are worth the extra money that parents and students pay. We've been very fortunate at USC that we've weathered the financial downturn without much distress and things are turning around this year.
Jill Randolph: There are currently many people applying to jobs, including those for which they may be overqualified. What do you recommend to recent graduates in order to help them outshine their competition?
Eileen Kohan: When the economy started to decline last year, we had a number of students who decided to stay an extra semester because they thought the market might improve in six months. However, I am a firm believer that there is no time like the present. No one can predict the future, so I recommend that students leave college whenever they have enough credits to graduate and gain real-world skills.
There are always opportunities available that students should take advantage of. There will always be someone with more experience, but companies downsize costly employees in a downturn, and this is an advantage for recent graduates. Companies don't typically downsize entry-level people, and I think most employers seek out younger talent. I don't recommend that students highlight the fact that they are less expensive candidates on their resumes or cover letters, but they should highlight if they are technically savvy or if they have other skills that are specific to younger people.
Many students have been discouraged by reports in the media that people can't find jobs and that a lot of college students have moved home with their families. College students have moved home with their families for the last fifty years; that's not new. The key is for students and recent graduates to keep themselves engaged in the job search process.
Most career centers extend services beyond graduation, so I recommend that people looking for jobs connect with their school's career center, because that's a tremendous resource to any student or graduate. People have a much better chance at finding a job by linking with their school than to try to job search on their own. I strongly encourage students to use their career centers and to take advantage of the resources.
Jill Randolph: Conversely, what do you recommend to seasoned alumni candidates who have recent graduates competing for the same positions?
Eileen Kohan: We see approximately 100 alumni here in the career center annually, and I estimate that over half of them have been in the workplace 20 years or more. I think the best idea for alumni is to enroll in a course that helps update them on the latest technology. There's no excuse today; everyone is expected to know how to use current technology. It is never too late for anyone to pursue a new path, and that applies to students, graduates, or people who have been working for years.
Jill Randolph: Do you recommend any professional or social networking sites to your students in order to help them find opportunities or research companies?
Eileen Kohan: I don't recommend using social media for the job search process. They can be beneficial for more experienced employees, but students should become connected to their industry, not just general social networks. If a student is interested in the public relations industry, for example, he or she should join the Public Relations Society and look at their job listings.
I am not saying that social networking sites can't help people find jobs, but I don't think students should count on them being the way they will find a job. Having a profile does create a certain visibility for graduates, as long as they are creating a professional image, because we know employers review candidates' online presence. Students don't want employers having access to their spring break photos, however, because that may hurt their chances of finding employment.
My biggest issue with social networks like Facebook is that they allow for a level of discrimination that there are laws against in this country. Students today have a very different definition of privacy than people had in the past, which allows employers to be able to discriminate on the basis of gender, religion or ethnic background. For example, there are still people who discriminate against hiring a woman with a family. Students and graduates today simply don't realize all of the opportunities they may be missing out on because of the information employers can find about them on social networking sites.
Jill Randolph: Do you have any websites that you recommend to your students?
Eileen Kohan: Yes, I recommend our website, http://careers.usc.edu, and we post links to other useful career-related resources there as well. We have a subscription to Vault.com, and we also recently partnered with the USC library to create an online library guide.
Students should also focus on the websites and resources specifically related to their career choice. Through professional associations, they will be able to learn about trends in an industry, who its leaders are, and the professional issues, including if it's growing or consolidating. This is important information to consider when trying to find a job.
A lot of this information can be found while interning, and internships also help open doors to future opportunities, either through contacts within that company or because a different organization is seeking the same skills.
