They let you apply what you¡¦re learning, find out about yourself, give you access to whole new networks and can even get you a job. David Williams finds out what¡¦s so great about internships from the student¡¦s point of view.

¡§Internships are essential,¡¨ says Leon Richards, Manager of Recruiter Relationships at Warwick Business School. ¡§Getting live-fire experience in a new environment, industry or role really prepares you for getting the right job afterwards.¡¨

We certainly promote every MBA student to take an internship,¡¨ says Jurek Sikorski, Associate Director Global Industry for the Careers Service at London Business School, ¡§not only for the experience, but to gain an insight into those companies they would like to work for. Students emerge enriched by the networks and the knowledge and can see the opportunities there may be for getting a permanent position.¡¨

According to Sikorski, a key recruitment trend is for companies to use the internship as a way to hire talent into permanent positions. Recruiters can have a close look at how people perform over weeks or months and so make a decision based on real-world evidence rather than by having to rely on interviews and assessment centres.

However, although the ideal might be to find an internship that segues smoothly into employment, this is not the be all and end all of internships.

No is as good as yes
In terms of self-development, finding out that you are not suited to an organisation, a role or even a whole sector should also be seen as a good result. For many people coming onto an MBA program a classic dilemma is whether to pursue a career in consultancy or investment banking. Having a negative internship experience in one of these options can help by removing it as a career choice.

Ed Enzor is Business Development Manager at Cass Business School. ¡§Internships can sometimes show students exactly how demanding a role can be,¡¨ he says. ¡§I set up a program with a global financial services company this summer in which students were working fifteen-hour days at the highest level. They certainly came back amazed at the hard work that was expected of them. It helped some of them realise that working in mergers and acquisitions was not for them.¡¨

¡§A number of students do come back and say that the experience made them see the opportunity didn¡¦t suit them,¡¨ agrees Sikorski. ¡§Finding out that a role or organisation doesn¡¦t meet with your objectives or your values is in itself a legitimate finding.¡¨

Imperfect is good too
An internship then is an opportunity to develop in various ways. So how do you go about getting one that works for you? Ironically, one of the key messages coming out of business school careers services is to avoid relying on business school careers services.

¡§Careers services used to be called placement services, and there is sometimes a legacy of expectation on the part of students that the careers service will produce a placement for them,¡¨ says Dominique D¡¦Arcy, career advisor at Manchester Business School. ¡§Our philosophy is that people change careers more often these days so we need to help them equip them with the skills they will need to create opportunities for themselves.

¡§Yes, there are companies that come on to campus, but that is like waiting for the right bus to come along: you are not being proactive. We encourage people to be more strategic. We want them to ask what experience will help them get into the role they want, whether we know people there, and, if we don¡¦t, what creative approach can be used to achieve an entry. Might someone there have done some research we can get in contact about or do we know someone in a parallel company?¡¨

¡§When you go into the market place, you have to diversify your resources,¡¨ says Jim Clayton. ¡§Some people will approach the market by only going through a career centre, but what they should really be doing is using every possible resource available: working with alumnae or with students on the second year of the program, using internet resources, or going back through our employer data base. You have to make contact with as many people as you possibly can, and, when you do, don¡¦t just send a resume out but follow up on the phone.¡¨

¡§In this economy, it¡¦s critically important for students to be prepared for their interviews and to let others know what types of positions they¡¦re looking for,¡¨ says Julie Barefoot, Associate Dean and Director of MBA Admissions at Goizueta Business School, Emory University. ¡§It sounds simple, but they really need to go back to the basics of the job search process and be consistent and thorough in looking for a job. Students should be creative and open-minded ¡V perhaps willing to take a position without pay for the right firm.¡¨