Internship Workflow

1. Check your eligibility
   The following minimum requirements must be satisfied at the beginning of the internship experience:
    
   • Students must be in good academic standing with no incomplete coursework when the internship begins. Students with incomplete coursework may register for internships, but should have it resolved before the internship starts.
   • Students must receive credit in the semester they are completing the internship. No credit can be awarded to internships completed in previous semesters.
      
2. Review your BearDen record with your advisor
   • To understand your credit needs, make an appointment with your academic advisor or the Lougheed Center for Applied Learning to learn how an internship will fit into your degree completion.
   • Please check with your academic advisor for additional eligibility requirements that may be related to your major, your graduation status, or other personal circumstances.
      
3. Internship proposals must be approved by the faculty mentor, the site supervisor, and the Dean or Associate Dean of the School. These parties may use their discretion in approving or denying internships.

• This faculty member takes responsibility for assigning and collecting academic coursework, maintaining contact with the student throughout the internship, and providing a grade upon completion of the experience.
• Please see our list of faculty sponsors. Some departments have a designated faculty sponsor.
• Based on your program/degree/academic needs, discuss grading with the sponsor. You can choose a letter grade or S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory).

Begin your internship search

• Consider one of SUNY Potsdam's Structured Programs.
• Search for an internship online:
  • GoingGlobal: View thousands of internship listings here, there, everywhere. Updated daily! (US and international options)
• Search for a virtual internship:
  • Handshake - Login to your SUNY Potsdam Account. In the Jobs button at the top, search Virtual Internships
  • Virtual Internships - SUNY Potsdam has a partnership with this company, who provide online internships with international companies.
  • Chegg Internships - Key Word Search: Virtual
  • WayUp
  • The Intern Group - At the top, click on Virtual/Remote
  • LinkedIn - On home page, search for a job, then type in Virtual, United States
  • Indeed
• Search for an internship in New York government:
  • New York State: Student Intern Program provides a centralized location to access all New York State government internships.
  • New York State Assembly: The Assembly offers up to 150 college students an opportunity to get involved in state government and gain firsthand knowledge of the legislative process.
  • New York State Education Department Student Internship Program
  • City of New York and NYC Public Service Corps Internships:
    • The City of New York offers paid and un-paid internship opportunities through placements in agencies across the city.
    • The New York City Public Service Corps (PSC) is the nation's first and largest off-campus internship program for college students. The program offers paid Federal Work-Study internships, as well as placements in which students may work for academic credit.
• Search for an internship using campus resources:
  • Ask faculty members about contacts they might have with established internship programs or organizations and companies interested in establishing a program. They may know of alumni who will set up an internship program.
  • Check out where students did internships last year (PDF).
• Search by professional field:
  • Business Technical Internships
  • Communications/Media Internships
  • Environmental, Camps & Parks Internships
  • Fine Arts Internships
  • Government & Law Internships
  • Health, Education & Human Services Internships
  • International Internships
  • Minority Internships
• Network!
  • Networking is simply using every personal contact you have. These contacts include former employers, relatives, neighbors, or friends who may know of, or be employed by organizations, which may have an established internship program or could be persuaded to start a program.
  • Request an Informational Interview. Informational interviews give you the opportunity to learn about other people’s jobs, their path of getting there, and if they have any advice for students looking to go into their field. The LoCAL has a list of questions to prompt these interviews. The interviews are informal, but professional - you're starting a networking relationship! Doing these interviews also puts you in the interviewee's mind for future internships.

For assistance in the internship search process, you can use job search resources independently, meet with a faculty advisor, or meet with staff from the LoCAL office.

Apply for internships

• This is like a job search: Have a resume and cover letter ready for internship applications.
  • You can use SkillsFirst to build your resume, or make your current resume look more polished.
  • https://skillsfirst.com/ also has hundreds of templates for cover letters for applications - use one to make sure your application rises to the top!
• Prepare for this task by reviewing the NACE Career Competencies, and think about what skills you want to learn as part of your internship.
• Follow the instructions exactly as given when you apply for an internship. If they request a cover letter, provide a cover letter. If they ask for an online application, fill it out. If they request 3 references, provide them. Do not provide additional materials that were not requested!
• It is best to apply to at least six organizations - internships (like jobs) can be competitive, and you want to be sure you have options to choose from.
• Be sure to tailor your resume and cover letter to each internship. Make an appointment with our peer advisors and career counselors if you need help with this.
• You will probably need to complete an interview.
  • Schedule a mock interview with a member of the LoCAL staff to smooth out your jitters and get advice on areas to improve.
• Accept an internship offer!
  • Congratulations! Now, confirm the internship details, identify your site supervisor, and inform your faculty sponsor.

• You must complete all the information on the Internship Proposal Form (PDF).
• You will need to work with your internship site supervisor on the schedule, duties, and competencies learned portions of the Internship Proposal.
• Your faculty sponsor will be a critical mentor in this experiential learning opportunity. Share all information regarding the internship with your faculty sponsor. Make sure to discuss the Internship Proposal and syllabus for the internship so you both know what the sponsor will expect for your learning objectives and all other requirements.

Submit your Internship Proposal for registration using Handshake

• All fields in Handshake experiences are represented in the Internship Proposal; you can copy from the proposal directly into the registration form.
• Students must submit their internship for registration via Handshake by the deadlines listed below.
• Internships not submitted for registration by the due date will not receive credit; students may still choose to complete the internship as valuable pre-career work experience.

Deadlines for Internship Registration

Late registrations are only accepted under extraordinary circumstances. Students who missed the deadline can appeal for a late registration using this form.

Submit the Internship Site Evaluation emailed to you from HandShake.
After your internship ends, we will send you an Internship Site Evaluation to fill out. This gives you the opportunity to express your feelings regarding your internship site, and tell us how your learning experience went. This will help the LoCAL and your department advise students in the future with internships.