Internships Power Your Career

Internships have always been a gateway for students to power their careers and professional networks, and they are earning even more attention from UNO and the University of Nebraska system because of tight labor markets.

by John Melingagio, APR

“Internships are and always have been part of the fabric of our student experience,” said Sammi Kaiser, assistant vice chancellor for Student Success. “But I think they are flying under the radar, though not intentionally.”

Not anymore. UNO is lighting up the screen this fall with a new program — Career Connect — aimed to take a unique leadership position for students to connect with employers, Kaiser added.

Career Connect and the new focus on internships at UNO already was underway when Chancellor Joanne Li and University of Nebraska President Ted Carter declared 2022 “The Year of the Internship.” The logic for the declaration is simple – internships lead to job offers, and Nebraska is losing college-educated students to other states. So, why not focus on local businesses and connect them to talent?

“When Ted Carter recently said 2022 is the year of the internship, I couldn’t have cheered more loudly,” said Levi Thiele, UNO’s director of Career Resources and Career Connect. “The same for Chancellor Li, who continuously promotes workforce development and internships as a key part of the university experience for all our students.”

As Dr. Li pointed out in a May Omaha World-Herald opinion piece, connecting students to paid internships is vitally crucial to UNO’s mission for two reasons. “When we restrict who can gain meaningful work experience and build connections while in college based on their economic background, two things happen: low-income students who are unable to take on an unpaid internship are at a disadvantage in the state’s job market, forcing them to look out of state for a career … or remain underemployed in Nebraska; and because employers place emphasis on internships during their recruitment process, the talent pool for them to pick from in our state shrinks, and those employers end up looking out of state for talent. Both outcomes contribute directly to ‘brain drain.’”

Last spring, UNO began recruiting Career Connect business partners. Companies took a pledge to provide at least one paid internship to a UNO student.

Career Connect employers will host a series of campus hiring events and career fairs. Thiele said the program kicks off for students with events and a curated job portal at the start of the fall semester.

For UNO graduates and students who participated in internships, a more intentional focus on paid internships is welcome news.

For Mars Nevada, paid internships were vital as a Goodrich Scholar. “Let’s be clear, I was privileged to have all these opportunities where my internships were paid,” Nevada said. “Minimum wage for the most part but paid.” The 2020 UNO graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Communication participated in about a half-dozen internships.

Doing so many internships was kind of a mistake, they said. “Journalism and Media Communication does require one internship by the time you graduate. But I misread it and thought it was one per year. By the time I realized the mistake, I was just like, you know what, let’s just keep this rolling! I think it’s important to use internships to build your resume, but also to figure out what you like and what you don’t like.”

“To be honest, if you want to compete, you have to have way more experience,” Nevada said as part of being from an economically-challenged background and a trans nonbinary, queer person of color. Now, Nevada is an art director for Arnold Worldwide in New York.

Nevada left Omaha, but they appreciate all the experiences Omaha internships and mentors provided. Because of that, Nevada chooses to be a mentor and a resource to students.

Michael Feldmann also appreciates the mentors and assistance he received in his internships. A May graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Feldmann hopes his final internship will lead him to his dream career as a software engineer.

Feldmann had experiences in multiple internships, including large and small companies and freelance app development work. “The ultimate goal was just to find something that really fit my needs. To end up somewhere I was happy, and I like the people I work with and felt like I was working on something important.”

For him, that meant taking one more internship, even though he has graduated. Feldmann is a contract software engineer intern at LinkedIn. “When I graduated, I thought LinkedIn would be a really good opportunity to gain experience and have a little bit of time to learn without so much pressure and an opportunity to transition into a full-time role.”

Feldmann said his internship experiences gave him advantages in the job market regardless of the job outcome. “I’m able to look at problems a little bit differently. Sometimes there are different initiatives that rather than just taking what you’re given, I can take a step back first and say, why are we building this, and what’s the problem it’s going to solve? Seeking and understanding the ‘big picture.’”

For Quentin Graves, the big internship picture is a first after switching majors and earning a highly sought-after Public Relations internship at Bailey Lauerman. The senior, majoring in Media Communications with a concentration in Advertising/Public Relations and a minor in Black Studies, switched from a major in Elementary Education.

“Teaching in a virtual classroom after COVID-19, I realized that this isn’t for me,” Graves said. “But I still wanted to do something around communicating and reaching audiences.”

Graves said he loves his first internship. “I’m writing pitches to local and national news media, blog posts and thought leadership articles. I couldn’t have gotten this kind of experience with college alone. It is so different being in the actual industry.”

While he is unsure of his career future, Graves said the experience will always be a benefit. Attitude is part of it, and he advises others seeking internships: “Try your best and let your colors shine. The most important thing in the creative world is to show why you’re different from competitors.”

Internships help build networks and a lifetime career, said David Brisson, a 2002 graduate of the College of Business Administration with a degree in banking and finance; and a 2008 MBA. Brisson’s network stretched more than 1,450 miles from Quebec City to Omaha.

Brisson joined the UNO hockey program in 1999, and an Omaha guy, Greg Lavitt, whose father, Sam, played for the original Omaha Knights, was the mentor. The internship was with Wells Fargo, where Brisson began his career 17 years ago and is the director of fixed income sales.

Early on as a hockey player, the right winger said he knew the value of networking. “The Blue Line Club would have luncheons, and I did like any freshman and go in and talk a couple of minutes and then head back to the rink,” Brisson said. “It’s a little uncomfortable, but then over time, I realized there were a lot of businesspeople there that would be good to know.”

Brisson tries to continue that mentoring and networking for present UNO hockey players. He has created a program called “Wingman” to help them navigate careers and networking in Omaha. “It’s important,” he said. “One out of five players stay in Omaha.”

Creating and making students aware of internship opportunities is essential, Brisson said, but the student has the most significant role. “You still have to share your story to benefit from those internships. You still have to do your part.”

Career Connect

Imagine a “signing day” similar to high school student-athletes committing to playing a sport for a university. Now imagine UNO students signing on for internships with some of the most prestigious companies in the Omaha area.

A signing day like this is a reality as part of Career Connect, a new initiative to connect area businesses to UNO student talent through internships. It is one of many high-profile activities placing a more intentional focus on the importance of internships at UNO, said Levi Thiele, UNO Director of Career Services and Career Connect.

In the spring, UNO began recruiting Career Connect business partners, and in May, 50 companies pledged at least one paid internship to a UNO student. The number of businesses taking that pledge now counts more than 65 and continues to grow.

As companies continue to sign up, a list of internships will be in Handshake, UNO’s job platform for students. Thiele’s team vets every employer who wants to join UNO’s Handshake job board, confirming to students these are good employers and good opportunities, Thiele said. Employers who pledge internships can post their job opportunities for free and promote them to students. There also is an additional function so that employers can post interview slots.

She added that the next steps will be student engagement opportunities like the signing event to broaden student access to paid internships.

To find out more, visit careerconnect.unomaha.edu.