Designing a Position

An internship is really a partnership between the employer, the student, and the university. While there are many aspects to establishing a successful work-learning experience, the work assignment is a key element in the planning process. Here are some highlights of creating a successful internship job description:

Review current job descriptions of employees and determine what types of work can be expanded or augmented. Develop a student assignment from that information and provide a thorough job description. Gauge the scope of the project and the time it will take to complete. A semester is fifteen [15] weeks in duration. To complete an internship, undergraduate Students are required to work a minimum of 10 hours per week for a semester and graduate students are required to complete a minimum of 15 hours per week for a semester. Involve the manager who will be responsible for supervising the student in the development process. Be sure that the majority of the student's tasks are career-related and will build on his/her academic knowledge. To earn academic credit, a student may not be engaged in clerical or administrative work such as filing, telemarketing, door-to-door sales, answering a switchboard phone, etc for more than 10-20% of their time. Develop positions that will challenge students. Don't underestimate their abilities. Remember that students learn quickly and want to contribute meaningful work to your organization. Be prepared to discuss "learning objectives" with your student workers. Many students will need to develop clear objectives for the learning they want to achieve while working in and experiential learning position. Develop a well-defined and specific job or project description outlining student expectations and time schedules. Closely align the nature of work assignment with students' concentration within the business major and functional areas considered to be relevant to the participating departments. NEW: Post your position on our online Business Job Board

Employer Guidelines Strategies for a Successful Internship Internship Position Description Site Agreement Student Eligibility The Successful Supervisor The Student Perspective Academic Calendar Employer Survey   Questions? Email us at cbastudentaffairs@csus.edu or call us at 916-278-5875.