Although an internship can be paid or unpaid, The Eastin Center for Career Readiness encourages employers to compensate interns to adhere to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Compensation should consider the industry, location of internship and desired competencies. Hourly wages vary by industry and the nature of the work. The U.S. Department of Labor provides extensive guidance to help employers determine whether interns must be paid minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act
for the services that they provide.

Spears Business students can receive academic credit for their internship experiences. Ultimately, the decision to pursue academic credit is the responsibility of the student, and if academic credit is to be earned for the internship experience, the student must receive approval from their departmental internship coordinator before placement at an internship site. The student is also responsible for communicating with his or her employer about supervisor obligations related to earning academic credit, which may include a formal internship contract with defined learning objectives, a time log of hands-on internship hours, formal performance evaluations, communication with a faculty internship supervisor or other commitments.

Advanced planning is key in developing a high-quality internship program. These nine guidelines will help you get started:

 

1. Create a job description

2. Select a site supervisor

3. Develop specific projects & assignments

4. Coordinate logistics prior to the intern’s arrival

5. Outline basic intern training

6. Establish performance criteria and offer regular feedback

7. Interview and select an intern

8. Make the offer in a timely manner

9. Before interns return to school, conduct an “exit interview”

Find more tips on OSU Career Services about best internship practices.

Our goal is to assist you in building your employer brand among students and reaching the right candidates for your internship. Recruitment opportunities include free internship postings as well as on-campus activities including career fairs, information sessions, class and club visits.

• Visit careerservices.okstate.edu
  

• Click Employers

• Click Post Jobs or Internships

• Follow "New User" or "Returning User" steps

 

If you would like us to post the position for you, please provide the following information in an email to eastincenter@okstate.edu:

• Company or employer name

• Complete contact information

• Title

• Description of duties

• What majors you are seeking

• Type: Full-Time, Part-Time, Work-Study, Internship or Co-op

• Employment location

• Minimum GPA if applicable

• Citizenship or Visa requirements

A job description outlines the details of who performs a specific type of work, how that work is to be completed, and the frequency and the purpose of the work as it relates to the organization’s mission and goals. Job descriptions are used for a variety of reasons, such as a tool for recruiting, determining salary levels, conducting performance reviews, clarifying missions, establishing titles and pay grades, and creating reasonable accommodation controls. Job descriptions are useful for career planning, training exercises and legal requirements for compliance purposes. A job description gives an employee a clear and concise resource to be used as a guide for job performance. Likewise, a supervisor can use a job description as a measuring tool to ensure that the employee is meeting job expectations.

 

The Society for Human Resource Management recommends including the following topics:

• Job title—the name of the position

• Classification—exempt or nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

• Salary grade/level/family/range—compensation levels, groups into which jobs of the same or similar worth are placed and/or range of pay rates, including minimum and maximum pay bands

• Reports to—title of the position this job reports to

• Date—the date when the job description was written or last reviewed

• Summary/objective—summary and overall objectives of the job

• Essential functions—essential functions, including how an individual is to perform them and frequency at which the tasks are performed; the tasks must be part of the job function and truly necessary or required to perform the job

• Competency—knowledge, skills and abilities

• Work environment—the work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person’s working conditions while performing the job

• Physical demands—the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving

• Position type and expected hours of work—full time or part-time, typical work hours and shifts, days of the week, and whether overtime is expected

• Travel—the percentage of travel time expected for the position, where the travel occurs, such as local or in specific countries or states, and whether the travel is overnight

• Required education and experience—education and experience based on requirements that are job-related and consistent with business necessity

• Preferred education and experience—preferred education and experience based on requirements that are job-related and consistent with business necessity

• Additional eligibility qualifications—additional requirements such as certifications, industry-specific experience and the experience working with certain equipment

• Affirmative action plan/equal employer opportunity (AAP/EEO) statement—clause(s) that outlines federal contractor requirements and practices and/or equal employer opportunity statement

• Other duties— It is a good idea to add a statement that indicates that the job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

 

Create a job posting that stands out among the hundreds students will review. Think in terms of:

• Why your company or organization is an exciting learning environment and a desirable place to work

• Position descriptions and key responsibilities

• Desired technical and interpersonal skills

• Training you will provide

• Description of your company culture and work environment

• Description of notable benefits such as housing stipends or tuition reimbursement

 

If appropriate, you may also choose to include your organization’s philosophy concerning interns.

For example: The goal of our internship program is to develop future business resources for our organization while providing support to our team. We structure the intern assignments so that the candidates develop the ability to accept an increasing level of complexity and self-reliance. Although we make no guarantee of employment, it is our goal to have our interns fully capable of stepping into a full-time position within our organization by the end of the program.