Internships/jobs without strong GPA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The level of social and economic privilege in this thread is gross.

I don’t dispute that this is how the world works, but we need to at least pay interns to combat this rigged system.

Of course most if you won’t agree because by continuing to limit the applicant pool to rich and connected college students, we can perpetuate the status quo. We will also miss out on the talent of tend of thousands of kids.

This is called life. I rather hire a kid I know than someone off the street. High GPA is not a good indicator that person can do a job. I throw out a lot of Harvard/MIT resumes - good in theorizing and what ifs but can’t pull the trigger to make decisions and move a project forward. Analysis paralysis. So for interns, I go with friends of my children and family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"They are also filled by Feb."

+1

The most eye opening thing my DC learned during their freshman year of college at a second tier engineering school is that the placement office had their summer job fair in September and recommended applications go in no latter than November 1.

Some of the more prestigious think tank applications were due in mid. December.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with 6:50.

GPA doesn’t matter much in DC for most unpaid internship. Who you know does.

Of course, if you are dim you will land at an unpaid internship at a thinly disguised partisan think tank, not a more serious one, or the DNC/RNC

The good internships are paid and go to extraordinarily smart kids, sometimes with connections and occasionally not. They are also filled by Feb.

There are several which are free study/discussion programs, include dormitory housing, bookos, meals and a stipend but they are extremely competitive. The student needs to submit at least two letters of recommendation; transcript (usually a min. of 3.7 is asked); writing sample; essay of why they want to be a fellow in that particular program; followed by a Skype interview. To get those types of internships you have to have served your time doing grunt unpaid internships. They do build upon one another. And letters of recommendation from others outside the University are very important. Parent contacts have no relationship to those kind of internships.

[Anonymous]

"This is called life. I rather hire a kid I know than someone off the street. High GPA is not a good indicator that person can do a job. I throw out a lot of Harvard/MIT resumes - good in theorizing and what ifs but can’t pull the trigger to make decisions and move a project forward. Analysis paralysis. So for interns, I go with friends of my children and family."

Now that sounds like the type of leadership theory I want leading a section of my company.

No one cares how you put interns on your short list. Some part of your reasoning may be valid for the job you are hiring.

We all care that instead of talking to the short list and doing some type of comparison to pick the best, you pick the one whose parents offer to do the most for you.

Do you even meet/talk with the kids during their internships?

[Anonymous]

For 2019 sumner internships, most especially the paid ones are filled by November or December 2018. Best route now is through your connections, old HS and unpaid. Our private HS has an online board for alums to post jobs and HS graduates to post if they are looking for internships.

[Anonymous]

There are plenty of great companies that don't operate on this nepotistic approach. They have strict guidelines for internship hiring and really view it as an opportunity to introduce their company to potential talent. Schools also have MOUs with a range of companies for internship sites and the guidelines are laid out for hiring through those. This is contemporary practice in most tech companies--even for non-tech positions (e.g., business analytics, marketing etc.). The people's responses on this site seem very "old school" to me--I'm curious what fields they are as it seems alien to my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of great companies that don't operate on this nepotistic approach. They have strict guidelines for internship hiring and really view it as an opportunity to introduce their company to potential talent. Schools also have MOUs with a range of companies for internship sites and the guidelines are laid out for hiring through those. This is contemporary practice in most tech companies--even for non-tech positions (e.g., business analytics, marketing etc.). The people's responses on this site seem very "old school" to me--I'm curious what fields they are as it seems alien to my experience.

My sophomore DC with a 4.0 at an ivy sent out resumes to over 100 schools through the school - only 3 callbacks for an interview. The ones that got callbacks and made it through were females and URMs. No one wants a white boy. In the end, he secured a paid internship for this summer through a friend. This is not old school - this is the current reality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of great companies that don't operate on this nepotistic approach. They have strict guidelines for internship hiring and really view it as an opportunity to introduce their company to potential talent. Schools also have MOUs with a range of companies for internship sites and the guidelines are laid out for hiring through those. This is contemporary practice in most tech companies--even for non-tech positions (e.g., business analytics, marketing etc.). The people's responses on this site seem very "old school" to me--I'm curious what fields they are as it seems alien to my experience.

My sophomore DC with a 4.0 at an ivy sent out resumes to over 100 schools through the school - only 3 callbacks for an interview. The ones that got callbacks and made it through were females and URMs. No one wants a white boy. In the end, he secured a paid internship for this summer through a friend. This is not old school - this is the current reality.

Sorry - not schools but companies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why you use your own networks to arrange unpaid internships.

. How do you get the paid ones?

Sometimes, the "old fashioned" way is the only way. It is so much easier now for students to make contact with potential employers. They can follow them on social media, connect with them on Linkedin. The old "it's not what you know, but who you know" is still true. That doesn't mean the student has to "know" the person...they should reach out to alums from their schools, ask teachers for ideas, ask neighbors for ideas, etc.

My kid found a list of alums from her school and sent an email that was personalized to each one. Found 20 paid internships. Yes, she was at a top school and yes, she had top grades, but the school's career office was terrible, so she found her gig the "old fashioned" way through these personalized letters asking for advice.

[Anonymous]

My kids are not at internship age yet, but I happily hire the college age kids of friends and colleagues. I expect when my kids are that age, it will be reciprocated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of great companies that don't operate on this nepotistic approach. They have strict guidelines for internship hiring and really view it as an opportunity to introduce their company to potential talent. Schools also have MOUs with a range of companies for internship sites and the guidelines are laid out for hiring through those. This is contemporary practice in most tech companies--even for non-tech positions (e.g., business analytics, marketing etc.). The people's responses on this site seem very "old school" to me--I'm curious what fields they are as it seems alien to my experience.

I work for a "tech" company and just about every interns in this company are kids from "tech" parents currently working at the company or know someone currently working at the company. I am not saying it is right but that's the reality. Do they bring in candidates that are screened by HR for interview? Yes but it is mainly for "show". At the end, all the interns that are hired are related to the people currently working for the company. I've been working in tech spaces for almost 30 years and it's always been like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of great companies that don't operate on this nepotistic approach. They have strict guidelines for internship hiring and really view it as an opportunity to introduce their company to potential talent. Schools also have MOUs with a range of companies for internship sites and the guidelines are laid out for hiring through those. This is contemporary practice in most tech companies--even for non-tech positions (e.g., business analytics, marketing etc.). The people's responses on this site seem very "old school" to me--I'm curious what fields they are as it seems alien to my experience.

I work for a "tech" company and just about every interns in this company are kids from "tech" parents currently working at the company or know someone currently working at the company. I am not saying it is right but that's the reality. Do they bring in candidates that are screened by HR for interview? Yes but it is mainly for "show". At the end, all the interns that are hired are related to the people currently working for the company. I've been working in tech spaces for almost 30 years and it's always been like this.

+1 I work in finance and the interns are mostly kids of employees

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of great companies that don't operate on this nepotistic approach. They have strict guidelines for internship hiring and really view it as an opportunity to introduce their company to potential talent. Schools also have MOUs with a range of companies for internship sites and the guidelines are laid out for hiring through those. This is contemporary practice in most tech companies--even for non-tech positions (e.g., business analytics, marketing etc.). The people's responses on this site seem very "old school" to me--I'm curious what fields they are as it seems alien to my experience.

My sophomore DC with a 4.0 at an ivy sent out resumes to over 100 schools through the school - only 3 callbacks for an interview. The ones that got callbacks and made it through were females and URMs. No one wants a white boy. In the end, he secured a paid internship for this summer through a friend. This is not old school - this is the current reality.

Ouch! So sorry. May I ask what field he was looking for an internship in?

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised at all the intern summers while in college responses. I want my kids to enjoy the last bits of free time before they start working full time. I remember realizing how much it sucks to have to work 9-5 (more like 8-6) and realize that this is how it is until retirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are plenty of great companies that don't operate on this nepotistic approach. They have strict guidelines for internship hiring and really view it as an opportunity to introduce their company to potential talent. Schools also have MOUs with a range of companies for internship sites and the guidelines are laid out for hiring through those. This is contemporary practice in most tech companies--even for non-tech positions (e.g., business analytics, marketing etc.). The people's responses on this site seem very "old school" to me--I'm curious what fields they are as it seems alien to my experience.

My sophomore DC with a 4.0 at an ivy sent out resumes to over 100 schools through the school - only 3 callbacks for an interview. The ones that got callbacks and made it through were females and URMs. No one wants a white boy. In the end, he secured a paid internship for this summer through a friend. This is not old school - this is the current reality.

Ouch! So sorry. May I ask what field he was looking for an internship in?

Finance. Double major economics and statistics