Internship Guide

As you will see in your Blackboard Internship course, there are a number of documents which must be completed and submitted before you can start your internship.  Some of these contain the basic information about your internship site or are the agreements between you, the college, and the site. 

However, many of the documents will contain information about the internship site itself as well as what your expected job duties and responsibilities will be.  Much of the information you gather now you will also use later in describing your experience and the company/organization when writing your final Internship Report. 

Thorough completion of these documents will help you be better prepared to start your internship and have a satisfying and more useful learning experience while on site.

• Initial Resume: Your initial resume should be generated based on any educational and work-related experiences you may have had. As part of your Job Pursuit Seminar, you should have created a resume that you can use to market yourself for an internship. By taking the time to make a great resume, you are creating a marketing brochure that will sell your skills to a prospective employer. If you need additional help with your resume, contact the Career Center at the college or your internship coordinator. A good resume is critical to earning a great internship opportunity.  Be sure to keep your resume up-to-date as you move through your academic and career journey--it is much easier to add and edit as you go.
• Cover Letter: When applying for a job, a cover letter should be sent or posted with your resume. Your cover letter should be specific to the position you are applying for, relating your skills and experience to those noted in the job posting. Your cover letter is your first (and best) chance to make a good impression!  This cover should be specific to your internship position.
• Internship Site Contact Information: The site contact information form is an important document that states explicitly where you are going to be working. It provides contact information for the student and the internship coordinator.
• Student Internship Agreement: All students are required to complete this form that reminds you of how important it is to provide high-quality service to the internship site. Remember, if you do a great job at your internship, it may lead to a job in the future. This is very important: You are going to ask your internship supervisor to write you a letter of recommendation. This may be instrumental in getting you your dream job. As this document requires original signatures, the signed document should be scanned before submitted through Blackboard.
• Internship Site Contract: This form is the agreement between Central Penn College, the internship site, and the student. It must be filled out before the internship starts. All three parties (intern, site supervisor, and internship coordinator) should sign the document. As this document requires original signatures, the signed document should be scanned before submitted through Blackboard.
• Mission and Goals of Organization: Almost all organizations, small businesses to not-for-profits to multi-national corporations, have a mission statement. Take some time to research what the mission statement of your internship site actually is. Usually, this information is found on an organization’s website or in its documentation. Similar to the mission statement, most organizations generate a set of goals that try to support their mission. Do some research on the organization and clearly outline the goals of the internship site. You may need to work with your site supervisor on this requirement.
• Organizational Structure (Org. Chart): Where does your internship fit into the organization? Most companies use a hierarchical structure with the president at the top and the interns at the bottom. Who is your supervisor? Who is your supervisor’s supervisor? What is the hierarchy in the organization? Many organizations have such a document. If yours does not have an organization chart already created, then you may want to draw a diagram for a more effective understanding and presentation. Please be neat. You may need to work with your site supervisor on this requirement.
• Job Description with Responsibilities: When you applied for an internship at your internship site, there might or might not have been a job description. Take the time to record the job description, if it already exists. As part of your job description, you will probably be given a list of responsibilities. If not, generate a list of what you have been told your responsibilities will be. You may need to work with your site supervisor on this requirement