Freshmen interested in completing internships can now participate in the new Career Center’s Falcon Internship Guarantee program to prepare for finding internships.

The Falcon Internship Guarantee is a four-year program, so only freshmen can sign up. They can do so until the end of the fall semester.

It’s good for students to start thinking about internships early, said Jessica Turos, associate director of the Career Center.

The program “[gets] students to be intentional about their internship search,” Turos said.

More opportunities to meet employers are available to students who start earlier, said Jeffery Jackson, Career Center director.

Over the course of the program, students complete a variety of tasks designed to help them prepare for and successfully gain an internship.

They complete informational interviews with people in the field(s) they are interested in to find out more and get a better idea of whether that field is right for them. Students go to resume workshops and consultations, familiarize themselves with WorkNet and complete mock interviews in person or via Skype.

“What’s neat with that is we’re also incorporating the technology that’s often used,” Turos said.

Students also attend career fairs. Preparations for that include more resume workshops and mock interviews.

There are workshops that help students know how to succeed at their internships. University students who have already completed internships share their experiences with students who are going to complete internships. The future interns go over internship case studies and set goals for their upcoming internships.

After a student completes their internship, they follow up with the Career Center to process the experience.

“If [an internship is] already required for your program, there’s no reason you shouldn’t sign up for this,” Turos said.

As a student in the College of Technology, junior Wes Mathias is required to have three internships.

“Any way they can help us find internships… is nothing but a plus,” Mathias said.

Though only freshmen can sign up for the whole program, other students can attend individual workshops. Many elements of the program have existed for a while, but now they’re packaged together, Turos said.

Additionally, the program has coordinators who can help students find internships. Sometimes students don’t know where to look for internships, or they don’t think to reach out to companies that don’t have internships posted.

Some students have found success reaching out to companies and explaining what skills they can offer, Turos said.

In addition to helping students land internships, another goal of the program is to help students find a field they will enjoy.

“We don’t want you to work. We want you to enjoy what you do,” Jackson said.