Unpaid Internships, are they worth it?

Depending on where you are in your career, or life, chances are you or someone you know has had to evaluate the worthiness of an unpaid internship.

The theory is this: the company offers you a chance to gain some great experience for your resume, and there really isn't a financial commitment from them... win-win?

I remember back in college, when I had no HR experience, and the majority of my experience was in a kitchen or customer service kind of role - we were all there at some point.

In my program we had the option of taking 3 different co-op positions, paid, during the course of our program and a chance to learn some great skills.

Long story short, this was still a difficult process but I did manage to get an internship... but unpaid.

But I was young and figured, so what?

The company was offering me a chance to get into some policy development, revising job descriptions, and a variety of other experiences  - so I took it.

A few other colleagues managed to get co-op positions at different companies.  Most however found that they did alot of filing... they got paid... but were primarily exposed to filing.

I didn't get paid, but I loved my co-op position.

I don't want to sound like a Guidance Counselor, so I apologize in advance.

But whether an internship/co-op placement is paid or not isn't the point - it comes down to the ROI.

The way I justified it was, I wasn't getting paid to be in school - so what was the difference?

Long-term, the experiences gained during this initial placement really helped pave the way in next opportunities - it established momentum in my HR career.

In short, the worth of an internship doesn't always come down to the paycheque but rather the skills you can gain to sell yourself for the rest of your career - think long term!

Tradeshows & Job Fairs

Hello all,

So spring is on the way... well officially it's here, but weather-wise we have have a ways to go.

Every spring, the minds of young men and women everywhere turns to... um... EMPLOYMENT!

I was a new-grad a few years back, right in the peak of the recession actually, and found it tough.  I'm sure at this point in time it isn't much easier.

That being said, I do recall the Trade Show Displays that would grace my campus every year around this time promoting different companies and possible internships.



For the most part, I found them to be a a frantic tossing of resumes amongst the vinyl banners and would leave with some swag and a ton of pamphlets... but is this helpful? Is it effective?

With this approach I always felt like a number, yet never felt there would be an ROI.

I have blogged about interview tips and how to answer some of the tougher interview questions  that may come up - but this blog is going to be more about approach, or at least my take on it.

1. Start early

If you are in first year, great - you should speak to your career counselor about a co-op or internship program at your school... Experience trumps grades in most cases.

2. Network 

Or as we used to say - make friends.  Meet people from a variety of programs - take advantage of social or extra-curricular things in school.

3. Have an opinion

...and then share it!  Through things like blogs, or LinkedIn, or even Facebook and Twitter - share!  Your name should be able to be found on Google and the results should be positive... Alot of recruiters admit to 'Googling' applicants, so let them see how well-informed and professional you are.

4. Help people

It's the golden rule... what goes around comes around.  However you want to say it, just help other people - it is a good thing to do and may go along way to supporting point #2 above.

5. Be open

When I first graduated, I was very narrow-minded.  I only wanted to work in HR and nothing else; looking at other options and realizing the advantage of being young will open you to other experiences... at the very least you'll have a well-rounded resume


That's my 2 cents... what about my other HR colleagues?

Any advice for our new or soon-to-be grads?