Internships and Careers 2017 Abstracts
A Guide to Landing Your First Job • Justin Barnes, University of Idaho; Rebecca Tallent, University of Idaho; Katie Blevins, University of Idaho; Yong Chae Rhee, Washington State University; Scott Barnicle, West Virginia University • This study identified seven themes that current employers desire in prospective candidates: time and efficiency, the ability to self promote, one’s behavior at their previous employers, participation in industry related and outside extracurricular activities, the desire to keep learning through reading and writing, creativity, and the ability to fit into an organization’s culture. Obviously before this research was conducted, there was an immense amount of information readily available for candidates entering the job market. Nonetheless, the stakes have never been higher for the current generation entering the workforce. With that known, research suggests that Miliennials are impatient and also struggle with taking the long view during their career search. They have been raised in an environment of instant gratification, where answers and solutions are regularly found via digital personal assistants, social media, Google, etc. Alsop (2014) claims that Millennials are struggling more than previous generations to delay not just the gratification of a good grade or a Facebook conversation, but also some of the more important aspects of their lives such as finding employment. Such feelings are creating recruiting and retention headaches for employers too, and can make impatient, job-hopping Millennials less appealing candidates to companies. With the knowledge gathered from the data in this study, perhaps professors, career service advisers, and Millenials will be better prepared when seeking employment.
“Making the Connection”: Aggregate Internship Data as Direct and Indirect Measure Informing Curricula and Assessment • Michael Bugeja, Iowa State University; Melissa Garrett, Iowa State University • This paper focuses on aggregate internship data from an accredited Midwestern mass communications school to illustrate how feedback loops inform curricula and assessment according to standards of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications. A sample survey instrument is shared with data directly related to ACEJMC values and competencies. Final recommendations are made to help accredited programs earn compliance in assessment by using direct and indirect measures from internships.
Learning to lead: Factors in leadership development for communication students in co-curricular organizations • Ben Hannam; Amanda Sturgill, Elon University; Kelly Furnas; Harold Vincent, Elon University • Although leadership seems like something developed over the course of a career, flattening organizational structures mean leadership skills matter from the start of one. This study investigated the role of communication co-curricular organizations in developing student leadership, finding that leadership develops in a curvilinear fashion with leadership higher at the beginning and end of the student’s education than it is in the middle. An investigation of participants in student media and in a student advertising/public relations agency shows that the methods of selection of students and the focus of the organizations may affect student leadership development.
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