Career Services and Penn Abroad have announced changes to on-campus recruiting for internships for the 2016 – 2017 academic year. In the past (and currently for this year) we have held internship recruiting for non-technical positions in February. (Computer Science and Engineering internship recruiting has occurred in the fall during the past few years, as it will this year.) Recently, additional employers have begun their internship hiring much earlier in the year and we have found that we are increasingly out of sync with companies who have opted to interview for internships in the fall.
In order to maximize the number of summer internship opportunities for Penn students, next academic year we will begin on-campus recruiting for both technical and non-technical internships on October 31st, 2016, with resume submissions occurring earlier in October. We expect that there will be a large number of on-campus interviews conducted during the first three weeks of November 2016; many offers will be made by the end of fall semester. Generally, employers will expect decisions from students by the end of the semester. Employers may choose to interview in the spring if they wish, but we anticipate that the bulk of current OCR employers will choose to interview in the fall.
Please note that most employers who come to campus to participate in recruiting tend to be larger employers in business and technical areas. Smaller employers, and those in areas such as government, communications, education or nonprofits, do not participate heavily in OCR so this change will not likely affect students seeking opportunities in those fields.
We wanted to let students know of these changes now as some of you are likely considering your study abroad plans for next year. We certainly encourage Penn students who are interested in studying abroad to do so as it is very often a life-changing experience. Studying abroad affords students with unique, culturally immersive experiences and new perspectives while also developing important intercultural communication and language skills – critical competencies and skills valued by future employers who are aware of the ever changing global workplace.
Penn offers both fall and spring study abroad options. Please consider which semester might be preferable for your individual circumstances. If you are interested in finance, technical, or consulting positions, it may be helpful to be on campus in the fall to participate in OCR. However, we will certainly work with and encourage employers to use phone and video interviewing as an alternate means to interview students who are not in the United States, whether in the fall or spring term. Many employers we have spoken to have indicated their willingness to do so.
Students who go abroad in the spring will also need to keep in mind that academic calendars differ around the world. In other countries, the “spring” term may end in June or even July, making it difficult to be back in time to participate in the internship training programs required by some employers. If you go abroad in the spring, you should be mindful of your program dates.
Please note that there are many different ways to find summer internships and the timeline for hiring for different industries can vary widely. Please feel free to make an appointment with a career advisor in Career Services to discuss your particular interests as you plan for next year.
If you are interested in studying abroad, start researching your study abroad options on the Penn Abroad website (http://global.upenn.edu/pennabroad/students/getting-started). Also, mark your calendars and plan on attending the Study Abroad Fair on Thursday, November 5 to learn more about the exciting international opportunities available to Penn students through the Penn Abroad office. On the same day Career Services will be holding an International Opportunities Fair, with many of the participating organization offering international internships for students.
