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Jacob Baynham, Journalism
Open Media Society
Kabul, Afghanistan |
Jennifer Hepner, Communications
with Governor Brian Schweitzer
Office of the Governor
Helena, MT |
Tiffany Quale, Accounting
KPMG
Portland, OR |
Lindsey Davenport
American Consulate General
Munich, Germany
By Kevin Hood
Internship Coordinator
We all know how important it is in today’s world to give students opportunities to become more globally aware by exposing them to other cultures, languages and ideas. International internships are an important part of meeting that challenge.
After speaking with several deans on campus this past summer, Internship Services Director Dr. Terry Berkhouse and I saw clear interest in further developing opportunity is this area. So we got to work, and we now have two new exciting items to announce:
First, Internships Services is partnering with UM's International Programs Office to provide internships using UM's existing international partner institutions. We have heard back from several of our partner institutions which are willing to help find internships for UM students studying abroad. They include the following institutions:
Ajou University, Republic of Korea
Providence University, Taiwan
University of Turin, Italy
University of Joensuu, Finland
Universidad Mayor, Chile
University of Montevideo, Uruguay
Charles Sturt University, Australia
Griffith University, Australia
We hope to be receiving more positive responses from other partners.
Second, The University of Montana is preparing to apply for membership in the Global Internship
Program known as IE3. This consortium of colleges and universities in the Northwest, including universities in Washington, Oregon and Utah, have teamed up to provide international internships for students. There is not another global
internship model like IE3, and we feel extremely fortunate to have received tentative approval as a partner institution. Since the program began, 1,160 students have interned in 80 countries, gaining real life work experience in their major while receiving credit at their home institution. It is also one of the longest-running international internship programs in the United States.
The program has a reputation for quality and affordability. Through the IE3 program students will
have the opportunity to apply for a variety of internships in a variety of disciplines from around the world. Since we are in the beginning stages of joining IE3, we will save details for later, but, in the meantime if you would like more information on the IE3 Global Internship Program, feel free to check-out their website at: http://ie3global.oregonstate.edu/ie3/
Internship Services is here to serve students, faculty and staff. If you have students interested in an internship abroad, or if any of you have ideas for us about other international internship opportunities, please let us know. We will continue to work on this important area.
Dylan in Seattle
By Dylan Flaherty
Senior in Computer Science
My name is Dylan Flaherty and I am a senior majoring in Computer Science at The University of Montana. I've had internships every summer since I started at UM. During and after my freshman year I interned at a small internet service provider as a tech support rep. Following my sophomore year I interned through the Computer Science department as the lead of a small project developing a code analysis tool for NASA. Last summer I interned at the Boeing Engineering Center in Renton, Washington. All three of these internships were great experiences; I was able to make money and earn a lot of credits. More importantly, I gained skills and experience in real workplaces.
During my internship at Boeing I had the opportunity to talk with many Boeing employees who are doing work similar to what I would like to do after I graduate. Through doing so, I was able to determine which skills are most valuable to them in their job function. As a result, I've been able to tailor my class schedule for this year to ensure that I'm taking classes that will most help me to build that skill set.
My project at Boeing was to develop the front and back-ends of a large web-based database that my department used to track faulty parts removed from airplanes. This probably sounds pretty boring to non-computer science people, but the short version is that I was put in charge of this project. No one worked on this project except me and for the three months I was at Boeing, this was my baby. It was definitely stressful having this amount of responsibility placed directly on me. I had to interview about a dozen people throughout my department just to establish the requirements for the database, and then I had to design tables for the back-end and write a massive amount of code for the front-end. Despite the stress involved, it was exciting to have so much responsibility entrusted in me, and the opportunity to test the skills that I've developed at school for the last three years. It was encouraging to see that the classes I've taken have had real-world value.
My internship at Boeing was great for other reasons too, as I was able to live in Seattle for the summer. Consequently, I was able to spend my weekends exploring Seattle. From my apartment in the University district in north Seattle, I had a short, 25-minute commute to Renton where I worked. The fact that Boeing allowed me to choose my own hours gave me even more flexibility to have fun with the hours that I wasn't working (and to dodge peak traffic times). As an intern, I was a "fully privileged, badge-carrying employee of Boeing." That meant I got the full employee benefits package including vacation days, sick days, and time-and-a-half for overtime. Boeing interns that are from out-of-state are also given relocation money to move near a Boeing facility for the summer, as well as having their housing paid for (this is all in addition to the very generous salary that Boeing pays interns).
Each of the internships I've completed has been through the Internship Services department on
campus, which means that I've received credits that count towards my degree and towards electives
within my major. Internship Services helped me with each application, my resume, and by
coaching me on how to do a successful job interview. I know that this help counted for a lot in
landing these internship positions.
I highly recommend summer internships to everyone; I consider the internships I've had to be
one of the most valuable components of my college education. In particular, I recommend out-of-
state internships because of the opportunity to explore new places and meet new people; all
while making good money and gaining resume-boosting experience.
Boeing has facilities in several major cities in Washington, as well as in St. Louis, Missouri,
Wichita, Kansas, and many other locations, all of which hire interns each summer. Interns work
on projects for commercial airplanes, as well as defense projects like the F-22 fighter jet. Boeing
hires about 500 interns each year from many different majors including Business, Computer
Science, Engineering, and even Architecture. Boeing frequently offers full-time employment to
interns upon the completion of an internship. Boeing internship applications are available at http://www.boeing.com/employment/college/
By Cheryl Minnick
Internship Coordinator
From entry to executive level applicants, resume fraud is on the rise.
Nearly ninety percent of personnel directors surveyed by the Society for
Human Resource Management reported encountering resume untruths
ranging from past salaries, to educational achievement, to personal identification. However, there is only one truth about lying on a resume - it's wrong.
A resume is a persuasive marketing document intended to present credible, reliable facts about a person's
educational and employment background. Resume fraud is most commonly found in educational
obtainment, employment dates, salary manipulation, and in the job title and accomplishment sections.
Even executives at major corporations
have been caught in scandals
by lying on their resumes. For instance,
a Chief Executive Officer at RadioShack resigned after it was revealed that he misrepresented
the truth on his resume about earning a college degree. Estimates vary, but experts say that perhaps
half of all resumes contain false information ranging from white lies and embellishments, to outright
falsehoods.
Through background and reference checks, interviews and employment verifications, recruiters look
for incongruence or evidence suggesting a candidate may be presenting false data. The sticky situation
produced through lying on a resume surfaces when one must be consistent and support the lie on the
job application or risk exposure. Although resumes are not legal documents, job applications are legal
documents. If it surfaces later that you lied on your job application, your employer has the right to terminate
you, even if you've performed well, as misrepresentation during the hiring process can be a
basis for rescission of an employment contract.
So, when creating your resume or updating your curriculum vita, remember Grandpa's sage advice,
"Tell the truth - you won't have to remember what you said."
Questions or comments? E-mail us at kevin.hood@umontana.edu or call (406) 994-4613.
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