Host an Internship

Thank you for your interest in designing an internship experience in collaboration with App State. We look forward to the opportunities that working with your organization will provide for our students, and vice versa.

Having an intern can be very beneficial, giving you an opportunity to mentor a person new to your field and gain innovative ideas from a fresh perspective. The following information is designed to assist you in navigating the process of designing, posting, and hiring for your internship experience. You can also use this sample internship description as a guide when creating your internship.

Design your internship

To begin, define the structure of your internship by thinking through the following questions:

What will a student intern gain in skills and experience from time with you at your site?
Do you have time to supervise and evaluate your intern’s performance?
How will you demonstrate a strong commitment to your student’s goals and learning outcomes?
What kind of training will you provide the intern?
How many hours may the intern be on site each week?

As you determine responses to these questions, consider the following to further shape your internship:

Academic credit: Would you like the intern to be earning academic credit?
Pay/stipend: Will you pay your intern or offer a stipend?
Academic majors: What academic majors would be a good fit for your internship? View a full list of academic majors at App State.
Qualifications: What qualifications, skills, and previous experience does an intern need to have to learn best at your site?
Site supervisor: Who will serve as your site supervisor for your intern?
Application materials: What application materials do you want to collect?
Academic semesters: In what academic semester will your internship occur? Look at the latest Academic Calendar for dates.

Post your internship

With your internship designed, it is now ready to be posted so that students can begin applying. Be sure to include as much detailed information as possible when creating your posting in order to receive qualified candidates. Follow these instructions for posting your internship.

Select an intern

As you review candidates for your internship, first take a look through their application materials. Requiring a resume and cover letter work well in measuring students’ maturity and readiness for an internship. Include an application form if you need to glean certain pieces of information not typically covered in either a resume or cover letter. Writing samples and other examples of students’ work can serve as strong predictors as well.

After you have reviewed candidates’ application materials, consider conducting an interview as part of your selection process. Involve several members of your team to secure a clear perspective on the best match for your site. If distance is an obstacle for an in-person interview, use phone interviews or applications such as Skype, GoToMeeting, and Zoom as effective substitutes. Below are some examples of interview questions you can ask candidates:

Why have you applied for this particular internship?
How do you see an internship such as this one helping you achieve your career goals?
How has your academic coursework prepared you for an internship?
What other experiences have prepared you well for this internship?
Why did you choose to attend Appalachian State University?
What have been your most outstanding accomplishments in college?

Have questions?

Current internship hosts with questions regarding an existing internship or about designing a new one may direct them to the Internship Resource Counselor, Les Miller, via email at millerlc1@appstate.edu or via phone at 828-262-2832.

If you’re a prospective internship host, we invite you to connect with Appalachian State University through Handshake and begin posting your internship opportunities.