This week in the Chicago Tribune, Carolyn Bigda discusses the phenomena of the internship as a gateway to a full-time job.  Now while this is not necessarily new, the cache of the internship has definitely increased in recent years.  In fact, I was pretty shocked when I had lunch with a college senior last spring, who told me that the only jobs she was being offered post-graduation were in fact internships.  The reason?  The companies all had policies saying that only existing interns were eligible for the coveted entry-level positions.

To a degree, the Tribune confirms this.  "Many employers are looking to internship programs as a feeder to their hiring," Marcia Harris, director of career services at the University of North Carolina, told Bigda. "So if they find someone who's sharp, that slot no longer exists when graduates go to search for jobs."

As it appears that the internship is the new entry-level, you’d be wise to hop on the bandwagon while you’re still in school.  According to the Trib, employers canvass college campuses (say that three times fast) as early as the fall, and they’re now looking for interns as well as post-grad hires.  Hook up with them through your school’s career center, and ask your upperclass friends and professors about internship contacts at companies that may not have a presence on campus. 

Given the swing of things, if you’ve already graduated and want to break into a competitive industry, you may have a tough time bypassing the internship step.  Swallow your pride and try to at least find a paid one.  Target a list of the companies you’d love to work at, and learn about their internship programs on their Web sites. In the Tribune article, QuintCareers.com’s Randall Hansen recommends these hot spots for internship opportunities: www.collegecentral.com, www.internjobs.com, and www.internweb.com. Remember to take internship applications and interviews as seriously as you would any other job, however – for they will likely play a serious role in your professional future.