Intern competition

Competition for internships will be stiff this fall, as experienced/mature workers and college students vie for ways to get a foot in the door, according to a CareerBuilder survey.

Nearly one-quarter (23%) of employers report they are seeing experienced workers, those with more than 10 years experience, and mature workers, workers age 50 or older, apply for internships at their organizations.

The CareerBuilder survey was conducted among more than 2,500 employers between May 18 and June 3, 2010.

"The last 18 months have reshaped internships as more than an experience-builder for college students. Now, they’re also a way for experienced workers to explore new opportunities," Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder, said in a statement. "Internships can act as an extended, full-time job interview and potentially lead to more opportunities for college students and for more seasoned employees. In fact, 52 percent of companies we surveyed said they are likely to hire interns as full-time, permanent employees."

SURVEY FINDINGS
• Regardless of applicants’ ages, more than one-quarter (27%) of employers said they plan to hire interns during the remainder of 2010 to help support workloads.

• 14% said they anticipate hiring paid interns, while 7% said they won’t be paying their interns.

• An additional 5% said they will hire both paid and unpaid interns.

• 54% of employers said they plan to pay interns $10 or more per hour, while 5% said they will pay $25 or more per hour.

• When it comes to responsibilities, employers reported the following tasks that interns at their organizations typically handle: Hands-on experience related to their goals, 73%; Office support, 52%; Working with customers, 35%; Running errands, 23%; and Office maintenance, 19%.