Center for Calling & Career Development

An internship is a monitored work or service program designed to provide practical experience in an occupation or profession. An internship offers a student the chance to learn and discover different elements within any field of interest. An internship can be the deciding factor that best predicts if this area is something you would be interested in pursuing as a future career choice.

Not all but some interns have the opportunity to be hired full-time at the end of their term. An internship will also strengthen your working skills, build your resume, increase your marketability and expand your network to gain professional references.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, internships are employers’ number one method of recruiting new hires. Employers take many things into consideration when hiring for jobs: academic background, professionalism, experience (including work, internship and volunteer) and demeanor during an interview. Most employers are looking for candidates who can express why they want to work at their company and how they can help their company. An experienced intern has an advantage in this hiring situation.

Characteristics of an internship:

• Generally lasts three months and can be completed in the summer, fall or spring semester
• May be full-time or part-time
• May be paid or unpaid
• Interns should be provided with an on-site supervisor or mentor
• The internship has an intentional learning agenda in a structured environment
• May receive academic credit (request approval from student’s academic area)
• Promotes academic, career and personal development

Resources for Your Internship Search

•  Disney College Program 
•  Northwestern Mutual Financial Network 
•  Federal Government 
•  Internships.com 
•  Southern Hospitality Internship Program 

•  Top Intern Employers 
•  Semester in Ministry at Mountain Christian Church

Here are a few helpful resources for those of you still deciding:

• Pray about it
  • Talk with people who know you. Talk to people in the community doing jobs you find interesting.
• A complete list of academic programs at Milligan (including all the different emphases, tracks, and minors).
  • Each of these provides a link to Catalog information about the program.
  • Many programs also provide links to career information. Just click on the links that say, “What can I do with a career in … ?” to learn about potential careers and tips on how to succeed in each field.
• Milligan University Catalog
  •  As you consider a major or even what courses to take next semester, look it up in the Catalog — this is your source for descriptions of each program, list of required courses, course descriptions, academic policies, etc. You can learn a lot from the Catalog if you use it.
• Faculty
  • Our faculty members are an amazing resource for you. Go talk to those in the field you’re considering.
• Center for Calling and Career Development
  • Visit the Center in on the lower floor of the Student Center.   Explore the resources available through printed books, Internet tools/resources, assessment surveys, and more.
• O*Net Online
  • The O*Net system serves as the nation’s primary source of occupational information, providing comprehensive information on key attributes and characteristics of workers and occupations.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
  • Nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives.
• Putting your liberal arts degree to work

Career Assessments

Individualized career assessments can greatly aid participants by giving them personal information as they consider potential careers. Students may make an appointment to complete specialized career assessments, including the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Strong’s Interest Inventory (SSI).

The MBTI will inform students about the correspondence between their personality types and particular careers. It also informs students of popular professions for their personality types. The SSI informs students of career choices that match their interests, as well.

To complete either or both of these assessments, contact Beth Anderson by email or by phone at 423.461.8316 for an appointment.

Job & Salary Outlook for Various Occupations

Visit CareerOneStop to view profiles about various occupations, including wages, skills, and job market information.

Milligan University recognizes that more and more fields are calling for completion of a degree beyond the general undergraduate curriculum. To that end, we encourage our students to consider pursuing graduate degrees at the conclusion of their undergraduate course of study.

Graduate Programs at Milligan

Milligan offers many graduate level programs in a variety of fields. You can find a list and detailed information about these at www.milligan.edu/GPS.

Grad School Prep Class

Milligan encourages students who are considering graduate school (any program, at any institution) to take Strategies for Graduate School Acceptance, a 1-credit hour course offered in the fall semester. Learn more about:

• graduate school admissions process
• options for graduate school and types of degrees
• how to research qualifications, requirements, and timelines for admission
• how to determine the best program to fit your needs
• options to finance and pay for grad school
• testing strategies for standardized testing
• practice writing an essay typically required for grad school acceptance
• skills and behaviors for successful admission interviews

For more information, email Beth Anderson.

Graduate Examinations

Many graduate schools require completion of graduate entrance exams. We recommend that you review the exam website to determine what kind of preparation they recommend for the exam, then prepare!

Grad School Entrance Exam Prep – FREE!

GRAD EXAMS:

• Graduate Management Admission Test
• Graduate Record Examination
• Law School Admission Test
• Medical College Admission Test
• Miller Analogies Test -The MAT can be taken at Milligan
• Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT)
• Dental Admission Test (DAT)
• Optometry Admission Test (OAT)

Recommended Websites

GENERAL

• Peterson’s Education Center
  A guide to education and graduate schools
• Graduate School Guide
  Directory of graduate schools in the U.S. and Canada
• GradSchools.com
• GradSchoolTips.com
• The Princeton Review

LAW

• Law School Admissions Council
• Law School Comparison
• LSAT Test Questions

MEDICAL SCHOOL AND HEALTH RELATED FIELDS

• Medical School Comparison
• Master’s in Nursing Directory
  Directory of graduate schools offering Master’s degree programs in Nursing.
• Association of American Medical Colleges

CENTRALIZED APPLICATION SERVICES

• AMCAS (Medicine)
• PHARMCAS (Pharmacy)
• AADSAS (Dental)
• CASPA (Physician Assistant)
• AACOM (Osteopathic Medicine)
• OTCAS (Occupational Therapy)

College Grad

College Grad publishes an annual survey that lists the top companies who hire college graduates. Most college students do not already have five to 10 years in the workplace upon graduation, so this is a great place to start your job search.

Idealist

This site shows all types of non-profit opportunities including domestic and abroad. Resume posting, finding job fairs, and searching for jobs are just a few options it also offers to those interested.

One Wire Finance Precise Career Connections

One Wire specializes in matching employees to employers in the finance sector. By creating a profile or connecting your LinkedIn profile, the company will match you to potential employers based on your chosen emphasis and the strength of your application.

Liquid Compass

Designed specifically for healthcare jobseekers, this real-time database provides unparalleled national and local market intelligence tools, benchmarks, and reports.

Teach for America

By bringing college graduates into high-need areas to teach at-risk children, Teach for America has created a highly competitive program to beat the statistics. A minimum two-year commitment is required in order to be accepted, and applications are due in the Fall of each year.

GoinGlobal

This site is a great tool for students interested in looking for jobs and internships internationally. It also offers country specific career guides that local employment experts have made to help those looking for jobs away from home.

What Can I Do With This Major?

What Can I Do With This Major? helps students connect majors to their careers. Students can learn about employers that hire specific majors as well as how to make themselves more marketable candidates.

Tennessee Job Network

This website shows all current jobs in Tennessee. It uses a 50-mile radius, and jobs just over the state line will be shown as well.

Nexstar

Nexstar lists media jobs that are country-wide for individuals to peruse. News Producers, Photographers, and even Accounts analysts are just a few examples of the positions that this site has.

GradSchools.com

By showing graduate schools worldwide, this resource is a great way for students to find a place to further their education.

Internships.com

Chegg created this internship site as a simple and efficient way for students to find internships anywhere. It also offers resume, cover letter, and interview tips.

Buff Guide to Resume Development

The purpose of a resume is to get a job interview.  Your resume should provide employers with relevant information about your skills and abilities to gain an invitation to an interview.  Therefore, a resume should be brief and to the point with the focus on what the employer needs in a potential candidate.  A resume is usually scanned in 15 seconds or less.  Design your resume as a marketing tool which will catch the attention of the reader and help you reach your goal of securing a job interview.

There is no one way to create a resume.  However, there are best practices that will guide you in the development of a resume that best represents who you are as a potential candidate.

1. Use the Resume Worksheet resource to get started on your resume by gathering information about your past accomplishments »
2. Further develop the resume content by using concise language to describe your accomplishments 
3. Use the resume checklist to evaluate formatting »
4. Resume Examples coming soon »
5. How to write a Cover letter »
6. Tips for References »
7. Be sure to follow your interview with a thank you »