An Externship/Job Shadowing Program
National Society for Experiential Education – October 2009
Lisa Garza, UT Dallas
 Snapshot
 Getting
of UT Dallas and Career Center
Started
• Research – don’t reinvent the wheel
• Timelines, sponsor/student recruitment, placement
process, orientation, spotlights
 Reflection
and Evaluation outcomes
 Challenges
 Updates
and Successes
for 2009-2010
 Discussion
and Q&A
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 4-year,
public university with 15,000 students
 Founded
 63%
in 1969 – celebrating 40 years!
undergraduate students
 Largest
undergraduate majors:
• Business Administration – 1256
• Biology - 827
• Interdisciplinary Studies – 630
• Accounting – 624
• Electrical Engineering – 584
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Reports
to Student Affairs
 Centralized/De-centralized
model
 15
professional, full-time staff members (not
including support and student staff)
 Internship Program
• Internship courses
• Internship postings and internship development
• Manage internship process for several academic departments
Internship Team (Associate Director, Internship Coordinators)
proposed, developed, and managed the program last year.
Added our Recruiting Coordinator this year to manage contact
with sponsors.
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Why
do we need this program?
 Spring
2008 – Research – what are other
schools already doing?
• Time of year – winter, spring, summer break
• Operated by Career Center, Alumni, Academic Dept.
• Process – recruit sponsors or students first?
 What
we decided and why
• Proposal turned in/approved by late summer
• Began sponsor recruitment in Oct. 2008
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
6
month process from beginning to end
 Competing
with Alternative Spring Break,
vacations, internships, jobs, and other activities
• Oct-Nov – Sponsor Recruitment
• Dec-Jan – Student Recruitment
• Feb – Selection/Matching/Placement/Notification
• Mar – Orientation/Externship/Reflection/Evaluation
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Oct/Nov 2008; applications due Nov. 28th
• Online applications
• Hard-copy applications at all employer events
 Used existing employer base – emails
• Current/former/potential internship sites
• Career Expo/event attendees
• On-campus interview participants
 Information
to:
through Alumni Relations
 Personal contacts
 Resulted in applications from 22 organizations
listing 38 externship openings
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Student
applications available Dec. 1, 2008
• Published list of available opportunities
• Wanted to reach students prior to winter break
 Applications
available online; hard-copies in office
and at all student programs
 Emails/online
 Resulted
recruiting system/website/fliers
in 39 student applications
• 5 were graduate students and not eligible
• 1 did not attend orientation
• 33 total student participants
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 No
expectations
 Students’
preferences were across the board in
terms of industry, but many sites not selected
• Ended up working with only 12/22 sites
 Numbers
were small enough = simple matching
process
 Went
back to some sponsors and asked them to
take another student or 2 (or 8!)
• Everyone was SO accommodating and willing to help
• Placed all students (except 1) with their first choice
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Mandatory – only 1 student did not attend
• Gave them 3 dates to choose from
• Lots of enthusiasm for the NEW program; giveaways
 Topics:
professionalism; expectations;
reminders/guidelines; post-externship activities
 Folder:
release form; planning form; 20
questions; thank you template; self-reflection;
evaluation form
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Recognition
for students/sponsors and
publicity for next year
 Asked
for student interest at orientation
 Completed
site visit and took photos
 Provided
guide questions to the students and
gave them time to respond via email
 Information
was put on our website and used
in various presentations
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 “Required”
evaluation forms for students and
sponsors
• Received from 26/33 students
• Received from 10/12 sponsors (covering 18 students)
 Suggested
self-reflection for students
 Focus group – optional
• 4 students participated – different majors and different
externship locations
• Able to really “dig down” and get great feedback
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Sponsors
• 100% of respondents said they would host again
• 100% said students’ level of professionalism/preparedness
for externship was excellent/good
 Students
• 100% - provided me with info about a career field
• 100% - helped to clarify my career goals
• 96% - allowed me to connect career options to my major
• 88% - provided me with new networking contacts
• 100% of focus group participants identified something they
learned about an industry/career and about themselves
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Timeframe
for sponsors – 4 months between
application and actual program dates
 Unknown
# of applicants
 Selection/Matching/Placement
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
process
 Student
feedback
• Learning has occurred
• 100% of participants (not graduating) said they would do it
again!
 Great
feedback from sponsors
 Information
about internship/job openings
 More
on-campus exposure for our department,
especially this year with new sophomore option
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Branding
– name and logo
 Sophomore
Year Experience (SOYE) option
with 2 components:
• Externship – guaranteed placement (Yikes!)
• Internship – preparation seminars and directed
assistance in locating/acquiring summer position
in 4th team member to assist with
sponsor communications
 Brought
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
 Questions
 Current
for me?
programs at other schools?
 Challenges?
 Successes?
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009
Lisa Garza, Associate Director
UT Dallas Career Center
Lisa.Garza@utdallas.edu
972-883-4349
UT Dallas Career Center - NSEE 2009