For Employers: All About Internships as Learning Experiences

Employers can self-manage and post their own job and internship/co-op positions at no cost. To post a job, you must first create an account in Handshake. Once you have done so, you will be able to advertise your positions, review resumes at any time, and easily contact applicants directly. There is no cost to employers to access and post jobs on Handshake! Follow these simple instructions:

New to Handshake

1. Click here to create an account: https://app.joinhandshake.com/employer_registrations/new

**Be sure to use your corporate email. We will not approve requests using a Gmail, Hotmail, @me, etc. email domain.

2. Join your existing company on Handshake, or create a new one. You will need to be connected to your company profile on Handshake prior to taking any actions with schools. Your company should pull up based on the domain of your email address, if it is already in Handshake. If it isn't, you should see the option to create a new company profile. You can learn more about the new company creation process here.

3. Request to connect with schools. You must request and receive approval from a school prior to posting jobs there. You can choose schools during your sign-up process, and can always select more at any time afterwards. Check out this article: How to Find and Request Access to a School to learn how to choose additional schools in Handshake after you've gotten set up.

Troubleshooting tips:

• Only request a select few schools initially. This will allow you to build positive relationships with schools while also growing your Trust Score. You can request additional schools as you become approved at your initial schools. More information can be found in the How Can I Increase My Trust Score?.
• It can take up to five business days for a school to approve your request. If you do not receive a response within that time frame, contact the Career Services department at the school. You can find the contact information for a school's Career Services by selecting Schools in the left hand menu, and then clicking on the name of the school you wish to reach.
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4. Take action! Once you've connected to one or more schools, you will be able to post jobs, request on-campus interview schedules, manage your applicants, and more. Here are some quick links to more detailed articles on these topics:

• How to Post a Job
• How to Post an Interview Schedule to a School
• Managing Interview Schedule Applicants

Already have a Handshake account?

1. Click here to Log-In to your account: https://app.joinhandshake.com/login
2. Connect to Manhattanville (check out this article Check out this article: How to Find and Request Access to a School)

Email must include:

• Job Title
• Job Responsibilities
• Qualifications Needed
• Work Schedule/Hours
• If the positions is an internship: is it Paid or Unpaid
• Job Location (# Street, City, State & Zip)

If applicable: Online Application Address
 

We will also need a contact person who should receive resume notifications. Please share this person's contact information, including:

• Name
• Title
• Email
• Phone Number

Please keep in mind that due to the high volume of positions we receive, it may take up to 3-5 business days for the position to be activated and available to students.


After your job has been reviewed by our staff, a representative will follow up with you if necessary. Please review our recruiting policies.

We appreciate employers who provide experiential educational opportunities for our students. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 914-323-5484 or at careers@mville.edu.

Each semester, Manhattanville College enforces an internship registration deadline. If your company has an extensive on-boarding process, please contact the Center for Career Development to discuss a recruiting timeline.

All internship postings should include the following elements:

• Internship Description/Summary
• Intern Responsibilities
• Qualifications/Required Skills
• Time commitment (Hours per week)
• If the Internship is unpaid, paid and/or for academic credit

In some circumstances, students require credit for an internship. They still must meet eligibility requirements to do so. Situations that apply include:

• International students on an F-1 Visa are required by Manhattanville College to register any internship for credit to comply with government regulations (verification of visa status and internship requirements can be made through OISS or CCD).
• Employer requirements: some companies, typically large corporations, require that their interns receive credit in order to comply with Department of Labor guidelines (and avoid lawsuits).
• Major/Program requirements: some Manhattanville majors/programs require a credit-bearing internship to fulfill requirements, or offer a credit-bearing internship as one possibility to fulfill a requirement such as capstone or field experience.

Outside these situations, students may opt to register for credit to fulfill a major or minor elective (if available in the department), complete liberal arts credits (only applicable in certain departments), or to complete elective credits toward their degree.

Through the Noncredit Transcript Notation program, the Center for Career Development (CCD) provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to complete professional development in conjunction with their internship experiences, resulting in a notation on their academic transcript that verifies the successful and professional completion of their internship. Through this program, students work with the CCD to develop professionalism in the workplace, receive internship-specific career counseling, network with other students completing internships, and learn to demonstrate their successful internship experience.

A Noncredit Transcript Notation allows students to have an internship documented on their official academic transcript without registering for academic credit or incurring tuition charges. This program does not result in academic credit and will not fulfill any degree or major requirements.

Program Requirements:

Students must satisfy all of the following program requirements:

• Student must submit a Noncredit Transcript Notation agreement form via Handshake in adherence with the CCD announced deadline (students must request noncredit notation for the semester in which they participate in the internship – retroactive submissions will not be accepted);
• Students must complete a minimum of 80 hours of internship work during the requested semester (this is a minimum requirement and does not dictate when a student may leave an internship);
• Students must complete a required mid-semester group check in with CCD (during the summer and winter sessions individual check-ins can be conducted in person or by phone);
• Students must complete a mid and end of semester evaluation. Employers are also asked to complete a performance evaluation based on the student’s work.
• Supervisors must agree to complete a final internship evaluation. Students must receive satisfactory marks indicating successful completion of internship on the final evaluation completed by the onsite supervisor in order to receive a transcript notation.

Vetting Process for Internships

The CCD uses three Standards for vetting an internship experience submitted for credit:

• Standard 1:        The internship meets Department of Labor guidelines outlined for unpaid internships (CCD applies these to all internships regardless of compensation).
• Standard 2:        The internship meets policy set by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.
• Standard 3:        The internship satisfies CCD guidelines for training, supervision, and industry learning.

Full text for these Standards are below. These standards are advertised to employers in various ways, along with Manhattanville’s FERPA statement to employers supervising credit-bearing internships, also provided in this guide.

The CCD uses three primary criteria to evaluate an internship:

1. The student is the primary beneficiary of the internship, and daily operations and productivity of the company / organization may even be delayed to help the student learn.
2. The learning experience is equivalent to that which could take place in the classroom.
3. The student is acquiring industry-applicable skills that will benefit them after the internship ends.

Department of Labor - Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act:

The Test for Unpaid Interns and Students provides general information to help determine whether interns and students working for “for-profit” employers are entitled to minimum wages and overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  The factors include:

1. The extent to which the intern and the employer clearly understand that there is no expectation of compensation. Any promise of compensation, express or implied, suggests that the intern is an employee—and vice versa.
2. The extent to which the internship provides training that would be similar to that which would be given in an educational environment, including the clinical and other hands-on training provided by educational institutions.
3. The extent to which the internship is tied to the intern’s formal education program by integrated coursework or the receipt of academic credit.
4. The extent to which the internship accommodates the intern’s academic commitments by corresponding to the academic calendar.
5.  The extent to which the internship’s duration is limited to the period in which the internship provides the intern with beneficial learning.
6. The extent to which the intern’s work complements, rather than displaces, the work of paid employees while providing significant educational benefits to the intern.
7. The extent to which the intern and the employer understand that the internship is conducted without entitlement to a paid job at the conclusion of the internship.

NACE Policy Statement:

To ensure that an experience—whether it is a traditional internship or one conducted remotely or virtually—is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship by the NACE definition, all the following criteria must be met:

1. The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
2. The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
3. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
4. There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
5. There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
6. There is routine feedback by the experienced supervisor.
7. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

CCD Standards:

In order to provide a robust learning experience and facilitate a strong relationship between intern and supervisor, the CCD requests that internship sites provide:

1. One primary supervisor to the intern, who is responsible for training, giving feedback, being available to answer questions, prioritizing tasks and responsibilities, and formally evaluating the intern for grading and/or professional coaching purposes.
2. A professional commercial office space (not a home office) or clearly defined virtual space for the intern to work in during internship hours, with no expectation that the intern will spend their own money outside typical travel expenses.
3. A formal training period (minimum one workday) and regular opportunities for in-person communication and feedback (once per week recommended).
4. Clearly defined working hours, with no expectation that the intern will complete work outside those hours.
5. Clearly defined responsibilities, tasks, and learning objectives that fall within the scope of the details outlined in this contract.
6. High-level exposure to one or more areas of the organization’s operations, wherever possible, and opportunities to contribute meaningful work that helps the student gain industry-applicable skills.

Manhattanville College FERPA Statement:

“By signing, the representative for this organization attests that student record privacy provided under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) for the student named in this agreement will be extended from Manhattanville College to include this business entity. Under FERPA, the named student’s personal data or educational record will NOT be released to third parties for any purpose without first obtaining the written permission of the student and Manhattanville College. This FERPA protection is in addition to any other federal, state or local policies that cover this workplace.”

Documents and Agreements (Credit & Non-Credit)

Employers will electronically sign an Internship Learning Contract stating hours and days the student will be expected to report to work, learning objectives the student will experience during their internship and the immediate supervisor on-site. Furthermore, the employer will be required to sign an Affiliation Agreement stating the nature of the relationship between Manhattanville College and the employer.

As part of the Internship Learning Contract, students sign a Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct outlining the CCD’s expectations of interns in the workplace. Among other things, Internship Supervisors agree to contact the CCD with any concerns about their Manhattanville intern’s performance throughout the semester.

Evaluations

The Internship Coordinator administers one mid-semester evaluation, and one final evaluation to students and Internship Supervisors (EMPLOYER). The mid-semester evaluation asks questions about the student’s experience and demonstrated skills, and the final evaluation serves to assess the intern’s progress. Supervisors are generally given one week to complete the evaluations, and are sent reminders in advance of the deadline.

Through these requirements, the CCD can evaluate student progress and conduct, as well as the value of the internship and adherence to the Learning Contract by the employer. Career Counselors and the Internship Coordinator work with students through any issues, and the Internship Coordinator acts as the point of contact to employers.

How do students hear about internships or job opportunities and events?

Students can find internships, jobs, fellowships, workshops, employer information sessions, on-campus interviews and career fairs in Handshake.

In addition, we send a weekly e-newsletters, Hot Jobs & Internships. These feature a sampling of new job and internship postings from Handshake as well as information about upcoming events.

Do internships have to be paid?

Interns can receive academic credit for paid or unpaid internships. In many cases, when an internship is unpaid the employer will require that the student receive academic credit or school support, in accordance with US Department of Labor guidelines. Employers may review Fact Sheet #71 to determine if their interns should be paid under the Fair Labor standard Act: https://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.pdf.

What is an Internship Supervisor’s Role?

The Internship Supervisor is responsible for training, giving feedback, being available to answer questions, prioritizing tasks and responsibilities, and formally evaluating the intern for grading and/or professional coaching purposes. While Internship Supervisors are asked to complete mid-semester and final evaluations, they are not responsible for providing an academic grade.

What is the Internship Coordinator’s role?

The internship Coordinator helps facilitate the approval and registration process for each student. Once the semester begins the Internship Coordinator helps with any employer-related concerns (including conflict mediation and collection of evaluations). Sometimes the Internship Coordinator conducts site visits.

How are internships graded?

Supervisors are not responsible for course grades.  Supervisor feedback through the mid and final evaluation may be taken into consideration.

What should I do if intern performance/attendance issues arise?

Supervisors should contact the Internship Coordinator with any issues regarding an intern’s performance. Once notified, the Internship Coordinator will meet with the student to address and rectify and workplace concerns. The earlier we are notified; the sooner we can work with an intern to adjust their performance.

What are other employer partnership opportunities?

Below are other ways we can partner together to further develop the relationship between Manhattanville College and your company/organization.

• Career Fairs: Showcase your company and share with students’ current employment and internship opportunities.
• On-Campus Recruiting: Select qualified applicants online and host on-campus interviews to fill positions.
• Information Sessions: Host a tabling or panel session on campus to meet our students and promote your organization.
• Networking Events: Host a roundtable discussion, lunchtime talk or speed-networking event, etc. We can customize the event based on your company’s needs.
• Site Visits: Provide students with a hands-on learning experience and the opportunity to gain insider knowledge about your company’s culture and the industry as a whole.
• Be a Mentor: Help inspire the next generation of the workforce as a mentor. Coach and empower your student mentee to improve their success in the workplace. Share your insights, knowledge and experiences about the industry you are passionate about.

To discuss partnership opportunities, please contact Cassie Robbins, Employer Relations Associate, cassie.robbins@mville.edu  or 914-323-1466.

Example Projects:

Social Media Content Calendar

Maintaining a presence on social media is crucial for departments of all sizes. Not only does social media allow you to share your message easily, it also allows you to interact directly with potential customers.  
 
The internship candidate you select will create a social media content calendar for your organization with two posts per day for the next month. The posts your Career Launcher makes will be a mix of thought leadership, informational, and promotional content. 
 

Data Clean-Up

Whether your marketing team just came back from an event, sales need updated mailing addresses, or your exec team isn't confident in the data for reporting purposes, we all could use an extra hand when it comes to data clean-up. Get help from students to review, update, and correct your database records while you move on to more pressing tasks. 
 
The internship candidate you select will review the data provided and make updates as directed. Whether you need data aggregated or filtered, contact records merged and de-duped, or data cleansed and appended, you'll receive a reviewed and corrected version of data from a highly motivated intern. 
 

Diversity Best Practices

Intern will assist in the development of a diversity best practices manual. Identify between 10 and 20 thoughtful articles that highlight the importance of diversity in organizations, best practices, and challenges when best practices are not implemented. Summarize key points across the articles in a single document. 

 Things to consider:

• Quantity of articles
• Key areas of focus
• Industry-specific considerations
• A specific requirement for the summary
   

Extracting Insights from Data

Provide the intern with a set of data that you would like to review and manipulate. After reviewing the data set, the intern will then provide a summary of actionable insights you have extracted, which we could use to guide our strategy.

Things to consider:

• Definition of the target industry
• Level of information to provide 

SWOT Analysis

Interns will prepare a SWOT analysis for three companies/institutions/organizations in a specific market/industry. This should include the use of public data on these companies and industry research.

Things to consider:

• Industry v. specific companies, institutions, or organization

Social Media Engagement Feedback

Interns will review postings on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites that tag or reference your department. Prepare a report summarizing this information, including key areas of positive and negative feedback. Please include examples that best convey key points of feedback. 

Things to consider:

• Which social media sites
• Particular areas of focus or concern
• Provision of a matrix of key items or words
• Timing of postings (i.e. were that changes associated with specific events) 

NISM Certified Projects

When you need social media support but aren't sure where to start, look to the experts from the National Institute for Social Media. These pre-defined projects help to accomplish strategic initiatives for using social at your department and can be completed by highly motivated college students and recent grads. 
 

Competitive Retargeting

Interns can assist in visiting the websites of five competitors (names to be provided by internship supervisor) and take specific actions, including visiting a set number of pages and requesting additional information (specifics to be provided by internship supervisor). Following this, conduct specific Google and Bing keyword searchers and visit specific industry sites and capture what advertising has been presented to you.

Things to consider:

• Targeted competitors
• Mix of retargeting sites (e.g. search, social media, industry sites, etc.)
• Level of information to be provided by the talent
• Deliverable (e.g. screenshots, document, etc.) 
   

User Experience Testing

Conduct comprehensive UX testing on our site and provide feedback and suggestions on how you would make improvements. Additionally, you may be asked to recruit a few other folks to provide feedback as well. 
 
Things to consider:

• Information to capture
• Specific use cases 

Vendor Research

Research at least 5-10 products based on specific criteria (to be provided by site supervisor). Once identified, create a grid comparing the specific offerings of each vendor and make recommendations on which vendor would be best to work with. 

Things to consider:

• Number of vendors
• Areas for comparison
• Basis of comparison (e.g. price, speed, etc.) 

Connecting to an API

Develop an API script that will interface and pull information from a site. We will provide you the site we want to interface with as well as the specific information we would like pulled. 
 
Things to consider:

• Information to be pulled
• A site to collect information from