The Vault Guide to Top Internships 2011 Edition is the essential tool for finding the right internship to help you launch your career. Within the pages of the guide, you will find the internships that represent top career opportunities. These are the opportunities with top employers that Vault's editors believe will give students the best chance to shine, develop sought-after professional skills, and burnish their résumés.
What is an internship?
An internship is a sort of trial run at a company—and one of the best ways to test out a potential career field or employer. Internships vary in length; they can last two weeks or a full year, though most of them are for a three-month period. Many internships take place over the summer, while others may occur over the fall or spring semester or a duration of your choosing. Similarly, the majority of internships are full time, though some are part time.
Here are the criteria we used to select which programs to include in the 2011 edition of the Vault Guide to Top Internships, and later, which programs we selected for the 2011 Top 10 Internships. Our editors recognize that there are many different kinds of internship programs, and each has its own unique benefits.
Pay and perks
Because so many internships are unpaid, compensation definitely makes a difference. That doesn’t just mean cash, though: positions that offer interns housing, transportation and access to exclusive events are a huge plus as well.
On the job
The more engaging hands-on work and mentorship opportunities a program offers, the better. So when picking the Top 10 candidates, we choose positions that will enable interns to take their experience out into the postgraduate world by giving them a taste of full-time experience as well as networking opportunities.
Looking forward
Internships are meant to prepare students and recent grads for the future, whether by allowing them to try out different industries or narrow their focus to one. Job placement—the offer rate to interns for full-time jobs—was a factor. Also important: what we call "resume radiance," a line on the resume that will impress future employers. A big name on your resume can propel you forward in any career field, from curating to investment banking, and the internships in our guide run the gamut.
So if you're thinking about applying for an internship this academic year, this is definitely the place to start narrowing down your search. Check out the guide, and get started today!
THE VAULT DIFFERENCE
Vault is the Web's most complete resource for career management and job search information.
Our staff of editors, writers and researchers has been providing unbiased, insider information, news and advice about companies, industries and specific jobs for more than 12 years. Vault gives millions of high-potential students and professionals the competitive edge -- to land a great job or make a critical career decision.
Our 360-degree approach -- Vault reports, employee insights, and employer perspectives - makes the Vault difference. We call this "Career Intelligence."
