Experience Required: Lehman Helps Students Get a Foot in the Door

Image from Lehman College Website

By Rachael Guzman

Genier Medina, a high school senior interested in attending Lehman College, said he finds the prospect of entering the job market intimidating. “I am afraid of entering this new chapter of my life with no experience in my future interest in work. What if it ends up not being what I really want to do? I have no way of testing the waters without the opportunity for experience.”

In response to the fears and challenges students face in securing meaningful professional experience during their time in college, Lehman College’s Career Exploration and Development Center is taking active steps to help bridge the gap. On Nov. 24 at 2 p.m., the center hosted a “How to Land Your Internship” virtual workshop designed to provide students with practical strategies to navigate the competitive internship market.

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 66.9% of
2024 graduating seniors participated in an internship during their college
careers and had undergraduate starting salaries of about $70,000, highlighting the utility of internships.

Luisiana Baez-Canela, senior internship specialist at Lehman College’s Career Exploration and Development Center, explained during the workshop that “when you’re applying for internships, remember you must follow the company’s recruitment schedule, not your own. So, you want to start applying at least one semester prior to when you want to do the internship — not one semester before you graduate.” To make the process easier, she broke securing an internship down into four steps.

“The first step of the process includes asking yourself questions like: What is it that you’re looking for? What do you want to get out of your internship?” After identifying “specific skills and competencies that are important for the career field you want to go into,” she recommended
making a list of organizations offering internships. “The internships at large
companies are going to be more competitive because more people are applying for those roles, so it’s important to be realistic about your expectations.” Lastly, she said a career specialist can help tailor a resume before it is submitted.

Fanta Fofana, a junior at Lehman College, said this structured approach helped her reframe a process that had left her feeling lost and alone. “I have found it very challenging to secure internships and a job. Going
through the interview process, I feel that I did well, but once I get an email
back that I wasn’t qualified for the position, it hurts differently. Most of the time you think about what you possibly did wrong during the interview process that you weren’t able to secure a spot,” she said.

“Lehman College helps provide enough support in helping students find real world experience. Students just need to be willing to ask professors about other opportunities that can help them out in the real world. Another example of events they have are career fairs, where they encourage students to come and connect with employers for job and internship opportunities.”

Medina concurred. “It brings me comfort knowing that I am going to a school that cares about helping me succeed after I leave their campus. Workshops like that tell me that Lehman does care and add another reason why I want to attend.”

“Students just need to be willing to ask professors about any other opportunities that can help them out in the real world” - Fanta Fofana, Lehman College junior.