STATE OF COLLEGE HIRING 2015 ©Looksharp

STATE OF COLLEGE HIRING
2015
Published by:
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
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Copyright© 2015
Looksharp
All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in any information or retrieval system or
transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise — without the express written permission of Looksharp.
For questions or comments, please contact:
Nathan Parcells | CMO | Looksharp at [email protected]
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
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©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
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About Looksharp:
Looksharp helps launch the career of every student. Looksharp owns and operates InternMatch.com (our
internship specific platform) making Looksharp the largest internship and entry-level job marketplace in the
United States with over 10 million students using the site annually. Customers include Facebook, Amazon,
Charles Schwab, Disney, Boeing and thousands of startups, SMEs and non-profits. Looksharp is free for students
allowing them to build rich professional profiles, apply for internships and jobs, and access leading career
resources. Employers use Looksharp to improve their on campus recruiting process, manage their candidate
pipeline, showcase their employment brand and expand their hiring reach to more students and campuses.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
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Report Highlights
In 2015, students are finding tremendous value in internships. Internships help students develop
experience, better understand their careers, and increase future job prospects and salaries. At the same
time, 2014 graduates and current seniors are struggling in the entry-level job market, experiencing
unusually high unemployment and underemployment. STEM majors (science, technology, engineering,
and math) are the exception, being in demand and seeing significantly higher salaries than their peers.
Using the feedback of more than 50,000 college students and recent graduates (making this the largest
internship and entry-level job survey of all time), this report highlights numerous ways in which
students can differentiate themselves and stand out in the marketplace, as well as how employers can
understand these trends to improve their college hiring strategies.
Creating an edge in the job market
Students take many different initiatives to get an edge in the job market upon graduation.
 Internships: The more internships a student takes, the more likely they are to lock in full-time job
offers. For this reason, students are now doing internships earlier in their career. Sophomore year is
the most common year for students who have internship experience to complete their first
internship.
 Keeping up GPAs: The share of seniors with full-time job offers among those with higher-thanaverage GPAs is nearly twice that of those with below-average GPA scores.
 Online profiles: 72.1 percent of students leverage online career profiles to showcase their
experience, in particular on LinkedIn and Looksharp.
 Online courses: 26.0 percent of students have taken online courses through companies like
Coursera, Udemy, GeneralAssembly and CodeAcademy — of which 41.6 percent highlight them on
their resumes.
 Computer science classes: 53.4 percent have taken computer science classes regardless of major,
oftentimes with the express purpose of standing out in the job market.
Landing a professional job post graduation
Internships increase a student’s odds of finding full-time employment upon graduation, but only if they
are paid. Students with paid internship experience are 3x more likely to receive a job offer than those
with unpaid internship experience—a student with only unpaid experience is just as likely to have a job
offer as a student with no internship experience at all.
Overall, internships appear to drive job satisfaction: 77.2 percent of students made minor or significant
changes to their major/career choices as a result of their internship experience. Consequently, 2014
grads with internship experience are more likely to work in their field of study and be satisfied with their
first professional job.
Seniors show a great willingness to move (81.7 percent) or participate in post-graduation internships
(74.7 percent) to get a foot in the door. They are less willing to settle on a job culture or work/life
balance that they consider less than ideal. The latter is more important among Millennials than their
older counterparts and easily makes the top five list of most important attributes when seeking
internships. Student debt also influences the job search, according to 53.5 percent of respondents.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
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The dream employer
The top factors students care about in an employer are opportunities for long-term career
advancement, relevance to ones major, mentorship, work/life balance, and clearly defined
assignments.
Companies of all sizes draw interest for jobs, but midsize companies (50-500 employees) draw the
greatest interest, at 42.0 percent. Across majors and genders, the most desirable industries are
marketing/PR/advertising agencies, followed by the entertainment/music industry, government,
technology, and consulting. Significant gender bias relative to the choice of majors and industry
preferences remains. Top city picks are New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
The compensation debate
Compensation is not a top five attribute when considering internship factors. Furthermore, 61.0
percent of students say they are not upset by unpaid internships. However, the hourly wage considered
fair has gone up substantially in 2015 to $13.02, up from $12.45 last year (averages differ substantially
based on major, location, year in college, and more).
A look at students' most recent endeavors shows that paid internships did increase, but are not yet the
norm, at 52.5 percent. The chances of being paid improve with years in college, but the biggest
influencer on being paid is major—with over seven in 10 interns in engineering, computer science,
accounting, and finance being in paid internships.
Landing the internship
Nearly two-thirds of students use social media in their internship search; the most common uses being
to research the employer or to attempt to network with key employees.
Students should be prepared for doing in-person interviews, as was the case for more than eight in 10
students during their most recent internship. The top ways to search for opportunities are online
searches, friends, career fairs, family, and internship websites, including Looksharp.
Table of Contents
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
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Report Highlights ............................................................................................................................... 5
The Role of Internships ...................................................................................................................... 9
Seven in Ten Students Believe Internships Should Be Mandatory ........................................................... 9
Students Place Greater Emphasis on Career Advancement Opportunity .............................................. 10
The Compensation Debate and Students’ View of a Fair Hourly Wage ................................................. 12
Paid Internships Increase From 2014, But Are Not Yet the Norm ...................................................... 13
Majors with a higher likelihood of receiving compensation are: ....................................................... 14
Industries more likely to pay student interns are:.............................................................................. 14
The top cities most likely to have paid internships are: ..................................................................... 14
Internship Preferences ..................................................................................................................... 14
Marketing/PR and Ad Agencies Are Top Picks; Technology Companies Drop ....................................... 15
New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco Are Top Student Picks .......................................................... 16
Dream Internships Include Specific Mentors, Companies and Industries .............................................. 16
Preparing for Internships.................................................................................................................. 18
Students Leverage Online Career Profiles .............................................................................................. 18
LinkedIn and LookSharp Are the Online Career Profiles of Choice ......................................................... 18
Email and Phone Remain Top Ways to Contact Students About Internships ......................................... 18
One-Quarter Takes Additional Online Courses to Build Experience ....................................................... 19
Computer Science — A Desirable Subject Regardless of Major.............................................................. 20
Computer Science Majors Driven by Personal Interest and Good Job Prospects ................................... 20
Insights From Former Interns ........................................................................................................... 21
Completed Internships............................................................................................................................ 21
Sophomore Year Key in Starting to Build Work Experience ................................................................... 21
Internship Search Encompasses Multi-Prong Outreach ......................................................................... 22
Nearly Two-Thirds of Students Use Social Media in Internship Search .................................................. 22
Students With Greater Number of Internships Tend to Cast a Wider Net ............................................. 23
Interns Should Count on Doing In-Person Interviews............................................................................. 23
Significant Overlap in Preferred and Actual Internship Locations .......................................................... 24
Overlap Between Desired and Actual Industries As Well ....................................................................... 24
Seniors and the Entry-Level Job Market ............................................................................................ 25
Internship Experience Affected Career Choices for Three-Quarters of Seniors ..................................... 25
Paid Internships Help Students Lock in Jobs Early .................................................................................. 25
Students Are Flexible on Location, but Less So on Settling on Work-Life Balance ................................. 26
Small Disconnect Between Expected and Actual Starting Salaries ......................................................... 27
Student Debt Significantly Influences Job Search and Choices .............................................................. 28
Insights from No-Internship Students ............................................................................................... 28
Internship Demand > Offering ................................................................................................................ 29
Students Who Searched Unsuccessfully Submitted Equal or More Applications .............................. 29
Students Who Sought Unsuccessfully Used Equal Number But Different Tools .................................... 30
Hands-On Search Tips and Interview Preparation Top Needs ................................................................ 31
Summer Classes Main Barrier for Students Not Seeking Internships ..................................................... 31
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
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Job Market Insights From 2014 Graduates ........................................................................................ 32
Less Than Half of 2014 Graduates Have Full-Time Professional Jobs ..................................................... 32
Majors with Best Job Prospects .......................................................................................................... 32
Job Search Averaged One to Six Months for Most ................................................................................. 33
Internships Help Graduates Find Jobs That Meet or Exceed Expectations ............................................ 33
Internships Help Graduates Find Jobs Within Their Majors ................................................................... 33
Degrees with the Greatest Likelihood of Working in the Same Field ................................................. 34
Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 35
Sample Description .......................................................................................................................... 35
Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 39
Appendix 1: ......................................................................................................................................... 39
Top intern/job city choices by region compared with top paid cities by region ................................ 39
Appendix 2: ......................................................................................................................................... 41
Top intern/job city choices among college students and recent graduates by degree...................... 41
Notes............................................................................................................................................... 43
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
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The Role of Internships
Seven in Ten Students Believe Internships Should Be Mandatory
Up from 66.5 percent last year, 70.8 percent of students believe internships should be a requirement
when obtaining a college degree. This belief gets stronger along with the number of years students
have been in college: 66.3 percent of freshman students believe internships should be mandatory
compared with 70.8 percent of seniors and 77.5 percent of students who graduated in 2014.
There is also a direct correlation between prior internship experience and the belief internships should
be mandatory. For example, only 65.7 percent of those without prior internship experience feel they
should be required, versus 77.3 percent who have participated in three or more.
Additional groups who are more likely to feel internships should be mandatory are: Hispanic (77.9
percent) and African American students (77.4 percent); women (73.0 percent); students with average
GPA scores of less than 3.0 (71.7 percent); and students enrolled in majors such as business, accounting,
computer science, graphic design, and marketing versus those enrolled in academic programs.
Should internships be
a mandatory part of a
college degree?
2014
Preference for size company
42.2%42.0%
2015
No,
29.2%
20.2%
Yes,
70.8%
4.9%
18.6%17.3%
14.1%
11.0%
7.4%
Startup
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
22.3%
Small
(<50)
Medium
(50-500)
Large
(501-5000)
Mega
(>5001)
Page | 9
Midsize Companies Reign, but Startup/SMB Interest is on the Rise
Midsize companies, defined as having 50 to 500 employees, draw the greatest interest with 42.0
percent of the preferred company size vote. Compared with last year, students cite a greater interest in
internships at startups and small companies, defined as having fewer than 50 employees. Company size
preferences do differ:
 Students with several prior internships are more likely to prefer startups or smaller companies
(combined 36.5 percent versus 29.7 percent overall).
 On the other hand, students with prior military experience are more likely seek out large
multinational companies, at 15.8 percent.
 Male students are more likely to favor startups (9.6 percent versus 5.9 percent among women),
whereas women prefer midsize companies (44.7 percent).
 Students in business majors are much more likely to prefer internships at large (19.9 percent) and
multi-national companies (13.4 percent), whereas students enrolled in academic majors, such as
English, history, or philosophy, are more likely to prefer small (28.8 percent) or midsize companies
(43.6 percent).
 Regionally, interest in startups is highest among students on the West coast (9.8 percent) versus 5.7
percent in the South and 5.6 percent in the Midwest.
Students Place Greater Emphasis on Career Advancement Opportunity
More than seven in 10 college students deem opportunities for long-term career advancement very
important when searching for internships. This is followed by ensuring internships closely match their
field of study and having access to executives and mentorship.
Importance of internship attributes
(% Very important)
Career advancement opportunity
73.0%
Relevance to my major/minor
66.4%
Access to executives and mentorship
61.2%
Work-life balance
57.4%
Clearly defined assignment
55.8%
Location
50.0%
Receiving compensation
43.5%
Diversity
43.0%
Flexible hours
38.0%
Community involvement
31.1%
Prestige (well-recognized name)
30.9%
After work activities
“Green” company
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
19.4%
17.5%
Average score on
4-pt scale, where
4=very important
Change versus
2014 findings
3.70
3.58
3.56
3.49
3.48
3.38
3.29
3.18
3.17
3.01
3.05
1.69
1.67
+
=
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
=
=
=
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Some findings of note:




Up 5.6 percentage points from 2014, students seek out internships that offer opportunities for longterm career advancement. This is even more important to women, at 76 percent.
The importance of future job potential and career relevance goes up along with the number of
years in college. First- or second-year students are more likely to emphasize a convenient location,
a well-recognized company, and flexible hours.
The largest increases in importance compared with last year are measured for diversity (up 12.2
points) and having access to mentorship, up to 61.2 percent from 51.5 percent in 2014.
Students who have served, or are serving, in the U.S. Armed Forces are more likely to emphasize
career advancement opportunities, relevance to their field of study, flexible hours, and having
clearly defined assignments.
Work/life balance
Millennials place greater emphasis on a good work/life balance than their older counterparts. While not
a top-tier attribute, it easily makes the top five with 57.4 percent of students considering a good
work/life balance when doing internships very important, up 8.2 percentage points from last year.
Female students place greater emphasis on work/life balance, at 60.7 percent versus 52.9 percent of
males. When describing their dream internship, one respondent wrote, "Doing something really cool in
environmental science or conservation, preferably working on the water (Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic
Ocean, Great Lakes) that is impacting a community (or a larger scale population) while still making a
little bit of money and having nights and weekends off to relax."
Internship attributes
Opportunities for long-term career advancement
Relevance to my major/minor
Access to executives and mentorship
Work-life balance
Clearly defined assignment
Receiving compensation
Diversity
Flexible hours
Prestige (well-recognized company)
Community involvement
Location
After work activities
“Green” company
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Very
important
Somewhat
important
Not too
important
Not at all
important
Average
2015
Average
2014
73.0
66.4
61.2
57.4
55.8
43.5
43.0
38.0
30.9
31.1
50.0
19.4
17.5
23.8
26.5
33.8
35.6
36.9
43.3
36.8
43.5
46.2
43.4
39.9
38.7
40.9
2.8
5.9
4.6
6.1
6.8
11.6
15.9
16.5
20.1
21.5
8.7
32.6
32.4
0.3
1.1
0.5
1.0
0.6
1.5
4.3
2.0
2.8
4.1
1.4
9.3
9.2
3.70
3.58
3.56
3.49
3.48
3.29
3.18
3.17
3.05
3.01
3.38
1.69
1.67
3.62
3.58
3.42
3.36
3.39
3.32
2.92
3.00
2.97
2.86
-2.46
2.49
Page | 11
The Compensation Debate and Students’ View of a Fair Hourly Wage
Another hotly debated internship topic is that of compensation. While compensation falls just outside
the top five most relevant internship attributes, being paid is important to students—albeit slightly less
so than last year. Being paid when considering various internship attributes is more important...
 Among students who are close to obtaining their college degrees.
 To those who have already completed one or more internships.
 Among students in business-oriented degrees, such as finance,
accounting, and computer science.
Straight-up opinions on whether internships should be
paid or not shows an equally divided picture on
compensation: 61.0 percent believe experience is
valuable too and while ideally all internships should be
paid, they are ok with some unpaid opportunities. Thirtynine percent believe that regardless of experience,
industry, or major, all internships should be paid. Male
students are slightly more likely to think so, at 43.2
percent.
The survey probed into what students believe constitutes
a fair hourly wage. Amounts ranged from zero to $100 an
hour and included descriptions such as 1.2 or 1.5 times
the minimum wage. Some also noted that a fair amount
would depend on responsibilities.
Opinions on paid vs. unpaid
internships
Ideally, all internships would be paid,
but the experience is valuable too
and I'm ok with unpaid opportunities
All internships should be paid
39.0%
61.0%
Hourly wage considered fair averages $13.02, with a median of $12, up from $12.45 last year.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
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Beliefs in a fair internship wage, varies substantially:











Male students: $14.37
Female students: $12.01
Northeast: $12.98
Midwest: $12.71
South: $12.50
West: $13.54
Freshmen: $12.06
Sophomores: $12.11
Juniors: $12.46
Seniors: $12.47
Grad students: $17.96 Business-oriented
majors: $14.54
Academic-oriented majors: $11.35

$14.39
$12.20
$11.62 (VT)
$11.73
$12.70
$12.35
$12.33
$11.49
$10.09
$12.57 (NH)
$13.09 (MA)
$12.36 (RI)
$13.08 (CT)
$12.58
$12.64
$13.01
$13.04
$12.05
$11.96
$12.77
$12.28
$13.37
$13.04
$12.37
$13.62
$12.56
$12.16
$12.78 (NJ)
$13.02 (DE)
$12.31
$12.78 (MD)
$12.33 (DC)
$12.85
$12.52
$10.74
$12.68
$13.62
$11.97
$11.88
$11.22
$11.69
$12.18
$13.70
$11.87
$11.62
$12.17
$12.31
$12.12
$15.37
$13.24
Paid Internships Increase From 2014, But Are Not Yet the Norm
Describing their most recent internship, 52.5 percent of seniors were paid, up from 48.3 percent in 2014.
Compensation situation for most recent internship
Male
Paid
52.5%
Unpaid
Unpaid but with college credit
Stipend
31.3%
10.0%
6.2%
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Female
4-yr college Grad school
62.8% 45.2% 52.9%
60.1%
25.7% 35.2% 31.7%
26.0%
5.4%
6.8%
5.2%
6.1%
12.7% 10.0%
5.3%
8.7%
Page | 13
Majors with a higher likelihood of receiving compensation are:
% paid




Engineering
Computer science
Accounting
Finance
79.4%
77.7%
76.9%
72.6%







Mathematics and statistics
Skilled trades and construction
Agriculture
Architecture and planning
Economics
Military science
Business
67.8%
67.3%
66.2%
65.7%
63.5%
61.6%
60.9%
Conversely, majors receiving
compensation among less than
one-third of students are:





Arts
Criminal justice
Healthcare
Social services
Sociology
Industries more likely to pay student interns are:
% paid











Transportation
Manufacturing
Oil/gas/utilities
Construction
Technology (hardware/software)
Banks/financial institutions
Services companies
Retail trade
Consulting/professional services
Agriculture
Hospitality
87.5%
84.2%
84.1%
81.0%
79.6%
78.9%
73.3%
70.0%
68.0%
63.1%
61.9%
Industries providing compensation
to less than one-third of students are:





Community organizations
Film/movie/production
Entertainment/music
Journalism/writing/media
Fashion
The top cities most likely to have paid internships are:
% paid











Omaha, Nebr.
San Jose, Calif.
El Paso, Tex.
Milwaukee, Wis.
Houston, Tex.
Denver, Colo.
Indianapolis, Ind.
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Dallas, Tex.
Jacksonville, Fla.
Minneapolis, Minn.
81.1%
74.1%
72.8%
70.1%
69.1%
68.1%
67.9%
67.0%
65.6%
65.4%
65.3%
Cities providing compensation
to less than half of students are:








Baltimore, Md.
Los Angeles, Calif. (41.1%)
Miami, Fla.
New York, N.Y.
Sacramento, Calif.
San Diego, Calif.
Tucson, Ariz.
Washington, D.C.
In summary, top student picks in terms of industries and cities (as seen later in the report) often do not
coincide with the best chances of landing a paid internship. See Appendix 1 for preferred cities by
region.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 14
Internship Preferences
Marketing/PR and Ad Agencies Are Top Picks; Technology Companies Drop
Students name Marketing and PR as their top industry for internships, at 35.9 percent. Entertainment
industry and government internships follow in second and third place, whereas last year's number two
(technology) decreases 7 percentage points and drops to fourth.
A look at top picks by gender shows a strong divide in preference. Some examples of industries drawing a
much greater preference among men include technology, banks and financial institutions, green tech, and
the animation/gaming industry. Some examples of industries preferred by women include marketing/PR,
journalism, healthcare, and fashion.
Preferred Industries
Marketing/PR/advertising agencies, including graphic design/visual
arts and photography
Entertainment industry, including the music industry
Government (federal, state and local)
Technology (hardware and software)
Professional services (consulting)
Editorial/journalism/writing/publishing/media
Healthcare, including hospitals, pharmaceutical as well as counseling,
mental health and care
Banks, financial institutions, including accounting and audit
Film/movie/production companies
Fashion and cosmetics
Green tech
Community organizations
Education (K-12 through university)
Manufacturing
Hospitality, including event planning/management and tourism
Animation/gaming industry
Oil and gas extraction and utilities
Retail trade
Transportation
Services companies (phone, insurance, etc)
Construction, architecture and design
Agriculture
All
Students
35.9%
Male Students
27.7%
Female
Students
41.9%
29.7%
25.8%
22.7%
19.9%
19.0%
17.9%
27.0%
26.1%
36.6%
25.0%
10.7%
14.7%
31.7%
25.6%
12.6%
16.3%
25.0%
21.3%
16.4%
15.7%
14.1%
11.7%
11.5%
11.2%
7.9%
6.5%
6.3%
5.5%
4.6%
4.1%
3.5%
3.5%
3.0%
23.2%
12.8%
5.8%
15.1%
6.0%
8.3%
13.1%
4.5%
9.8%
10.0%
4.7%
6.8%
4.9%
5.4%
3.0%
11.4%
17.8%
20.1%
9.3%
15.6%
13.4%
4.1%
8.5%
8.5%
3.1%
4.9%
2.1%
2.5%
2.0%
3.1%
Industries and/or specific fields that were mentioned multiple times under “other” include:








Aerospace, aeronautics, and airplane design.
Animal care, rehabilitation, behavior, science, welfare, and husbandry and veterinary care.
Biology, including research and biomedical engineering.
Chemistry.
Electrical engineering.
Forensics and forensic psychology.
Sports management.
Fitness and health.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 15









Human resources.
Nonprofit organizations, domestically and internationally.
Law enforcement.
International affairs, including NGOs, development, and relations.
Museum work, including curator, galleries, art centers, and aquariums.
Environmental, including conservation and education.
Commercial and residential real estate.
Consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, including the food retailing industry.
Defense contractor.
New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco Are Top Student Picks
New York is the most desired city for an internship or job with a wide margin over the number two, Los
Angeles. Other top picks include Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Boston. At the state level, California
scores highest with three placements in the top 10 preferred cities.
Top cities in which students would like to intern or work
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
New York City, N.Y. (24.5%)
Los Angeles, Calif. (15.0%)
San Francisco, Calif. (11.5%)
Chicago, Ill. (5.6%)
Washington, D.C. (4.9%)
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Boston, Mass. (4.4%)
San Diego, Calif. (4.0%)
Seattle, Wash. (3.3%)
Denver, Colo. (2.3%)
Atlanta, Ga. (2.3%)
Preferred city differs widely by degree type, as demonstrated by some of the top majors represented in
the survey. See Appendix 2 for more top 10 city choices by degree; Austin, Tex., Atlanta, Ga., and
Denver, Colo. all show up frequently.
Finance
1. New York - 36.3%
2. Los Angeles - 9.4%
3. Chicago - 6.8%
Computer Science
1. San Francisco - 28.2%
2. New York - 15.6%
3. Los Angeles - 8.8%
English
1. New York - 14.4%
2. San Francisco - 13.8%
3. Los Angeles - 9.8%
Political Science
1. Washington DC - 26.3%
2. New York - 24.9%
3. Los Angeles - 10.6%
Communications
1. New York - 30.5%
2. Los Angeles - 23.3%
3. San Francisco - 8.4%
Dream Internships Include Specific Mentors, Companies and Industries
College students shared their ideas of what would constitute a dream internship. These ranged from
detailed descriptions of responsibilities to particular companies and specific mentors.
The range of examples spanned across all industries and company sizes, from the world's biggest
companies and brands to small local clinics, auditing firms, and startups, to name a few of the more
than 34,000 descriptions provided.
Regardless of the company of choice, most students want internships that allow them to bring the
knowledge they acquired at school into practice, develop new skills, learn from strong mentors, build
their network, and prepare for the workplace.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 16
Below are a few verbatim quotes to illustrate the breadth of dream internships:
Specific organizations:










YouTube: working on AdSense, their YouTube Partnership program, and original
content initiative.
Writing, research and traveling; ideally for Vice Magazine/Newsroom or BBC.
Writing at Saturday Night Live.
Working within the Business Department for The Walt Disney Co. or for the UN headquarters.
Working with the Press Secretary in the White House
Working with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Intern at Schlumberger.
Working with the vets at either Busch Gardens or SeaWorld.
Intern at Nike global headquarters in digital/creative department.
Embedded Hardware or Software Engineer Intern at some well-established
companies like Nvidia, Microchip, Mathworks, ARM, Nest, Intel, SanDisk or Seagate .
Specific mentors:






Working with Warren Buffett.
Working with Tyler Perry.
Intern for Ari Gold.
Intern for Autumn DeWilde (photographer).
Interning for Mark Cuban.
Interning with Ellen DeGeneres.
Specific ideas:







Working within the fashion sector doing content marketing, specifically for a jewelry company with a small
team that I am able to work closely with.
Working with underprivileged kids and helping them better themselves.
Working within a large business that gives you a lot of hands-on learning and opportunities to connect
outside of the job with your peers and people you work under to gain a better perspective of what you are
interested in and what you are capable of.
In the industry I'm passionate about, in the functional area I want to contribute to, with a development program
to help me gain skills, where I can make a valuable contribution to the company.
In my dream internship first of all would be working in an area in which I can develop all my potential because
the number 1 priority is growing professionally and personally. Then would come other factors like
compensation, promotion possibilities, company culture and stability. In a dream internship I would stay on
as a full time for a long time for the benefit of the company and my own.
In a perfect world I think all internships should be paid-- either by direct compensation or in other forms such
as housing or temp-to-hire contract. My dream internship would have been one where I experienced all
aspects of a position. In my case, being in the fashion industry, that means garment production from concept
to sale, sitting in with buyers, and attending market.
Either working for an entertainment company (film, video game, TV) given real world assignments with
guided oversight at first then working towards near freedom with only weekly check-ins to ensure we're on
track and doing well. Or, working in a tech startup that is already well funded and built with brilliant people.
They're still scrappy and need help on all fronts, so allowing me to get my hands dirty and diving into
anything and everything that makes sense for me to.
A list of all descriptions can be provided upon request. Please email [email protected]
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 17
Preparing for Internships
Students Leverage Online Career Profiles
More than seven in 10 students (72.1 percent) have developed online profiles for career purposes. The
further along in their college education, the higher the likelihood of having an online career profile.
Freshmen:
47.9%
Sophomore
64.3%
Juniors:
72.7%
Seniors:
80.0%
Grad students:
89.6%
LinkedIn and Looksharp Are the Online Career Profiles of Choice
More than eight in 10 students have online career profiles. Unchanged from last year, LinkedIn and
Looksharp (powering InternMatch) are the most frequently used profile sites, at 94.4 percent and 38.4
percent, respectively. Many students maintain more than one profile and 9.3 percent also have
personally-built websites to showcase their experience. Students in academic-oriented majors are not
only less likely to maintain online career profiles, but also tend to participate in fewer platforms than
their business major counterparts.
Have online profile
LinkedIn
Looksharp/InternMatch
Behance
Github
Personally-built website
All students
Businessoriented
Academicoriented
Male
students
Female
students
82.1%
94.4%
38.4%
2.7%
4.1%
9.3%
86.7%
95.1%
38.8%
3.3%
7.2%
8.9%
76.4%
94.4%
36.9%
0.8%
1.0%
5.5%
83.9%
94.5%
39.5%
2.3%
7.3%
8.6%
81.8%
94.3%
36.8%
3.0%
1.8%
9.9%
In addition to the big career/internship sites, students mentioned hundreds of other resources to
establish online profiles. Examples include national and field-specific job search websites, blogs, social
media, professional associations, and career services sites offered through their universities. For
instance, one student wrote, "I have an Instagram account with more than 10,000 followers. I will
leverage that to find internships and jobs." Some examples of other profile sites include:








About.me
Angelslist
Academia.edu
Carbonmade
Cargo collective
Carterbuilding
Glassdoor
hired.com








Instagram
IMDB
Indeed
Monster
Internship.com
Issuu
BridgeMyCareer
Jobmate








School career service
Staff me up
Teamwork online
Squarespace
Viadeo
Vimeo
Collegefeed
wix.com
Email and Phone Remain Top Ways to Contact Students About Internships
While 4.7 percent of students have no preferred way of being contacted about jobs, email is the top
preference among 77.2 percent. This is followed by a wide margin by phone, at 16.7 percent. Female
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 18
students, but also younger students who are just starting their college career, are more likely to prefer
email and less likely to favor the phone. These findings are largely unchanged from 2014.
Preferred manner to be contacted about
internship opportunities
Email
77.2%
Phone
No preference
Male
16.7%
4.7%
Female
Freshman
Senior
74.5% 79.2% 79.1%
76.0%
18.7% 15.2% 13.0%
18.3%
5.0%
4.5%
5.6%
4.6%
Text message
1.0%
1.2%
0.8%
1.7%
0.7%
Facebook
0.4%
0.6%
0.3%
0.6%
0.3%
Other preferred ways to be contacted by internship recruits include:




LinkedIn
Whatsapp
Email and phone
Twitter
One-Quarter Takes Additional Online Courses to Build Experience
Twenty-six percent of students have taken online classes outside their college curriculum to support skills
learned in class. Examples are Coursera, Udemy, and CodeAcademy. Participation in online courses grows
along with the number of years in college but is particularly high among grad students (including Master's
and PhD's), at 40.1 percent.
Taken online courses outside of college curriculum
40.1%
33.2%
26.0%
All
Male
students
20.7%
19.5%
18.8%
Female
students
Freshmen
Sophomores
21.4%
23.5%
Juniors
Seniors
Grad students
Among students who have taken online classes, 41.6 percent highlight these on their resumes.
With their higher likelihood of doing online classes, 44.7 percent of grad students include these on
their resumes.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 19
Computer Science — A Desirable Subject Regardless of Major
More than half of students have taken at least one computer science (CS) related class, which ranges from
39.7 percent of freshmen to 60.1 percent of grad students. Students in business majors in particular are
highly likely to take one or more computer science classes, at 68.6 percent versus only 33.1 percent of
students in academic majors.
Non-CS Majors Who Have Taken at Least One CS Course
68.6%
62.9%
54.2%
53.4%
46.5%
39.7%
56.0%
60.1%
49.5%
33.1%
All
Male
students
Female
students
Freshmen
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
Grad
students
Business
majors
Academic
majors
Computer Science Majors Driven by Personal Interest and Good Job Prospects
Of the roughly 2,900 students in the study who are majoring in computer science, 84.6 percent say they
are doing so because it matches their personal interest.
Reasons for choosing computer science
Matches my personal interest
84.6%
Good for future job prospects
Goof for future pay prospects
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Computer science majors:
76.4%
61.4%





Male: 74.4%
Asian American: 25.4%
Fair internship wage:
$18.98
Graduate program: 22.7%
#1 internship city: San
Francisco
Page | 20
Insights From Former Interns
Completed Internships
While almost one-third of students have not participated in any internships, those who have average
between one and two. Intern experience varies widely by years in college and major, with academic majors
not only more likely to have participated in internships, but also averaging more than business majors.
All
32.0%
Male
Female
33.1%
31.3%
30.7%
28.9%
21.0%
20.4%
10.0%
11.4%
3.1%
4.9%
2.1%
3.2%
Freshmen
Sophomores
Juniors
Seniors
Grad students
63.6%
51.1%
38.5%
23.4%
24.0%
24.3%
30.3%
32.0%
30.4%
28.5%
8.2%
12.5%
18.0%
24.4%
22.8%
2.8%
4.4%
7.8%
13.3%
13.6%
1.1%
1.0%
2.3%
5.2%
5.6%
0.0%
0.7%
1.3%
3.3%
5.5%
Business majors
33.0%
Academic majors 29.9%
28.5%
29.7%
20.6%
31.1%
10.8%
20.6%
20.8%
4.1%
10.1%
12.2%
2.7%
3.4%
4.9%
1.8%
3.8%
Sophomore Year Key in Starting to Build Work Experience
Among students who have completed at least one internship, more than half did so before their junior
years. About one-quarter wait to do their first internship until their third year and 6.3 percent wait until
after graduation or when in post-graduate programs. Among seniors specifically, 60.8 percent did their
first internship in the second or third year of college. These numbers are virtually unchanged from last
year.
Year first internship was completed
Students with 1+
internships completed
High school/pre-college
Freshman year
Sophomore year
Junior year
Senior year
After college graduation or in
grad school
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
15.8%
17.0%
25.3%
24.1%
11.5%
6.3%
Cumulative
percentage
Seniors
16.4%
32.7%
58.1%
82.2%
93.7%
100.0%
10.0%
13.2%
26.3%
34.5%
15.4%
-
Page | 21
Internship Search Encompasses Multi-Prong Outreach
Students use an average of five tools and resources to find an internship. Google and other online searches
is the most used resource, followed by referrals from a friend, career fairs, family help, and internship
websites (including Looksharp).
Google/online searches
Friends
Career fairs
Family
Internship websites, including Looksharp/InternMatch
Faculty members (professors, teachers)
University career network
General job sites (Indeed, Monster, Glassdoor, etc)
University job board
Specific employer/company websites
Alumni network (incl. fraternity and older year students)
Professional social network platforms and events (LinkedIn)
Craigslist
Study and work abroad organizations
1 or more
Internship(s)
3 or more
Internships
Net
difference
Change
vs. 2014
50.7%
48.0%
41.1%
37.7%
37.3%
35.7%
35.1%
25.5%
22.6%
21.7%
19.7%
19.2%
10.2%
6.1%
60.8%
57.1%
46.3%
46.9%
44.7%
40.0%
42.1%
33.8%
30.2%
30.7%
25.5%
27.4%
14.4%
8.8%
+10.1
+9.1
+5.2
+9.2
+7.4
+4.3
+7.0
+8.3
+7.6
+9.0
+5.8
+8.2
+4.2
+2.7
+
+
+
+
+
=
+
+
+
+
=
Students who have completed three or more internships show higher usage across tools and resources,
particularly making greater use of online searches, specific company websites,
and leveraging personal networks, including friends and family.
Other approaches to landing an internship included:
 Asked around.
 Cold calling and cold emailing companies.
 Leveraging past employers and side jobs.
 Social media.
 High school career guidance office.
 Church.
 Networking events, such as MeetUp.
 Volunteer activities.
Nearly Two-Thirds of Students Use Social Media in Their Internship Search
The majority, 68.6 percent of students, used social media during their internship search process, with close
to half leveraging various social media tools to research employers or network. Use of social media
increases along with the number of internships.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 22
Use of social media during internship search
(among those with 1+ internships)
To research employers
# of internships
49.2%
To network
46.2%
Didn't use it at all
31.4%
To discuss internship
opportunities
24.5%
Male
Female
1
2
47.4%
50.5%
42.3%
50.4% 57.1% 63.2%
48.7%
44.5%
41.5%
47.2% 52.0% 53.7%
31.1%
31.6%
37.3%
29.9% 24.5% 21.9%
26.1%
23.4%
21.6%
25.2% 27.1% 30.1%
3
4
Students With Greater Number of Internships Cast a Wider Net
On average, students sent eight applications to secure their most recent internship. Nearly five in 10
students submitted between one and four, whereas 15.4 percent submitted more than 20 applications.
Students with more than three internships under their belts are more likely to submit 10 or more, or even
20 or more applications to land an internship, showing that those with experience perform more extensive
internship searches, trying to land a role at a top choice employer. Business majors also put in extra effort
averaging 10 applications, versus seven among academic majors.
Number of applications submitted to secure
the most recent internship
1-4
47.2%
5-9
22.6%
# of internships
Major
Male
Female
1-2
41.0%
51.6%
48.4%
41.1%
40.7%
56.8%
23.1%
22.2%
21.7%
23.8%
22.5%
21.4%
3+
Business Academic
10-19
14.9%
16.6%
13.7%
13.9%
17.0%
16.9%
12.4%
20+
15.4%
19.4%
12.5%
14.1%
18.2%
19.9%
9.5%
Interns Should Count on Doing In-Person Interviews
More than eight in 10 students interviewed in person to secure their most recent internship.
For most, these were one-on-one interviews, but 19.4 percent cited doing in-person group interviews as
well.
In person, one-on one
62.4%
In person, group interview
19.4%
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Phone interview
33.4%
Video/Skype interview
12.7%
No interview
8.2%
Page | 23
Significant Overlap in Preferred and Actual Internship Locations
While most cities on the desired and actual internship location lists overlap, a side by side comparison
shows some interesting gaps—likely driven by the challenges of housing and relocation costs for short
term and often unpaid roles. For instance, while nearly one-quarter of students would like to intern or
work in New York City, 14.2 percent out of the more than 30,000 students who shared the location of their
most recent internship actually did. Many students ended up taking internships closer to home than they
would have preferred.
Top 10 Cities in the U.S. by
population size
Top 10 most preferred cities for
internships
Top 10 cities for actual
internships in past year
1. New York City, N.Y.
2. Los Angeles, Calif.
3. Chicago, Ill.
4. Houston, Tex.
5. Philadelphia, Penn.
6. Phoenix, Ariz.
7. San Antonio, Tex.
8. San Diego, Calif.
9. Dallas, Tex.
10. San Jose, Calif.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1. New York City, N.Y. (14.2%)
2. Los Angeles, Calif. (8.1%)
3. Boston, Mass. (4.5%)
4. Washington, D.C. (4.4%)
5. Chicago, Ill. (4.3%)
6. San Francisco, Calif. (3.7%)
7. Atlanta, Ga. (2.2%)
8. San Diego, Calif (1.7%)
9. Seattle Was. (1.6%)
10. San Jose, Calif. (1.4%)
11. Dallas, Tex. (1.4%)
New York City, N.Y. (24.5%)
Los Angeles, Calif. (15.0%)
San Francisco, Calif. (11.5%)
Chicago, Ill. (5.6%)
Washington, D.C. (4.9%)
Boston, Mass. (4.4%)
San Diego, Calif. (4.0%)
Seattle, Wash. (3.3%)
Denver, Colo. (2.3%)
Atlanta, Ga. (2.3%)
Overlap Between Desired and Actual Industries
Seven out of the 10 most desired industries overlap with the most common fields for internships, with
more students taking internships in manufacturing, education, and hospitality/tourism than those looking
to intern in those fields. The high number of students interested in entertainment vs. the low number of
available positions is one of the drivers of low intern pay in that field.
Top 10 Most Preferred Industries for internships (%
top three choices)
Top 10 Industries for actual internships
(% top choice)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1. Technology (hardware and software) (13.5%)
Marketing/PR/Advertising (35.9%)
Entertainment/music industries (29.7%)
Government (25.8%)
Technology (hardware/software) (22.7%)
Professional services/consulting (19.9%)
Journalism/editorial (19.0%)
Healthcare (17.9%)
Banks, accounting and audit (16.4%)
Film/movie/production companies (15.7%)
Fashion and cosmetics (14.1%)
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
2. Marketing/PR/advertising (13.4%)
3. Banks, accounting and auditing (8.6%)
4. Healthcare (6.7%)
5. Manufacturing (5.4%)
6. Government (5.3%)
7. Education (4.3%)
8. Professional services/consulting (4.0%)
9. Entertainment/music industries (3.3%)
10. Hospitality/tourism (2.9%)
Page | 24
Seniors and the Entry-Level Job Market
Internship Experience Affected Career Choices for Three-Quarters of Seniors
According to 77.2 percent of students, internships helped them
gain a better understanding of what they wanted in terms of
their future careers. While for the larger group, 44.7 percent,
this was a minor change of plans, no less than 32.5 percent of
seniors said past internship experience significantly changed
what they wanted to do with their careers.
Students who said their internship experience significantly
changed their career plans are also more likely to believe
internships should be mandatory when obtaining a college
degree.
Paid Internships Help Students Lock in Jobs Early
The impact of internships on
career choices
No
change
at all,
22.9%
Major
change
in career
choices,
32.5%
Minor
change
of
plans,
44.7%
When this study was fielded in April 2015, 61.0 percent of
seniors had started to look for jobs. Close to one in five seniors already had a full-time job
offer in hand, and 3.9 percent had locked down a part-time job. Compared with 2014, the
share of students with full-time offers increased from 16.6 percent to 19.4 percent. However,
this year fewer students started their search in April or before, at 39.0 percent compared
with 34.8 percent in 2014.
19.4%
Already received a
full-time offer
3.9%
Already received a
part-time offer
61.0%
Yes
7.0%
Already received an
internship offer
Started
the
job
search?
30.7%
Started but no offer yet
27.0%
Haven't yet started
39.0%
No
12.0%
Plan to attend grad school/
wait on joining the workforce
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Most likely to have full-time job
offers as of April 2015:
 Male: 23.1%
 Paid internship experience
(35.9%)
 Asian American: 36.1%
 Majors:
- Finance (37.9%)
- Mechanics & repair (33.3%)
- Computer science (31.5%)
- Economics (28.6%)
- Engineering (27.8%)
- Construction & skilled
trades (25.5%)
 Census regions:
- Northeast (21.0%)
- Midwest (21.0%)
Page | 25
Examining what factors impact a student’s likelihood of having a full-time job offer we see the variables
below make the biggest difference:

Having paid internship experience
26.5%
10.6%
Unpaid


Paid
Having higher-than-average GPAs
13.3%
20.3%
GPA < 3.0
3.0-3.5
23.9%
>3.5
Having multiple internships versus just one
14.4%
20.4%
1

Importantly, there is a
direct correlation between
locking in full-time job
offers early and:
 Having paid internship
experience.
 Having higher-thanaverage GPAs.
 Having multiple
internships versus
just one.
 Online courses outside
the college curriculum.
2
26.8%
28.3%
23.9%
3
4
5+
Having taken online courses to bolster professional skills
23.3%
18.0%
No online courses
Online courses
Side jobs had some influence on job offers, but not quite to the extent of GPA scores, internship
experience, and paid internships.
Students Are Flexible on Location, but Less So on Settling on Work-Life Balance
Up from 76.4 percent last year, seniors show an even greater willingness to move to another city to land a
job, at 81.7 percent. Three-quarters would also be willing to do internships to get a foot in the door if it
would enhance their chances of landing full-time employment. From there, the shares drop off
significantly when considering job offers in industries that are not among their top choices (51.9 percent),
in organizations with company cultures or missions that are not a perfect match (46.6 percent), or jobs
that offer less of a work-life balance than students may consider ideal (51.4 percent).
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 26
However, compared with 2014, seniors do show a greater willingness to work at a company that may not
be a perfect match in terms of culture or work-life balance.
If it were to improve your chances of landing a job, would you consider…?
Yes
Maybe
No
81.7%
74.7%
51.9%
+
=
15.1%
+
+
10.2%
9.0%
4.2%
3.2%
Moving to another
city?
=
21.1%
51.4%
40.8%
46.6%43.2%
39.1%
7.8%
Do an internship post Working in an industry A job in a company
Less of a work-life
graduation to get a that may not be your culture or mission that balance than you may
foot in the door?
top choice?
is not a perfect match?
consider ideal?
Across the genders, men are more likely to work in a company culture or mission that may not be a perfect
match. Women are more likely to accept a work-life balance that they may not consider ideal and do an
internship to get a foot in the door.
Seniors with academic majors are more willing to do any of the scenarios above, with the exception of
moving to another city.
Small Disconnect Between Expected and Actual Starting Salaries
Across all seniors, regardless of major, GPA, location or college type, 72.2 percent expect to start off at
between $35,000 and $74,999 annually. Men expect slightly higher starting averages, as do students in
business-oriented majors. Across all majors, the average expected starting salary is $51,000.
When comparing expectations and reality among seniors who have a full-time job offer in hand, the
average expected starting salary was $57,000 whereas the actual starting salaries tend to be slightly lower,
with an average of $55,000. As the sample of students who already have job offers in hand is skewed
towards higher-paid business-oriented majors, the expected/actual starting salaries are higher-thanaverage.
$20,000-$34,999
$35,000-$54,999
$55,000-$74,999
$75,000-$99,999
>$100,000
All
seniors
Male
19.3%
45.4%
26.8%
6.1%
2.2%
11.7%
39.3%
36.0%
9.2%
3.8%
Expected starting salary
Female Business Academic
majors
majors
24.8%
49.8%
20.3%
4.0%
1.1%
10.3%
40.9%
37.1%
8.7%
3.0%
29.8%
48.3%
16.4%
3.9%
1.6%
Seniors with
FT job offers
Actual starting salary
Seniors with FT job
offers
14.7%
38.3%
33.2%
10.1%
3.7%
21.3%
35.2%
31.1%
9.4%
3.1%
Both salary expectations and reality differ widely by major, with STEM actuals often higher than
expectations and realistic salaries for arts majors much lower.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 27
Expected starting salaries versus reality
Expect
$70,305
Actual
$70,305
$64,966
$59,480 $61,798
$52,520
$54,739
STEM
Arts
$48,730
$47,437 $47,227
$44,394
Business
Finance
Marketing
$42,836
Political science
Student Debt Significantly Influences Job Search and Choices
About one-third of students will graduate with no college
debt at all. On the other end, a nearly equal share will have a
college debt burden of between $25,000 and $75,000 upon
graduation.
Approximate amount of college debt
$75000
or more,
6.1%
There are very few differences in college debt based on
demographics, with the exception of veterans of the U.S.
Armed Forces who are more likely to have zero debt at 38.9
percent.
$0,
33.9%
$25000$74999,
26.8%
The amount of college debt has a significant impact on
seniors' job search. The higher the debt, the higher the
impact.
$10000$24999,
21.1%
$1$9999,
12.1%
Influence of student debt on the job search and
career choices
Not at all
A little
Some
A lot
46.5%
13.1%
22.2%
18.1%
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Male
Female
$0
46.9%
46.3%
87.7%
43.4%
26.5%
20.1%
14.0%
12.5%
3.7%
20.9%
19.2%
16.2%
22.3%
22.2%
4.9%
26.8%
35.1%
31.3%
16.8%
19.1%
3.7%
8.9%
19.3%
32.4%
$1-$9.9K $10K-$24.9K $25K-$74.9K
Page | 28
Insights from No-Internship Students
Internship Demand > Offering
Among the 32.0 percent of respondents who have not completed internships to date, it is not for lack of
trying. In fact, 69.7 percent of these students indicate they looked but never managed to lock in an
opportunity. Another 16.8 percent tried but did not find anything they liked well enough to accept the
offer. Down significantly from 2014, 80.4 percent plan to look again for the 2015 summer.
Internship search efforts among students without internships to date
2014
2015
93.3%
80.4%
71.5% 69.7%
16.8% 18.0%
19.6%
11.7% 12.3%
6.7%
Looked, but never Looked, but didn't Never did look for
found anything
find one I liked
one
More likely to have
unsuccessfully looked for
internships are:

Students who submitted
four or fewer internship
applications (71.8%)

Students with below
average GPA scores (less
than 3.0 average), at 71.8%
Will look this year Don't plan to look
More likely not to look for internships

Freshmen (15.8%)

Academic majors (16.7%)
- Education (23.9%)
- History (18.6%)
- Languages/literature (21.5%)
- Nursing (16.8%)
- Philosophy/religion (16.4%)
- Social services (24.4%)
- Sociology (21.6%)
More likely to look for internships
again this year are:

Business-oriented majors (82.6%)

Female students (81.2%)

Sophomores (90.4%) and juniors
(90.6%)
Students Who Searched Unsuccessfully Submitted Equal or More Applications
Students who unsuccessfully looked for internship opportunities often submitted an equal or greater
number of applications as those who did find internships, with an average of eight to nine.
No internship experience to date
# of
Appls
1-4
All
Male
Female
Freshmen
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Business
Academic
43.1%
33.9%
50.4%
64.9%
49.6%
41.1%
38.3%
35.0%
52.8%
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 29
5-9
10-19
20+
26.7%
16.2%
14.1%
28.3%
19.3%
18.5%
25.4%
13.6%
10.6%
22.2%
9.2%
3.7%
28.0%
14.0%
8.3%
27.2%
17.8%
13.9%
29.8%
17.8%
14.1%
26.6%
18.9%
19.5%
26.5%
13.3%
7.4%
Number of applications submitted in internship search
1-4
5-9
10-19
20+
48.4%
47.2%
43.1%
41.1%
26.7%
22.6%
23.8%
21.7%
14.9% 15.4%
All students
16.2% 14.1%
No internships yet
17.0% 18.2%
13.9% 14.1%
1-2 internships
3+ internships
Students Who Sought Unsuccessfully Used Equal Number But Different Tools
Students who did not manage to secure internships after looking (69.7 percent of those without internship
experience; N=10,168) used an equal number of resources, with an average of five to six. However, the
types of resources used when compared to students who have participated in
at least three internships are very different. Students with several prior internships were more likely to
leverage personal networks (family and friends) as well as the school's faculty and
alumni network.
Google/online searches
Internship websites
Specific employer/company websites
Career fairs
General job sites (Indeed, Monster, Glassdoor, etc)
Friends
Professional social network platforms/events (LinkedIn)
University career center
University job board
Faculty members
Family
Craigslist
Study and work abroad organizations
Sought for, but didn’t
land internships
71.3%
71.0%
54.3%
51.3%
39.8%
38.8%
37.5%
33.2%
30.2%
24.8%
22.7%
15.6%
13.5%
3+
Internships
60.5%
44.7%
30.7%
46.3%
33.8%
56.1%
27.8%
42.1%
30.2%
40.5%
44.9%
14.4%
8.8%
Net
difference
+10.8%
+26.3%
+23.6%
+5.0%
+6.0%
-17.3%
+9.7%
-8.9%
-15.7%
-22.2%
+1.2%
+4.7%
Alumni network (incl. fraternity and older year students)
7.9%
27.5%
-19.6%
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 30
Hands-On Search Tips and Interview Prep Are Students’ Top Needs
More than half of students who looked for internships unsuccessfully say they could use help in learning
more on exactly how to search for opportunities. As seen above, different ways of leveraging connections
or resources may make them more successful in locking in opportunities. Finding out how to better
leverage personal network specifically is something sought out by more than four in 10 students.
Other areas where at least four in 10 students without internship experience say they could use help are
resume design and interview preparation. This is particularly relevant as the report found that the vast
majority of internship interviews are in-person.
Could use help to improve
chances of landing an internship
Male
students
Female
students
51.7%
42.9%
41.4%
40.9%
36.9%
12.7%
3.7%
48.3%
40.5%
39.3%
39.6%
34.9%
11.0%
4.9%
54.4%
44.9%
43.1%
41.9%
38.5%
14.0%
2.8%
How to search for opportunities
Preparing for an interview
Preparing a resume
How to best leverage personal networks
Preparing an online presence
Tips on what to wear for an interview
None of these
Summer Classes Main Barrier for Students Not Seeking Internships
Among current college students who are not seeking internships, summer classes are the main barrier.
The second reason is planning to do an internship later, cited by 41.2 percent.
All respondents
College students only
26.6%
56.9%
Taking summer
classes/other class
commitments
Taking summer
classes/other class
commitments
17.7%
19.6%
Don't plan to look for
an internship in 2015
Plan to do internship
later in college/post
graduation
2.2%
Don't think they are
useful
41.2%
Plan to do internships
later in college/post
graduation
1.9%
Don't think they are
useful
53.4%
Graduated and looking
for full-time job
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 31
Job Market Insights From 2014 Graduates
Respondents included 5,598 2014 college graduates who provided insight into their
employment status and job search trials to date. These students are not currently enrolled
in graduate programs.
Less Than Half of 2014 Graduates Have Full-Time Professional Jobs
Less than half of 2014 college graduates have full-time professional jobs, defined as those requiring
college degrees. In fact, as of April 2015, 16.6 percent of 2014 graduates are unemployed. As seen earlier,
internship experience has a positive influence on securing jobs. 2014 graduates with three or more
internships are more likely to be employed full-time, be in employed in internships, or be self-employed.
Majors
Employment status among 2014 college graduates
Male
Full-time professional job
Employed part-time
17.9%
Unemployed
Full-time service/interim job
Employer internship
Self-employed
16.6%
9.6%
7.0%
3.3%
Internships
Female
Business Academic None
45.6% 46.9%
46.3%
50.6%
15.8%
19.5%
13.5% 22.3%
19.1%
14.7%
18.1% 13.0% 18.0%
13.9%
7.8%
11.0%
7.2%
7.4%
7.3%
6.8%
7.7%
7.6%
0.3%
10.1%
3.7%
3.0%
3.0%
3.5%
2.6%
3.3%
41.8%
3+
42.8% 50.3%
22.2% 15.0%
11.8% 13.7%
Majors with Best Job Prospects
Students with business-oriented majors are also much more likely than those in academic majors to
already be in full-time professional jobs. The following majors in particular are more likely to have full-time
employment:
 Accounting (55.6%)
 Graphic design (51.1%)
 Architecture and planning (51.2%)
 Finance (59.8)
 Business (49.2%)
 Languages and literature (52.9%)
 Communications (48.3%)
 Marketing (55.5%)
 Computer science (61.1%)
 Military science (61.6%)
 Economics (57.5%)
 STEM (49.6%)
On the other hand, job prospects for the below popular degrees is significantly lower:
 Arts (37.8%)
 Law (32.2%)
 Psychology and counseling (38.7%)
 Sociology (40.5%)
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 32
Job Search Averaged One to Six Months for Most
Among 2014 graduates with full-time professional employment (N=2,449), 26.2 percent had their jobs
lined up when graduating, 12.3 percent landed jobs in the first month, and 46.1 percent took between one
and six months.
Business majors were much more likely to have employment lined up, at 31.8 percent.
Time to find full-time employment
All 2014
grads
Had a job lined up when graduating
No more than 1 month
1-3 months
4-6 months
7-12 months
26.2%
12.3%
29.2%
16.9%
15.4%
Male
students
28.0%
11.1%
28.5%
16.5%
15.9%
Female
students
24.7%
13.4%
29.8%
17.3%
14.8%
Business
majors
31.8%
11.9%
28.6%
15.5%
12.3%
Academic
majors
21.8%
13.0%
28.8%
18.7%
17.2%
Internships Help Graduates Find Jobs That Meet or Exceed Expectations
For the majority, 51.8 percent, their first professional job out of college matches their expectations. For
24.7 percent the job is falling short, whereas the remaining 23.5 percent say the job exceeds their
expectations. This is more likely the case for business-oriented majors.
The report found earlier that 77.2 percent of students with internship experience said this experience
either somewhat or significantly changed their career choices. This appears to be paying off--students
with internship experience are much more likely to be working at a job that meets or exceeds their
expectations.
Job comparison to
expectations
Exceeds
expectations
Mostly matches
expectations
Falls short of
expectations
2014 grads
w/FT job
Male
students
24.9%
Female
students
22.4%
Business
majors
21.7%
Academic
majors
25.2%
No
Int.
21.7%
1-2
Int.
22.4%
3+
Int.
26.3%
51.8%
52.3%
51.4%
51.6%
52.7%
48.7%
52.1%
52.4%
24.7%
22.8%
26.2%
26.7%
22.1%
29.6%
25.6%
21.3%
23.5%
Internships Help Graduates Find Jobs Within Their Majors
Of 2014 graduates with full-time employment, 57.1 percent found jobs within their major. Additionally,
22.3 percent said their first jobs were somewhat related to their majors. A striking difference is seen
between graduates with business-oriented degrees versus those with academic-oriented degrees, at 70.7
percent versus 29.8 percent citing having employment within their fields of study.
Internships have a strong impact as well, with graduates who have participated in three of more
internships being far more likely to have employment within their major.
Internships
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 33
Job within major?
2014 grads
w/FT job
57.1%
Male
students
61.3%
Female
students
53.7%
Yes
No
Somewhat related
20.6%
22.3%
18.3%
20.3%
22.4%
23.9%
Business
majors
70.7%
10.8%
18.5%
Academic
majors
29.8%
None
1-2
3+
49.4%
56.9%
60.5%
42.9%
27.3%
24.5%
26.0%
21.1%
22.1%
18.3%
21.3%
Degrees with the Greatest Likelihood of Working in the Same Field
Here are some examples of some of the most popular majors represented in this study and the share of
2014 graduates working a professional full-time job in their same field of study.
Job within major
STEM
71.2%
Arts
34.8%
Business
49.6%
Computer science
80.8%
Finance
53.1%
Marketing
48.8%
Political science
26.6%
Communications
42.9%
Graphic design
64.4%
Healthcare
47.7%
Law
46.0%
Nursing
58.7%
Psychology & counseling
30.6%
Sociology
18.9%
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 34
Methodology
The data for the State of the College Job Market a were collected through a 52-question online survey,
conducted between April 9 and 14, 2015. In total, 53,976 students participated in the survey, with 45,968
completing the full the survey. Respondents used a self-administered, online questionnaire via webassisted interviewing software. To maintain the reliability and integrity of the sample, each student was
limited to one survey completion.
The sample was tested on key demographics, such as gender, region, and ethnicity, and slight statistical
adjustments were made to ensure respondents accurately mirrored the student population. The resulting
sample is a reliable nationwide cross-section of college students ranging from freshmen to graduate
students, as well as a small share of high school students and college students who graduated in 2012,
2013, or 2014. Students living outside of the United States were removed prior to analysis as to avoid
skewing the findings. The report was prepared by 210 Analytics, LLC.
All survey results are subject to sampling error—the difference between obtained results and those that
would have been obtained by studying the entire population. The percentage difference varies with the
size of the sample and with the percentage of respondents giving a particular answer. The margin of error
associated with the survey is 0.4 percent at the 95 percent confidence level for questions answered by all
respondents. Percentage may not always add to 100 percent due to rounding.
Geographic regions are based on the Census with states falling into one of four regions:
 Northeast: CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, ME, NJ, PA, NY
 Midwest: IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI
 South: AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, PR, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV
 West: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY
For additional data, insights or explanations, email [email protected]. Please note that based on
the large sample size, most findings can be broken down by:
 Individual states or a group of states
 Most majors
 Year in college
 Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces status
Sample Description
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 35
100.0% based on 45,968
completed surveys
Gender
Male students
Female students
42.2%
57.8%
Northeast
Midwest
South
West
U.S. Territories
International (Non-U.S. based) Note: removed from survey analysis
30.6%
18.3%
21.3%
25.9%
0.3%
3.7%
Regions
Ethnicity
White
Hispanic or Latino
Black or African American
Asian American
Other
52.7%
11.8%
12.3%
12.8%
10.3%
Year
High school
College Freshman year
College Sophomore year
College Junior year
College Senior year
Graduated in 2014
Graduated in 2013
Graduated in 2012
Graduate student (Master's or PhD
Type of degree
Business-oriented:
Academic-oriented:
GPA categories
< 3.0
3.0-3.5
> 3.5
Type of university
2-year college
4-year public college
4-year private university
Master's, PhD or other graduate program
Veteran status
Yes
No
State
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
0.7%
5.8%
13.8%
21.7%
26.0%
12.3%
5.3%
5.2%
9.1%
Sample size: 5988
Sample size: 21170
27.5%
41.7%
30.8%
3.7%
49.5%
36.2%
10.6%
0.8%
99.2%
Number of completes
Page | 36
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
American Samoa
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
371
35
597
144
8,660
630
643
125
613
1,840
1,215
66
106
2,285
848
322
212
267
236
116
947
2,100
1,315
669
158
525
49
153
138
177
1,783
71
5,266
1,053
52
1,320
170
347
1,863
197
405
64
433
2,194
240
86
1,097
821
86
511
16
3
2
Page | 37
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
0
128
4
International student
1,694
Accounting
Agriculture
Architecture and Planning
Arts
Biological Sciences
Business
Communications
Computer Science
Criminal Justice
Economics
Education
Engineering
English
Environmental Sciences
Graphic Design
Finance
Health Care
History
Languages and Literature
Law
Mathematics & Statistics
Marketing
Mechanics and Repair
Military Science
Nursing
Philosophy and Religion
Physical Sciences
Political Science
Protective Services
Psychology & Counseling
Recreation & Fitness
Skilled Trades and Construction
Social Sciences & Liberal Arts
Social Services
Sociology
Undeclared
1,303
174
542
2,297
2,139
5,766
2,309
2,894
346
1,827
351
4,854
990
732
1,039
1,654
1,144
354
326
328
558
3,117
10
6
279
157
438
1,549
7
1,985
274
35
772
234
529
858
Major
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 38
Appendix
Appendix 1:
Top intern/job city choices by region compared with top paid cities by region
Northeast
Top 10 desired city to work/intern
New York, N.Y.
Boston, Mass.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Washington, DC
Philadelphia, Pa.
San Diego, Calif.
Seattle, Wash.
Miami, Fla.
Baltimore, Md.
Top 10 most likely to have paid internships
New York, N.Y.
Boston, Mass.
Washington, DC
Philadelphia, Pa.
Baltimore, Md.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
Seattle, Wash.
Atlanta, Ga.
Midwest
Top 10 desired city to work/intern
Chicago, Ill.
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Denver, Colo.
Seattle, Wash.
San Diego, Calif.
Washington, DC
Detroit, Mich.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Top 10 most likely to have paid internships
Chicago, Ill.
Detroit, Mich.
Minneapolis, Minn.
Indianapolis, Ind.
Cleveland, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Milwaukee, Wis.
Kansas City, Mo.
New York, N.Y.
Omaha, Nebr.
Page | 39
South
Top 10 desired city to work/intern
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Atlanta, Ga.
Washington, DC
San Francisco, Calif.
Austin, Tex.
Miami, Fla.
Dallas, Tex.
Houston, Tex.
San Diego, Calif.
Top 10 most likely to have paid internships
Atlanta, Ga.
Dallas, Tex.
Houston, Tex.
Washington, DC
Austin, Tex.
Miami, Fla.
New York, N.Y.
Raleigh, N.C.
Charlotte, N.C.
Nashville, Tenn.
West
Top 10 desired city to work/intern
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
New York, N.Y.
San Diego, Calif.
Seattle, Wash.
San Jose, Calif.
Denver, Colo.
Portland, Ore.
Washington, DC
Chicago, Ill.
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Top 10 most likely to have paid internships
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
San Jose, Calif.
Seattle, Wash.
San Diego, Calif.
Denver, Colo.
Phoenix, Ariz.
New York, N.Y.
Portland, Ore.
Sacramento, Calif.
Page | 40
Appendix 2:
Top intern/job city choices among college students and recent graduates by degree
Communications
STEM
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
San Francisco, Calif.
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Seattle, Wash.
Chicago, Ill. & Boston, Ill.
San Jose, Calif.
San Diego, Calif.
Washington, DC
Denver, Colo.
Austin, Tex.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Arts
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Washington, DC
Chicago, Ill.
Boston, Mass. & Seattle, Wash.
San Diego, Calif.
Austin, Tex.
Atlanta, Ga.
Denver, Colo.
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
Boston, Mass.
San Diego, Calif.
Washington, DC
Miami, Fla.
Seattle, Wash.
Austin, Tex. & Atlanta, Ga
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
Washington, DC
San Diego, Calif.
Boston, Mass.
Seattle, Wash.
Atlanta, Ga.
Austin, Tex.
Graphic Design
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
Seattle, Wash.
Austin, Tex.
San Diego, Calif.
Portland, Ore.
Denver, Colo.
Boston, Mass.
Finance
Business
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
New York, N.Y.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
San Francisco, Calif.
Boston, Mass.
San Diego, Calif.
Washington, DC & Denver, Colo.
Seattle, Wash.
Atlanta, Ga.
Austin, Tex.
Page | 41
Law
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
New York, N.Y.
Washington, DC
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
Boston, Mass.
Miami, Fla.
San Diego, Calif.
Austin, Tex.
Seattle, Wash.
Political Science
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
San Diego, Calif.
Boston, Mass.
Denver, Colo.
Austin, Tex.
Seattle, Wash. & Atlanta, Ga.
Washington, DC
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
Boston, Mass.
San Diego, Calif.
Seattle, Wash.
Austin, Tex.
Atlanta, Ga.
Psychology and Counseling
Marketing
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Washington, DC
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
New York, N.Y.
Los Angeles, Calif.
San Francisco, Calif.
Chicago, Ill.
Washington, DC
Boston, Mass.
San Diego, Calif.
Atlanta, Ga.
Other
Seattle, Wash.
Page | 42
Notes
©Looksharp | State of College Hiring 2015
Page | 43