By Mel Beasley, CSB Marketing Assistant

Imagine. You spot the perfect internship online and apply. They call you for an interview. They promise college credit, it pays $15 per hour to start, and you get to work from your couch! What could be better than that? Absolutely nothing. Well, that is until you’ve done three weeks of work before you realize that ACME Corporation was actually the evil fictional company from Loony Tunes responsible for falling anvils and other disasters.

You’ve become the victim of an internship scam. 

Photo: Cameron School of Business students complete their 2018 internship positions with New Hanover Regional Medical Center

By Mel Beasley, CSB Marketing Assistant

It didn’t used to be the case, but as the job hunt has grown more competitive, employers are zeroing in on candidates who need the least amount of training right out of the gate. True, you may have a long list of previous work history, but that summer job tossing pizza crusts in the air isn’t going to do you any favors in front of the hiring manager at that accounting management firm you’ve had your eye on for months.

Guest Blogger: Featured Seahawk Andrew Seibel,a CSB undergraduate student studying International Business/Supply Chain Management as well as a student at the University of Hertfordshire via the TABSA dual-degree program.

Guest Blogger: Teresa Walker, Director of Work Practice, Cameron School of Business

Consistently, we hear from students throughout the spring semester, “I would prefer a summer internship in Wilmington.” 

However, the number of interested students outnumber the opportunities available. Therefore, many students end up going elsewhere to gain applied learning experience.

Is your business losing out on this valuable resource located within your community? Furthermore, from an economics viewpoint, could this be considered an opportunity cost?

Guest Blogger: Teresa Walker, Director of Work Practice at the Cameron School of Business

This month, the population of Wilmington will grow by thousands…almost overnight! Wilmington is one of the fortunate cities to be home to several post-secondary educational institutions made up of young professionals seeking knowledge and experience.

March 2017 Editor's Note: This post was originally published in October 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

************

Guest Blogger: Taylor Pfyffer, Cameron School of Business, Marketing - Professional Selling Concentration, Class of 2017

It all started with the Cameron School of Business Spring Break Prague Consulting Project. Upon joining the consulting team, I joined the others in diving head first into our analysis and recommendations for our client company, Hamleys.

Guest Blogger: Mary Katherine Marr, Cameron School of Business, Marketing Concentration, '17

As I stepped into 890 Broadway for the first time, I was immediately enchanted by the classic elevator that carried me to the little office of one of the greatest ballet companies in the world. This little office, however, is also home to not just amazing artistic talent, but to a job that I had only dreamed of doing until this summer. The opportunity to combine my marketing degree with my lifelong passion for ballet has been incredible, and much like how marketing revolves around the four P’s (product, place, price, promotion), I have found that my internship could be summed up in a similar way, but with four M’s.

March 2017 Editor's Note: This post was originally published in September 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

************

Guest Blogger: Dr. Robert T. Burrus, Jr., Dean, Cameron School of Business

In support of UNC Wilmington’s responsibility to be engaged in the community, Cameron School of Business students devote hundreds of hours to working in the community through true volunteerism or experiential learning. Many paths lead our students out the doors of Cameron and to neighborhoods to represent Cameron and serve the community:

March 2017 Editor's Note: This post was originally published in July 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

************

Guest Blogger: Dean Robert Burrus (This post originally appeared on WilmingtonBiz.com on July 15)

Experiential learning is a crucial element of a college education. As defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, “An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.” Therefore, internships provide solutions for employers by assisting with workflow in an effective manner to accomplish immediate goals and through finding new team members to help grow the business and accomplish long-term goals.

March 2017 Editor's Note: This post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

************

Guest Blogger: Julia Ormond, CEN Mentee, Cameron School of Business – Marketing Strategy; Theater Performance

I met Liz at the spring CEN mixer and we got close very quickly. I was itching to find an internship before I left for a month-long trip to London with a Cameron School of Business faculty lead program. She helped me immensely and set up a meeting with her former employers, Mark Johnson Custom Homes.