Erin Wolfram, assistant director of the University Career Center at Kansas University, acts as the campus wide internship coordinator. She says that while employers still seek students with experience, fewer are actually offering internships.

The job market is especially scary for recent graduates. With little to no job experience in their field of choice, how are they to compete with seasoned professionals?

The real-world experience gained from an internship might be the most promising addition to a résumé.

A recent study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) found that only 19 percent of job applicants from the class of 2009 found employment by April. Applicants who had completed an internship fared better, with 23 percent landing a job in the same time frame.

Erin Wolfram, assistant director of the University Career Center at Kansas University, acts as the campus wide internship coordinator. She says that while employers still seek students with experience, fewer are actually offering internships.

“There’s been a significant drop,” Wolfram says. “Attendance was also down for our internship and summer camp fair.”

In 2007, the fair hosted 63 employers. This declined to 53 in 2008 and dropped even further with only 40 employers present at this year’s event.

The University Career Center offers one-on-one meetings with students to tailor their internship and job search. The center also created an online resource that includes student spotlights, databases of available internships and departmental information about earning academic credit.

Postings for internships have dropped as well this year. During the 2007-2008 school year, the center posted 2,300 internships. The 2008-2009 school year produced only 900 postings.

This decline creates an even greater strain on a process that has never been easy. Wolfram says Lawrence offers some internship opportunities, but many students find they have to commute to Kansas City. Often, students have to juggle the commitment to an unpaid internship with school and a part-time job.

“Most jobs and internships that are currently available are not posted anywhere,” she says. “Students need to take it upon themselves and be proactive. I suggest they call places they’re interested in and ask about their internship program. If they don’t offer one, ask to do some volunteer work.”

Wolfram says the best way to overcome the shortage of internships is to be assertive.

“Look early. Start networking and utilize the resources you have,” she says. “Talk to your uncle, roommate, your boss. They may not get you the internship, but they can get you a face-to-face contact.”

Daniel Stockman, a KU communications major, took an internships with Plattform Advertising in Lenexa.

“The most beneficial part of the experience was just seeing how everyone works in a actual job setting,” Stockman says. “In college we go to class a couple of hours a day, but in the working world you are expected to work much longer and harder.”

Stockman found the hands-on aspect and the amount of responsibility entrusted in him exciting. He understands the value of his newly learned job skills and the doors they may open for him.

“After completing the internship, Plattform Advertising told me to let them know when I was graduating to see if they might have an opening for me,” Stockman says. “But, more importantly, it shows to other companies that I am willing to put in the work and effort to be successful in a position.”

Bryan Spencer, a KU marketing major, is interning for Ypulse Insights. Spencer works from home as a market research analyst intern, researching trends among millennials, which includes tweens, teens and college students.

“I see an internship as a company investing in its future as well as yours. So as long as you complete the internship on good terms, there should be an opportunity to work there after graduation,” Spencer says. “Of course, there are always the unexpected things such as the bad economy, but even if your internship doesn’t directly produce a job, the skills you develop from it can be exactly what another company is looking for.”