Making an internship work

If you're unemployed, you probably haven't been searching high and low for an opportunity to work for free. But maybe you should -- especially if you can arrange an internship.
An internship is a cross between volunteer work and apprenticeships. Like the former, it is usually unpaid, and the commitment is short term. Like the latter, it provides a structured work experience centered on goals for skill development.
As most recent graduates can tell you, one major benefit of an internship is the opportunity to apply for permanent positions from inside the company. Even if no job offer results from the experience, an intern who does well usually earns new contacts, generous letters of reference and substantial work experience.
For this reason, internships are an especially good tool for midlife career-changers who need to quickly learn new skills while also building a network in the new field.
How it works
Traditionally, internships are arranged through colleges and universities. The company needing assistance will contact the related department on campus to invite students to apply. For very prestigious positions, or those that offer a paycheck, the competition can be intense. When the dust settles, the new interns will work temporarily for the firm and may need to complete an academic report.
If you are familiar with this model of internship, it may surprise you to know that not all interns are college students. Some companies find their interns through other sources and accept applications from people with various backgrounds. Other internships are created on a case-by-case basis, with no formal application process.
One way to find the already structured internships is to check a directory, such as Peterson's Internships, an annual guide available at libraries and bookstores.
To create your own internship, you will need to know which skills you are trying to develop and which companies can help you build those skills in exchange for your labor. This process of information gathering can take several weeks or months, depending on your familiarity with the field.
You can shave some time off this step by attending meetings of the professional associations serving your target industry. You will meet people in the field while gaining an insider's view of the profession.
Questions
Once you have identified the work you want to do and the companies you want to approach, you still have some questions to answer before you try to create an internship:
UWhat do you want to learn in the internship?
UHow will you measure your learning?
UHow much time can you offer, in what structure?
UHow long can you commit to the internship?
UWhat skills do you bring to the table?
When you have at least partly answered these questions for yourself, you are ready to propose your idea to a manager at the target company. If you catch the manager's interest, the two of you can work out the details together.
At this stage, it's a good idea to make a simple learning contract, stating your goals for the internship and building in a review process. This will head off the situational amnesia that sometimes afflicts unconventional work situations.
All these details aside, there's a key question left for you to consider: At your advanced age (whatever it is), are you still flexible and humble enough to be the new kid on the block?
How to act
Because interns, whatever their backgrounds, do not get the respect or trust given to regular employees. It will be assumed that you do not know the work and your opinion will generally not be requested. Instead, you will be given projects with the expectation that you will do them as instructed.
Besides humility and flexibility, you will be well served by a sense of humor and the ability to learn things quickly.
You probably will still be searching for a job. Conduct your job search discreetly, but don't hide it altogether. There's no harm in letting others see you head out to an interview. When you meet with employers, however, try to honor your original commitment to the internship by requesting a later start date if possible.
XAmy Lindgren, the owner of a career-consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn., can be reached at alindgrenpioneerpress.com.