By: Patrick Gordon

A line snaked through the hallway on the second floor of the Howard Gittis Student Center on a mid-October afternoon. It resembled something akin to a celebrity autograph signing or a meet-and-greet with a superstar athlete. 

As the doors opened, more than 80 students were already in line anticipating their opportunity to speak—not with a celebrity or an athlete—but with some of Philadelphia's most recognizable employers at the inaugural College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Internship Fair. 

"We will definitely be booking a larger space next year," said Liz Anselmo, who managed the event and serves as Associate Director of Student Professional Development within CLA. "I told employers to expect around 250 students, so we were all shocked to be flooded with over 600 students."

Flooded was an understatement. The final number of student attendees was 605, representing a near even split across the college's programs. Employers in attendance included the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation, Vanguard, the Department of the Interior, the World Affairs Council and nearly three dozen other companies and organizations. 

"I felt like there was something there for everybody," said junior Carly Hein, a Global Studies major following the Global Economics track. "I walked away with about a dozen business cards, and the employers were more than happy to talk with me about their opportunities. I'm applying to several of these employers right now for a potential spring internship."

The Internship Fair is just the latest push CLA has made to promote professional development across the college. CLA introduced the Pathways to Professions Summer stipend program earlier this year through which selected students received $2,000 for completing an unpaid internship. Two years ago, CLA also introduced a career development course that's required for all students. 

The reasoning for the push on internships is simple. Recent statistics published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers show a positive correlation between completing an internship and landing employment within six months after graduation. The same research also indicates students who complete an internship enter the job market with higher earning power, netting more than $2,000 in salary compared to someone entering the workforce without internship experience. 

It appears the push is working. Nearly 500 students completed for-credit internships in the previous academic year, accounting for a 60 percent increase over the last five years. 

"I had a chance to check in with several employers concluding the fair and each one felt confident they would have a large applicant pool for the next couple semesters," Anselmo said. "In fact, a few employers even mentioned they were receiving applications to their email addresses even before the fair ended."

Along with an increase in applications, employers say the quality of candidates from CLA is also on the rise. 

"The City of Philadelphia was happy to be present for CLA's first internship fair," said Gianna Grossmann, Internship Program Manager with the City of Philadelphia. "There was an incredible turnout—I had the opportunity to talk with about 100 Temple students—all seemed incredibly engaged and ready to get experience through internships. Many asked very astute questions and were eager to learn as much as they could."

Plans are already in the works for the 2019 Internship Fair. 

"Don't worry, we already have a date and a bigger room in mind for next year," Anselmo said with a smile.

Don't wait a full year to start thinking about internships! Contact Professional Development at clacareers@temple.edu or 215.204.7971 as soon as you enroll at CLA to get help planning your future internships.