

InternMatch Raises $400K To Help Students Find The Perfect Internship - nathanfp
http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/02/internmatch-raises-400k-to-help-students-find-the-perfect-internship/

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adelevie
My school, Penn State, has something called the Washington Program. You apply
to the program, then the program coordinator makes calls on your behalf to his
personal network of Penn State alumni and other internship sponsors from the
DC area. The quality of these internships was incredible: students worked on
Capitol Hill, for big name media outlets, and for public affairs firms.

The program works so well because each year it can deliver students who have
the "Penn State Washington Program seal of approval", so to speak. To an
internship sponsor, the value proposition is simple: "Liked last year's
intern? Well here's another."

It's definitely good that a site like InternMatch exists, but I think the best
way for students to land a competitive internship is through some sort of
social validation. The Penn State Washington Program provided this validation
to students who otherwise might not have any connections in D.C.

Perhaps there is some business opportunity here: provide social validation for
potential interns just like the Washington Program, but at scale (think
Monster.com vs. TheLadders). Or maybe this is something best left to
universities and their alumni associations.

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nathanfp
I think this is a really good point. Interns are usually unproven so any way
to help bridge the trust gap with employers can make a big difference. With
the "Penn State Washington Program," the student is essentially co-opting the
program's brand to go from an unproven commodity, to someone who can hit the
ground running.

There are a lot of tools we can provide to create this same effect for our
interns: from coaching them on the importance of getting a TA referral, to
making it easy for them to include a Github profile if they are a tech
student. We have talked to a number of startups who say they read every
application from interns who attach a Github profile because this shows a
deeper level of interest in the field than the average student.

I like your point and we will keep innovating around this idea.

There are a number of other ways we can and will go to make sure we can help
both sides determine high value matches, and feel confident with their choices
in interns.

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adelevie
To some extent, isn't InternMatch structurally incapable of providing the same
amount of validation as a college program?

A college program has few qualms rejecting someone. After conducting an
interview, and reviewing writing samples and a resume, a college program will
form a subjective opinion of the applicant. If the applicant garners a
negative opinion s/he will be rejected, and the college program has no problem
doing this.

On the other hand, InternMatch could have real trouble telling someone, "no we
won't vouch for you"--it would be like telling a customer to leave the store.

Also, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to attack you or your biz model at
all--just offering my POV. Best of luck and congrats on the funding.

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rradu
I selected "any field" in both London and NYC and it had nothing for either.
Not very useful without any listings.

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wikyd
Sorry for the confusion. We currently only have listings active on the west
coast in California, Oregon, and Washington. We should definitely make that
more obvious, especially when someone searches outside of our current
territory. I'll add that tonight.

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ylem
Actually, suppose we have internships to offer in your nonactive territories
(say, the washington DC area), should we wait to post them? Also, would REU
(research experience for undergraduates) be suitable to post on your site (we
tend to pay about $4K for the summer for undergrads and offer free
housing...).

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nathanfp
Yes please wait to post if you are in DC (but feel free to use any of the
employer resources). We are growing regionally so that we can develop a
traction at universities and guarentee a match. We can't do that yet in
Washington DC.

The position you are describing sounds great -- its paid, offers professional
experience for someone interested in the field of research, the only question
I would ask is if there is much interaction with you and other employees. If
you added to the program a once a week coffee, where you or other experts in
the office talked to the candidate for 30 minutes and offered context on how
their work fit into a broader policy and research framework it would take the
position to the next level and help you get superior candidates.

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ylem
There are weekly seminars from researchers and daily interaction with
supervisors. Projects have include math, physics, chemistry, biology, cs, and
engineering...If you think you'll become operational in our area, I'll have
one of our outreach people contact you.

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daveschappell
This is awesome. When I was in college (1986-1990) internships were a pretty
new concept. Then when in MBA (1997-1998) it obviously became a bigger deal.
But now, the practice is very much becoming the norm. But, the tools for
students and companies to find one another are still archaic (school
recruiting systems... and afterthoughts on Monster, etc).

Plus, it's just as important for companies to provide killer internships (to
get the best students, year after year) as it is for students to perform.

It's an ideal way to recruit, and find great companies, and a space ripe for
innovation and investment.

Very excited to see what the team comes up with (and yes, I'm a fan and
advisor -- my enthusiasm runs deep, and is very genuine)

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LizGG
Internships are changing the landscape of labor where unemployment is still
high. In today's economy, an internship is one of the most direct ways to gain
access to ANY MARKET YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT. More and more undergrads are
realizing this (and it's not just for those who are beefing up their resume).
More grad students and mid-career folks are also realizing this. Employers are
getting it.

Yes, perhaps YOU didn't get that job. But YOU can probably get that
internship. Which LEADS to that job.

Sites such as InternMatch get that idea. They make this process easier for
those of us who are searching. They seem to care about the search process and
they keep it simple and personalized.

Keep up the good work InternMatch!

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klbarry
People complain about working for free all the time. I think they are pretty
foolish. After all, historically people always paid for apprenticeships.

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wikyd
One thing to consider about unpaid internships is that they can limit the
potential candidate pool. Not everyone can afford to work without being paid.

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GabeP
This is great! It's a great company that really delivers on their promises on
both sides. For interns - an easy way to get an internship that's actually
inline with their interests and skill development. For employers - a quality
intern that can deliver quality work. As someone that's experienced both sides
of the internship issue through InternMatch, this is well deserved. Congrats!

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JAS714
Same here. Internmatch really is a dream come true for college students
hunting for opportunities like myself. I must say the user interface just
blows away all the other competition I've seen out there and I've certainly
checked just about all the competing sites!

excellent job on the site and best of luck, continue the great work!

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sailboatwreck
This is a great company; they're simplifying the internship search for
students and employers, alike, and fulfilling a huge need in the marketplace.
Keep up the good work!

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mikeytom
Way to go guys! It's awesome to see the company grow constantly. Keep up the
good work : )

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rgrieselhuber
Congrats! The InternMatch guys are awesome and are building an amazing
product.

