Nearly Half Of Interns Have Shot At Full-Time Work

Attention students: A majority of hiring managers are looking for interns and nearly half of them would like to hire their interns as full-time permanent employees.

Sixty-one percent of hiring managers say they will hire college students or recent college graduates for internship positions in the fall, and 44% say they would likely hire college interns as full-time, permanent employees, CBcampus.com, CareerBuilder.com's college job search site, reported Tuesday.

Eighty-four percent of hiring managers say they would begin hiring college interns for the fall between June and September, according to the survey.

"It's never too early to start thinking about internships, and there are a great deal of opportunities that exist as long as you take the time to search and apply," Nathan Lippe, senior career advisor for CBcampus.com, said in a prepared statement. "Fifty-nine percent of the hiring managers we surveyed say they either have recruited interns in the past or are currently recruiting interns and another 14% say they plan to recruit interns in the future."

Lippe offered advice, based on the survey results, for turning an internship into a real job. He said that displaying enthusiasm, taking initiative to tackle more than is assigned, and being on time are keys to getting hired.

"College students and recent college graduates need to take advantage of this so that they can gain hands-on experience to add to their résumés and build a professional network," he said.

Thirty-five percent of employers say the biggest mistake college interns make that would cause them not to hire the intern permanently is not showing enthusiasm for the job. One in five employers say not going above and beyond the assigned task would be the biggest mistake a college intern could make that would cause them not to get a job offer.

Lippe said that some managers aren't as stringent when it comes to start times if the work is getting done, while others expect interns to be on time every day. Thirteen percent of employers say arriving late to work is the biggest mistake college interns make that would cause them not to hire the intern permanently.

"Waking up 15 minutes earlier to ensure you're on time is worth it for a shot at a full-time position," he said.

Harris Interactive conducted the online survey of 2,417 U.S. hiring managers and human resource professionals from June 1 to June 13 for Career Builder.

Some responses were weighted to reflect national demographics and online behaviors.