While summer nears, some students are beginning to make vacation plans, but Bill Griffin is preparing for his break by reading The Wall Street Journal.

Griffin (sophomore-finance) has an internship for the summer, a time Career Counseling and Planning says is the best chance to get a head start.

"The more experience you have, the more valuable you are in the job market," he said.

Griffin, who will be interning at the trading firm Goldman Sachs, said he wants the experience of working on the trading floor before he graduates.

Bob Orndorff, associate director for career counseling and planning, said all students should be thinking of how they can incorporate some aspect of a career into their summers.

"We really think any and all students should be considering their future during the summer," he said. "Even if their field doesn't really offer internships."

Although sophomores look for internships, Orndorff said the most popular time for students to apply for internships is the summer between their junior and senior years.

Orndorff said companies want to see students with some completed course work before accepting them as interns. Freshmen are usually too inexperienced for prime positions, he said. Instead, he said, students without internships should seek out part-time jobs relative to their desired fields.

"If a student is looking to be a counselor, it's not likely that they'll find an internship for substance abuse programs," Orndorff said. "But they need hands-on experience, such as by being a camp counselor."

Students looking for these internships can take advantage of the resources provided by Penn State, he said.

One of these programs is LionLink, a connection of students to more than 2,000 alumni volunteers, Orndorff said.

"This helps in two ways," he said. "It helps students gather information about a career from someone who eats, sleeps and drinks it. More importantly, though, is networking."

Orndorff said the best way to find an internship is through networking. He said students should ask for referrals from alumni to their colleagues.

"I should probably work through the school to find [an internship]," Ashley Dart (sophomore-finance) said. "I've been trying on my own, but I haven't found anything."

After students know they have an internship, Orndorff said, they need to research the company and prepare themselves for any work they might encounter.

"Get a feel for the expectations on you," he said. "If you get a head start, you'll be noticed."

Getting noticed is vital during an internship, he said. More companies are beginning to hire only students who interned at that company, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). "This confirms what we've seen in our other studies," said Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. "Over the years, we've seen employers place more emphasis on identifying potential employees through internships."

After finishing the internship, Orndorff said, companies are likely to become engrossed in their work and forget about the interns. He said it is necessary, for this reason, to keep in contact with several employees.

"Touch base, e-mail thank you letters, tell them you're looking forward to possibly working with them in the future [and] update your resume," he said.