Internships and Projects

Currently enrolled Clark University undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply for and participate in ClarkCONNECT Projects. Individual projects may only be open to students of specific majors or class years, so please be sure to review the requirements before submitting your application.

International Students

Projects are only available to international students with work authorization before applying, including Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT), or a work visa. If you are applying for a project, you should connect with the International Students and Scholars Office. Contact information can be found on the International Center webpage.

Graduate students and graduate international students should contact their career advisers for additional work authorization opportunities. Graduate students from the School of Management (SOM) should contact Kelly Kochis, associate director of the Stevenish Career Management Center, at kkochis@352396.com to discuss additional work authorization opportunities.

To apply for a ClarkCONNECT Project, you must have a ClarkCONNECT account. Already part of the community? Go to clarkconnect.352396.com to sign in. Navigate to the “Opportunities” tab and select “Explore Projects” to see all recently posted projects on the platform.

Not yet part of ClarkCONNECT? Go to clarkconnect.352396.com to create your account. From the Welcome to ClarkCONNECT pop-up window, select “Clark Login” as your preferred login method, and use your Clark email credentials to join. Fill in the requested information to complete your profile and then follow the above instructions to view and apply for projects.

As a Project Seeker, we encourage you to take the following steps:

• Update your ClarkCONNECT profile. Include a profile photo; a short summary introducing yourself, your interests, and the types of opportunities you’re looking for; information about your current and past job, internship, or long-term volunteering experiences; and your Clark major(s), minor(s), and expected graduation year.
• Get your resume reviewed by the Career Lab by uploading it to Handshake before you apply to a project. To upload your document to Handshake for review, click on your profile image, select Documents, and upload your resume. Feedback should appear on the bottom of your document within one to three days.
• Meet with a career adviser to discuss how a project might fit into your career development goals. To book an appointment with a career adviser, follow the steps outlined here.
• Be sure you understand the project expectations and skills required before you submit your application. You can always reach out to the project poster for details or clarification.

Here are guidelines and tips to help you manage your ClarkCONNECT Project:

I’ve been hired! Now what do I do?

• Once you’ve been hired for a ClarkCONNECT Project, you’ll receive an email notification from the ClarkCONNECT platform and your Project Sponsor will reach out to you. Your ClarkCONNECT project application will then turn into your project management dashboard. We recommend that you manage all communication and interaction with your Project Sponsor through the ClarkCONNECT platform.
• Additional mentors: After being hired for a project, you’ll notice that your project dashboard recommends alumni mentors. These contacts have offered to support students on ClarkCONNECT. You can reach out to up to three of them for general support, industry-focused questions, or general guidance. Once you connect, they will be added to your project as a mentor, but likely won’t know the specifics of your project.

Managing Your Project

To keep yourself on track while completing a project:

• Use an online calendar to schedule your working hours, mark deadlines, and track your progress.
• Build a strong working relationship with your Project Sponsor. Communicate frequently, schedule check-ins, and ask for feedback, help, or advice when needed.
• Divide big tasks into smaller ones that can be completed in 30 minutes or less. Take a break after completing a task, then return to work for another 30 minutes.

Completing Your Project

When you’re ready to submit your project, you can choose to change the project status in your ClarkCONNECT inbox to “Submitted for Approval.” Your Project Sponsor must agree that it has been completed and approve your work. Once your completed project has been approved, you’ll receive a Badge on your ClarkCONNECT profile indicating you have completed a project!

If You Need Support

• Your Project Sponsor can support your specific project questions and goals, but if any challenges arise and you feel you need more support or guidance, please reach out to the Career Connections Center staff so we can help guide you. You can email Kate Benoit at kbenoit@352396.com.
• Graduate students seeking support for applying to and managing ClarkCONNECT Projects or internships should contact their career advisers.

School of Management (SOM) graduate students should contact Kelly Kochis, assistant director of the Stevenish Career Management Center, at kkochis@352396.com.

International Development, Community, and Environment (IDCE) graduate students should contact Sharon Hanna, director of career development and external relations, at shanna@352396.com.

School of Professional Studies (SPS) students should contact Todd Bartlett, director of experiential learning, at tbartlett@352396.com.

Clark alumni, parents, friends of the University, and employers can offer and post projects on the ClarkCONNECT platform at any point throughout the year. We are currently seeking projects for students to complete during the Spring 2023 semester (January–May 2023).

In just a few minutes, you can create short-term, virtual projects that help students access the critical, hands-on experiences they need to explore their purpose, gain transferable skills, build their resumes, and launch their careers.

As a Project Sponsor, the project you create will be work that complements, rather than replaces, the work of paid staff or long-term interns at your organization. Educational benefits for students might include building or refining skills, learning about the industry, field, or project focus, and practicing professional competencies such as teamwork and communication. With your guided mentorship, a project should include a combination of different activities that contribute to the student’s experience. For example, some project hours could be mentorship conversations between you and the student, or informational interviews with professionals from your organization or network.

You can design a ClarkCONNECT Project by taking individual projects from a long-term internship that can be done remotely or by developing new projects that support your organizational needs.

Project Description: ClarkCONNECT Project descriptions should be as detailed as possible to ensure that students understand the desired skills, expected responsibilities, and scope of work prior to application. Strong project descriptions will also include a brief summary of your organization, a defined timeframe, a description of knowledge and/or skills to be developed by the student during the duration of the project, and a concrete goal or learning outcome. For examples of well-written project descriptions, refer to this helpful guide.

Project Content: ClarkCONNECT Projects should be work that complements, rather than replaces, the work of paid staff or long-term interns at your organization. Educational benefits for students might include building or refining skills, learning about the industry, field, or project focus, and practicing professional competencies such as teamwork and communication. Download “Tips on Providing Virtual Mentorship & Guidance.”

Project Schedule: ClarkCONNECT Projects are shorter in duration and scope than internships and should last between 2 and 4 weeks, totaling 20 to 40 hours of student work. The specific work schedule can be determined according to what works best for you, the student’s availability, and the project needs (e.g., five hours per week for four weeks, 20 hours per week for two weeks, etc.).

A student should be able to fulfill the required hours for a project through a combination of different activities that contribute to their experience. For example, in addition to working on the assigned project, some project hours could be mentorship conversations between you and the student, or informational interviews with professionals from your organization or network.

Project Compensation: ClarkCONNECT Projects can be paid or unpaid. We encourage a stipend for students based on $15 per hour up to $600, depending on the hours worked over the course of the project. Projects paying less than $600 do not require a 1099 form, according to IRS tax laws. Projects can be affiliated with an organization and defined to have a meaningful impact or, alternatively, you can define projects meant simply to provide students with valuable exposure to your career field or industry.

• Paid Projects: If this is a paid project, the sponsor is responsible for any necessary agreements with the student and for arranging payment with the student. We encourage you to check with your HR/Legal departments for further clarification to these guidelines including prevailing minimum wages and status of a student taking project, such as independent contractor, etc. Please note that if you have posted a paid project, your payment is a direct contribution to the student hired and is not considered a gift in kind to Clark University. Compensation is handled directly between the sponsor and student.
• Unpaid Projects: We recognize that not all project hosts or organizations can offer a paid opportunity. Unpaid opportunities can be shared if they are true experiential learning opportunities for our students and comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act outlined in the Terms of Service. Unpaid projects should be for the educational benefit of the student.

To post a ClarkCONNECT Project, you must have a ClarkCONNECT account. Already part of the community? Go to clarkconnect.352396.com to sign in. Navigate to the “Opportunities” tab, select “Explore Projects,” and then click the “Post a Project” button on the right sidebar.

Not yet part of ClarkCONNECT? Go to clarkconnect.352396.com to create your account. From the Welcome to ClarkCONNECT pop-up, select your preferred login method from email, Facebook, or LinkedIn, and fill in the requested information to finish creating your account. Once your account is approved, you’ll be able to follow the above instructions to post a ClarkCONNECT Project on the platform.

Check out this technical support document for detailed instructions on navigating the platform and posting ClarkCONNECT Projects, as well as FAQs about the posting process.

Hiring a student for a ClarkCONNECT Project is quick and easy. As a project sponsor, you are expected to initiate and close out the hiring process directly through the ClarkCONNECT platform. This Support For Project Sponsors guide walks you through how to view applicants, make a hire, update the project’s status, and message your hired candidate on the platform.

Once you hire a student for a ClarkCONNECT Project, you are responsible for any necessary agreements with the student and for arranging payment with the student as the project sponsor. If you are sponsoring a project on behalf of an organization, we encourage you to check with your HR/Legal departments for further clarification to these guidelines including prevailing minimum wages and status of a student taking project. Compensation is handled directly between the sponsor and student.

Find everything you need to know to help you create, post, and manage a student project in the following resources:

• PDF: Tips for Writing a ClarkCONNECT Project Description
• PDF: ClarkCONNECT Technical Support Doc
• PDF: Providing Virtual Mentorship and Guidance
• PDF: ClarkCONNECT Projects: Examples Library
• PDF: Support For Project Sponsors: Reviewing, Hiring and Managing Your Applicants

Summer internships at alumni organizations give Clark students the chance to learn and cultivate skills that employers need while making new connections within the Clark community. There are three ways to share an internship with Clark students:

• Post a position on ClarkCONNECT and be a resource for students by answering questions about your experience, reviewing a resume, or helping students prepare for an interview. To post on the platform and interact with student mentees, you’ll need an active ClarkCONNECT account. Follow the steps in the quick video above to create an account if you do not already have one, and then navigate to the “Opportunities” tab to post a position.
• Create an opportunity or arrange one specifically for a Clark student at your place of work.
• Be an advocate by actively facilitating a Clark student’s resume through your organization or connecting a student to someone with hiring authority.

Alumni who own businesses or who are decision-makers in their place of work can help students by creating summer internship opportunities, including virtual internship experiences. Check out these tips for creating an internship opportunity, including what an internship is, suggested timeframes for an internship, and how to create an internship description to post on ClarkCONNECT.

Alumni can also participate in our annual Alumni Job Shadow Program.

• Video: How to Join ClarkCONNECT
• PDF: ClarkCONNECT Technical Support 
• PDF: Guide to Creating an Internship Opportunity