Savvy College Students Turn to New Professional Marketing Service to Land Summer Internships

Rather than compete against thousands of students for one of the few advertised internships, savvy students and parents are turning to the pros to create targeted "internship marketing campaigns" on their behalf. Fast Track Internships, a new service created by two marketing executives, works one-on-one with students to generate multiple internship offers in the student's desired field and location -- with astonishing results.

Dallas, Texas (PRWEB) February 20, 2007 -- A new company called Fast Track Internships is turning the hyper-competitive market for college internships on its head. Started by two senior marketing executives, Fast Track Internships creates customized "internship marketing campaigns" for college students that generate 10 to 15 interviews and 4 to 5 job offers for each student that uses the service. Instead of competing against thousands of other students for the limited number of advertised internships, students are working with Fast Track Internships' consultants to create their own dream internships. You'd be surprised how many cover letters go on and on about what the student is hoping to get out of the experience "When I saw how unbelievably hard it was for my son and his friends to find internships through the Internet job boards, I knew there had to be a better way" said Tom Kuthy one of Fast Track Internships' founders. Putting his 20 years of blue chip marketing experience to work, Kuthy responded to the problem by creating "internship-marketing campaigns" for his son, Daniel and friend Krista Anderson, both students at Michigan State University.

The cornerstone of the approach is to turn the odds of success in the student's favor by targeting large numbers of specific firms that can provide exactly the type of internship experience sought. Using his professional database marketing expertise, Kuthy identified and researched about 300 companies per student. Going further, he identified the individuals that make the hiring decisions. "By targeting individuals at that many organizations, the odds of getting an offer go up exponentially," Kuthy said.

Next, Kuthy reviewed the student's existing resumes. Having managed internship recruiting programs for major corporations, Kuthy knows what companies look for when evaluating potential interns. "The students had plenty of accomplishments of interest to employers, but many were either not mentioned at all, or needed to be presented in a more organized and relevant way," said Kuthy.

Kuthy also wrote a powerful cover letter for each student communicating the benefits the employer would get out of hiring an intern. "You'd be surprised how many cover letters go on and on about what the student is hoping to get out of the experience," Kuthy noted. "Employers are not charities: they want to get something out of the internship experience, too."

Armed with a targeted list of 300 employers, a benefit-focused cover letter, and a professional resume, Kuthy printed out all 300 copies for each student. "All the students had to do was sign, stuff and mail the letters" said Kuthy.   

The results astonished even a veteran marketer like Kuthy. "I got at least 60 phone calls, accepted 10 interviews, and had my choice of internship offers in my college town", recalls Krista Anderson of Michigan State. "I chose to work at a large real estate company in marketing and had a great experience". Kuthy's son Daniel had similar results and took a paid internship as an Internet strategy consultant.

Kuthy was so impressed with the results he asked Steve Rodems to join him in bringing the service to students nationwide and Fast Track Internshipswas born. Rodems, formerly a Senior V. P. at Rapp Collins, the world's largest direct marketing agency, left a comfortable corporate job to join. "As a father of a college student currently interning with the FBI, I immediately saw the enormous value of this powerful service", said Rodems.

Fast Track Internships has now worked with students from University of Texas, Penn State, Michigan State, Oklahoma University, Miami University, University of Michigan, John Brown University and Washington University in St. Louis, covering fields as diverse as: engineering, psychology, Internet consulting, pre-med, environmental science, investment banking, criminal justice, advertising, public relations, economics, veterinary science and MBA candidates.

A typical campaign generates about 10 interviews and 4-5 offers. The company's success rate is so high, they offer a 100% money back guarantee that the student will receive at least two internship offers. The complete service ---including all printed materials and postage--- costs $799 for an unpaid internship, $999 for a paid internship and $1,999 for a full time job upon graduation.

"Our biggest challenge is meeting the demand as students and parents wanting to lock in a summer internship start to increasingly panic over the next 3 to 4 months" Kuthy said.