InternWire: A new way to find and review internships
Michael Fearer, a fourth-year electrical engineering major from Cleveland, Ohio, created InternWire to give students another resource to explore employment opportunities other than company websites and career fairs.
“The first two internships I had were with smaller companies, and they weren’t exactly what I was hoping,” said Fearer, who is currently interning with his fifth company. “They were still very helpful and the experience was great, but I wish I had more information before I applied and worked for the company.”
InternWire is a website that allows students to rate their previous internships, review other internships and search for future career opportunities. Fearer originally tried to find an existing resource that fit his needs, but the few sites that were started never got the traction required to become a helpful tool to find internships. After considering the idea for a while, he began planning the project throughout the summer and launched the site at the beginning of fall semester.
“The community here is absolutely amazing,” said Fearer. “This is one of the hot spots for startups in the Midwest, and the culture and resources that Ohio State has is great. I can’t imagine doing it anywhere else.”
In order for the site to be successful, Fearer wanted to partner with university career services offices, which would promote the site while providing the offices with more resources for students. Fearer reached out to Engineering Career Services and other Ohio State career centers, as well as the Fisher College of Business, who sent an email to about 5,500 students to tell them about the product and encourage students to check it out.
“We agreed to partner with InternWire back in August, which means that we will market it to students and in return will receive monthly usage statistics,” explained Amy Thaci, director of Engineering Career Services. “We liked the online database feature of students’ reviews of past internships. This product helps students make good choices for themselves when it comes to internships.”
Before officially launching the site, Fearer reached out to about 30 companies to gauge potential interest from employers. The first response he received was surprisingly negative, but that did not hinder Fearer’s ambition. Since then, companies and students alike have been very supportive of the idea, however Fearer acknowledged that it takes time and effort to grow a database and reputation that can benefit both students and employers.
“It’s like the chicken and the egg dilemma,” compared Fearer. “We want students to use the website to show companies it’s worthwhile, but we also need companies to register with opportunities to give students an incentive to use the site.”
Fearer expects InternWire to continue to grow, especially in terms of the number of registered companies. Setting up a profile is free for companies, but there is a fee to post internships and validate student reviews. Companies will be able to purchase certain plans to fit their needs, with advertisements eventually becoming another source of revenue.
A portion of all profits plans to be donated to charity. One of the charities Fearer plans to donate to will be Pencils of Promise, a nonprofit that creates schools, programs and global communities around the common goal of education for all.
Because of Fearer’s dedication and work ethic, Thaci can see InternWire growing by “leaps and bounds.”
“What struck me the most about Michael is his maturity, respect, timely responses and professional demeanor,” said Thaci. “He would come in and demonstrate the product, send me links and ask for my input at every stage. He was always open to constructive feedback.
Michael was genuinely interested in knowing, from my perspective as a seasoned career services professional, how he should approach other career centers when asking them to partner with InternWire, which proved to me that he was truly interested in understanding his market.”
Because of her experience working with Fearer, Thaci nominated him for a $2,500 VentureNEXT scholarship, which he received for demonstrating “extreme promise and passion in innovation and technology.”
Fearer also sought feedback from family and friends to create the most useful, efficient site possible. Though his background is in electrical engineering, the work ethic he gained from classes and his entrepreneurial mindset have become major assets.
“The biggest thing electrical engineering has done is made me a harder worker and made it easier for me to juggle things,” said Fearer. “Electrical engineering is also more creative than people think, trying to come up with certain unique designs and solutions to problems.”
As a member of the executive board of the Founders, Builders, Creators Alliance—a student organization dedicated to encouraging all Ohio State students to get involved with entrepreneurship—Fearer realizes the rigorous work it takes to make a successful business.
“Everybody has amazing ideas, but actually implementing them is the hard thing,” said Fearer. “Starting a business is never risk-free and there’s never really a good time to start a business, you just have to go for it.”
Next semester Fearer plans to market InternWire to career centers at universities nationwide. He hopes to have more users by February, the next wave of internship and career fairs and opportunities. If the site continues to grow and expand, Fearer may be looking at a career with his startup.
“If InternWire makes it big enough, I could see myself doing it full-time,” said Fearer. “It has the potential to help a lot of people and that is worth it for me. If InternWire can help at least one student pick an internship and know that is the company they want to work for afterward, that is all I can really hope for. That’s the major goal that keeps me going.”
by Jenn Shafer
