The level of competition for job positions is extremely high between graduates and sophomore students. Modern tendencies show it will only grow in the nearest future. Due to that, students have to find new ways to stand out from the crowd of other candidates having equal qualification and preparation. Former students obtaining “fresh” job experience (the “real-life workplace” one) can potentially bring more value to employers. At least, that is how HR managers think. Therefore, a reason for students to hunt that experience is solid.
What exactly is an internship? How actually can it be useful? What will employers expect from you? Papercheap.co.uk writers decided to give you some answers to help you find out if it is the correct option in your case.
Internship: Extended Definition
They call the possibility given to potential workers from an employer in a single word – internship. Interns are those potential employees. A certain company offers an intern to cooperate with it during some time.
Mostly, interns are students or undergraduates. The period of the internship for most positions varies from a month to three. When the firm offers a position during the vacation, it usually is a full-time position. In case they open it during university semesters, the position is part-time.
Your main aim is to get experience and practical knowledge of the particular industry. In return, the employer has an additional worker and can benefit from their labor.
There are paid as well as voluntary offers. According to trendy changes, people rightly cite voluntary internships as illegal exploitation cases.
Obviously, well-paid internship positions are regularly the most wanted among candidates. That means there is an extremely high competition.
Why Do Internship Positions Exist?
Firms tend to offer internships to students and graduates because of different reasons. Here are those of short-term and long-term positions.
Short-Term Internships
The motivation for employers to present internship positions is simple. An intern is a low-cost (or even unpaid) labor force. The worker able to complete basic office tasks (filing, photocopying, report drafts, etc.) without getting paid significant sums is a valuable resource. A lot of companies are bringing onboard students for some weeks or months to help their more qualified specialists complete essential projects or organize critical events.
It is an excellent solution for a student. You’ll dive into the job environment, develop project management, problem-solving, and conversation skills in real cases. If an internship is just a brief study, it is still a source of experience to get transferable skills. Additionally, it is crucial to have connections and to enter the professional network in your field as soon as possible.
In addition to the possibility to establish job contacts, an internship is an excellent bonus to the student's CV.
Long-Term Internships
For employers, an internship is a solid way to advertise their graduate schemes. According to surveys, almost 50% of graduate employers invite a minimum of 20% of their former internship workers to pass through training. It increases the chances for the student to come back to that firm after graduating from university.
It is profitable for employers to hire ex-internship students because such workers are already familiar with the company and their responsibilities. Former interns need fewer resources and less time to teach them compared to entirely new people.
Internship Notes
Keep in mind that there is never too much information when you try to find and get a job. Try searching as much info as you can on hiring trends, interview methods, ways for recruiters to check your competence, etc. Usually, there is enough data about the company, their internship propositions, and vacant places online.
Usual Intern Responsibilities
Typically, an intern carries out a bunch of supporting functions as a junior specialist. Some specific responsibilities may vary depending on the employer, the professional field, and the internship itself. It is not conventional employment, so the main impact here is training and showing you what to expect from your future profession.
Do not think they would give you project management or account coordination tasks during the very first days of an internship. Such positions are about supporting job, not the decision-making responsibilities.
Nevertheless, the understanding of the industry functioning is always an advantage, even if the range of your responsibilities has only basic (and quite dull) limits in terms of activity. Usually, interns process emails, fill data columns in electronic tables, schedule things, and sort documents.
Nevertheless, it’s not a default option. Sometimes, employers give interns more responsibilities. Students can even become key team members and contribute to the firm’s projects a lot.
Required Experience
Although employers won’t count on you having some real experience behind your back, they’ll pay attention to skills an intern should gain during the studying process. To replace relevant job experience, an intern can use the following ways:
- Go volunteering. It is a perfect option to start building real career experience. Keep in mind that material rewards are not the point here. The contacts you make and the skills you learn matter the most in volunteering.
- Search part-time employment options. There are numerous ways to get yourself busy in between the studying process. Again, the job type is not the focus here. All that matters is the gained experience and transferable skills. Later, recruiters will definitely pay attention to those points when reviewing your application.
- Join student communities. A business club, a hobby community, a discussion group, etc. are great to gain skills a potential employer would want you to have.
- Try to freelance. That is the way for students who don’t wish to look for part-time jobs away from home. Becoming a freelancer is especially useful in the fields connected with creativity, such as design, writing, programming, etc. It is much better to start collecting work samples for a portfolio earlier. No other thing will confirm your skill, way of thinking, and experience better than a visible result of your efforts.
Why Do You Need it?
Nowadays, it is not enough to have a good diploma after graduation. Consequently, the number of graduating students looking for additional job experience increases day after day. They reasonably count on those resume points and samples to help them get vacant positions or graduate schemes in particular companies.
"Pumping" a student's CV with extra-curricular activities is an old way, and it used to work in the past. However, the work-related and relevant experience is a much more crucial option to fill the resume when a student tries to enter the labor market on this day.
An internship is definitely one of the most accessible and effective ways to gain the required “real-life” experience directly in the field. It is not a pleasant addition to a CV anymore. Nowadays, it is a “must-have” option.
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