When you are only starting out with your profession or are already a beginner, your lack of experience seems to be a major consideration when applying for employment.
What are your thoughts on internships? Is it something that every student should care about or is it something that every student should think about?
What Is an Internship?
Internships are the most common type of on-the-job training for students and trainees. They are perfect for those looking for a more in-depth, first-hand look at a specific industry.
They put young professionals in real-world environments, similar to externship, to give them a taste of what life is like in a specific industry.
Unlike externship, internships for college students usually come with a small stipend or an hourly wage. Internship programs are often a few months long, with several students completing them over the term or during the summer.
Types of Internships
Internships can be used in a variety of areas and scenarios. An internship may be charged, unpaid, or partially compensated (in the form of a stipend).
Internships may be part-time or full-time, and they are normally structured to work into students' schedules.
An internship normally lasts one to four months, but depending on the organization, it may be shorter or longer. Job shadowing is another name for interning.
Paid internships. This internship format is intended to expand an intern's perspective on both their school studies and their job environment. The intern is required to introduce school-related skills to the organization.
Unpaid internships, mainly coming from non-profits and think tanks where they work for free or on a volunteer basis.
State law and administrative bodies have the authority to impose limits on unpaid internship schemes under the Minimum Wage Act.
Partially-paid internships, A stipend is a payment made to students in the form of "an allowance"
Stipends are normally a fixed amount of money that is allocated every day. Stipend-paying interns are normally paid according to a set schedule established by the firm.
Virtual Internship, another kind of internship that is gaining a lot of traction. If an intern works from home and is not physically available at the office, this is the case. Another kind of internship is becoming more common. It provides people with the ability to gain professional experience without needing to work in a workplace.
The internship is carried out using online interaction such as phone, email, and web resources. In most cases, virtual interns are able to work at their own speed.
The Benefits of Internships for students
Finding a job can be difficult, particularly if you have no prior experience. Unfortunately, you must first find employment before gaining experience. Internships are a perfect opportunity for college students, new graduates, and everyone dreaming about changing jobs to acquire important job experience.
1. Gaining Experience
This is the only way for you to gain experience. Internships have the perfect opportunity and you get to do a little bit of everything! Experience is the best trainer.
Learning from experts is an excellent way to obtain insight into your field. Soft skills were rated as more essential than technical skills by 57 percent of people in a LinkedIn Skills Report (2018).
Communication, coordination, problem-solving, and collaboration are also qualities that can be learned during an internship and used afterward.
You get to see and experience the many positions that people perform in various businesses, as well as see working life from various angles. This is useful to bring into the workplace when you can be expected to do a variety of activities covering diverse aspects of the business. You would have already tried things and learned how to multitask this way.
As a result, it teaches you about your own responses and skills in a multitude of circumstances, allowing you to recognize and focus on your strengths while still identifying and improving on your weaknesses, all of which is beneficial to your future career.
2. Consider your options for a job
Exploration is an integral aspect of the college experience, and internships are a perfect opportunity for students to get a taste of the profession they want to pursue. Any students enter college with a certain degree or career path in mind, only to later change their minds.
Taking on an internship while in college helps students to gain experience in their chosen profession while also allowing them to determine if it is the best fit for them. Interning candidates are more likely to be confident in their degree choice by graduation.
3. Gain an advantage in the employment market
One of the most significant internship advantages is that college graduates with prior job experience, such as an internship, stand out to potential employers.
An internship helps you to spend time learning about your job, responsibilities, and industry.
Internships intend for you to leave understanding more than when you arrived, and it is always the case. Take advantage of this time to learn everything you can about the tasks you are assigned and the new tools you will be using.
To ensure that you are giving it your everything, write it down, ask questions, and do it over and over again.
You will also get a higher starting pay rate than someone who does not have internship experience and is only starting out in the workplace.
4. Gain monetary compensation
While unpaid internships are still a popular topic, there are paying internships available, and many others have an untaxed training allowance that covers costs including travel and food.
While all positions have transferable skills such as leadership, problem-solving, and cash management, paying internships help you to earn (sometimes good) money while learning critical skills for your future career.
5. Build and strengthen skills
One of the most important facets of an internship is that it allows you to gain valuable insight into your strengths and weaknesses in a real environment while also refining skills learned during your degrees – such as teamwork and analysis – to the level required by the company.
Internships have important feedback from mentors and other experts in the industry, as well as a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience that you do not have as a working adult. Acknowledge the mistakes you will make as an intern, as well as the many things you will not remember. To get the best out of your internship teaching experience, ask questions, observe, and take risks.
6. Build connections with experts in the field
In today's world, it is all about who you know. Doing an internship helps you in the workplace.
As an intern, you will be surrounded by business experts. Internships are more than just a way to get credit, a score, or money; they also give you the chance to learn from the people around you.
Connecting with people gives you a 1 in 16 chance of finding a job; the professionals you meet through an internship could be your potential colleagues or the connection to your first job.
These contacts may also help you in a variety of aspects, from keeping you in mind for career openings to having the important referral or letter of recommendation for a graduate position, MSc, or additional internship.
7. Boost your confidence
Internships encourage you to bring specific classroom techniques to the test before joining the workforce. Internships will boost your confidence, allowing you to develop as a worker and an individual, whether it be by public speaking, delivering speeches, or simply proposing new ideas. Confidence is important and who would trust in you if you don't?
Make sure you do not cross the line between confidence and arrogance because no one wants an arrogant employee!
8. Making the transition into a work
The internship should never be the end goal; however, it should be a stepping stone.
Internships are a popular way for businesses to boost their recruiting efforts. An organization may plan to employ an intern after the internship is completed in some cases. Even if a job offer is not presented right away, an intern who makes a good impression will be offered later when a position becomes available.
There is a chance you can get a full-time position at the place where you are interning if you do a good job! It is a way for businesses to put a candidate through their tests before agreeing to recruit them.
9. Figure out your preferences
While everybody hopes to leave an internship feeling relieved and enthusiastic about the opportunity, there is a silver lining if you do not like the work: you will learn what you do not want.
Internships help us to put an organization and its business to the test. Let us face it, some businesses are good, and others are just downright terrible, with no work-life balance, boring jobs, poor salaries, and unpleasant coworkers, to give some examples.
The internship is a glimmer of hope, recognizing that you will be leaving and will not be trapped here until you are 65! This helps you to immerse yourself in the work and learn as much as possible.
10. Higher grades
According to certain research, the knowledge and experience acquired through job placements and internships help graduates obtain higher overall exam grades by offering an in-depth understanding of the principles and concepts learned during your degree, which you can build on while taking exams.
11. Avoid the Cultural Shock of Transitioning from University to a Job
A cultural shock may occur within the first year of full-time employment. The first year of ‘freedom' will make even the most hopeful graduate pine for the days of 9 a.m. classes and library fees, from the nearly endless struggle to find jobs to long, non-negotiable working hours and the drudgery of the everyday drive.
An internship not only offers you the contacts and knowledge you need to land a graduation position (thereby avoiding the relentless career search), but it also gives you a clearer sense of what to expect and helps to lessen the jolt of entering full-time jobs by giving you a taste of life in your chosen profession.
12. Helps with your CV
It is nice to get A's on the papers at university, and employers will notice. But, after that, they will like to know what you are truly capable of. Apart from reading and doing a few tasks, what else have you done? An internship is an opportunity to show the ability to apply academic knowledge in a practical setting.
You will be allowed to apply assignments and accomplishments to your CV in addition to your academic successes, which will create an increase in business interest. That is because someone with prior experience poses a lower risk. The fact that you have already been recruited and the new employer will see what you have done increases your employability greatly.
Aside from internships, there are other ways to boost your job opportunities and make your resume more appealing. Take advantage of free online classes to read more about the topics that concern you. Attend career fairs, seminars, meetups, and workshops. You may also engage with experts by joining online communities.
Know that anyone who is an expert in everything starts off as a novice. Enjoy every step and, above all, remember to make the most of your journey!