Internships can be an awesome experience or they can be daunting depending on where you work. The perfect internship can make your career and help you accomplish wonders later in life.
But for those of you who have been living under a rock and don’t know what an internship is, let me simplify it for you.
The term internship means a student or trainee who works in an organization in order to gain experience or fulfill an education requirement, most often than not, without any pay.
Also commonly known as “FREE WORK or FREE EMPLOYEE” in the eyes of most students and low budget start-up companies, an internship can be a life-changing experience.
Agencies are constantly looking out for talented interns because honestly they are cheap labor, eager to learn, and are more often than not, easily dominated to do any sort of task however menial it may be.
However, from a student’s perspective, the right internship can lead to the right job and consequently to your dream career.
So let us break it down to a few simple steps that you must do in order to bag your “Perfect Internship”
MAKE A SOLID PORTFOLIO OR RESUME
It can be a bit challenging to make a strong resume when you have no experience to add.
However, that can be remedied if you take up freelance projects, volunteer in college or community events or do free online courses with certifications offered by many reputed online companies like Udemy, Hubspot, Khan Academy and so on.
All of this adds more value to your resume even if you do not have any formal work experience.
PUBLISH YOUR RESUME ON JOB SITES
With the explosion of the internet in India, you can easily use Google to search for job opportunities, however besides that; there are specific sites that dedicated for Internships like Internshala & Intern Theory to name a few.
There are professional social media sites as well like LinkedIn that you use to increase your connections as well as search for jobs and internship opportunities.
CAREER CENTERS OR RECRUITMENT AGENCY
Colleges or Universities have their own Internship Cells that can help you find the agency that would suit your profile and skills. These are generally handled by Staff or the Human Resource Department.
Every year there are plenty of Job Fairs conducted where various companies put up their requirements for an Intern. It is recommended to visit such fairs, as they will help you network & increase your options to various fields.
FINANCIAL NEEDS/ STIPEND
Some internships do not offer a stipend. Others will just offer to cover-up your basic travelling expenses at an entry-level position.
You need to see if the stipend offered justifies the amount of work allotted to you. Before deciding to join the company or agency you need to make your mind up if you are comfortable with the stipend offered.
COLLEGE GRADUATES OR SUMMER INTERNS
Interning at an early stage gives you a better perspective about the field you might want to consider.
Placement cells provided by reputed colleges such as St Pauls Institute of Communication Education, Xavier’s Institute of Communications, Rizvi College etc. will definitely help you get ahead of the game compared to your peers.
INTERNSHIP DURATION
Internships are mimic your actual job, which means your commitment level will be tested. So before you join always check the duration of your internship.
Each company has its own internship tenure.
IDENTIFY YOUR CAREER INTERESTS
You will want to be sure before joining an agency if that internship will help you pursue your future goals or be of any help to you.
The point of doing an internship is to gain relevant experience in the field of interest. This will have a positive impact in your resume and help you landing your dream job.
CONCLUSION
The right internship can open a vast number of opportunities for you. It does not matter if you do not have any formal work experience yet.
Community service, online certifications, college events, etc. can all collectively make a compelling resume.
Start implementing these steps from day one itself and you will see a stream of opportunities come your way.
