An internship is a short-term job where students can learn the tricks of the trade and gain hands-on learning experience in the field of their interest.
The concept of internship originated from medicine, where doctors without licenses would practice as interns to gain the required experience.
Today, students can find data science, accounting, engineering, digital marketing, data analytics, content writing, journalism, and many more internships with just a click.
With an internship, students can find the right opportunity to get an insight into the profession they want to purpose and make smart career choices.
The duration of the internship can range anywhere from 1 to 6 months, Explore unlimited internship opportunities at talentworkforce.in.
Importance of internship
Before we go ahead and talk about how to get an internship, let us take a step back and understand, what is the importance of internships, and why you need to choose wisely.
1. Great chance for students to build their professional network
Establishing professional connections when you are right out of college is no piece of cake. It takes a lot of effort and effective communication. But, with an internship, you can meet people in your field who can mentor you in the long run.
Interning lets you acquaint yourself with the experienced people working in your field of choice who can help you get jobs in the future.
2. Internship can help you identify your interests
Internships are the perfect way for freshers to decide their career route. If given short-term opportunities with just enough exposure and time, fresher can ditch researching their dream job online, and find one while experiencing it.
3. Grooms freshers to deal with the job market
Apart from work experience, knowledge of the corporate world and job etiquette is crucial too. But not all of it can be understood theoretically. On-the-job experience and learning can provide a lot more clarity, making internship important for freshers.
With internships, freshers get an opportunity to learn minute aspects of professional life from scheduling meetings to work-appropriate dressing sense and much more in a short time span.
4. Internship can lead to full-time job opportunities training
The workforce, again and again, can be a time-consuming task for organizations. This is probably why most companies offer full-time opportunities to their interns.
This works well for both the interns and the company as the organizations get a few months to gauge the candidate, contrary to the general hiring procedure where the decision is made based on a comparatively short interview.
As for the interns, they do not have to spend more time on job search, interview preparation, etc., making it easy for them to enter the job market without much discomfort.
5. Recruiters prefer candidates with experience
It is always easy for companies to recruit experienced candidates who are well-versed with the work profile and are aligned with the organization's mission statement.
But even without experience, an intern, when given a full-time opportunity, can provide to be a great addition to the company as they save time on training, and the recruitment process hassle, making it a smooth transition into getting hired by the same company or others.
How to get an internship?
Coming to the question of the hour-How to get an internship?
The short answer is that you build a strong resume, apply to internships you like, and prepare for the interview.
Sounds simple, right?
If done right, getting an internship can be simple. So, here is a step-by-step answer to how to get an internship.
1. Identify you are of interest
While there are several reasons to feel bum out, one of the major reasons is working for an industry you do not believe in or know anything about. Since internships are your gateway into the professional world, the first step to finding an internship should be to identify you are of interest.
Prepare application documents before you begin your internship hunt
Now that you have identified the fields you want to pursue, it is time to work on your application documents.the most crucial documents you will need are a resume and cover letter.
Resume for internships
A resume is a professional document that hosts your qualification, and experience. Usually 1-2 pages long, a resume is a brief but impactful document as it is the first point of communication between the company and the candidate.
Some tips to keep in mind while drafting a resume for an internship are
Opt for simple fonts like Georgia, Helvetica, Arial, Times New Roman, etc.
The ideal font size is 14-16pt for headings and sub-headings & 11-12pt for normal text
Write impressive resume headlines
Use brevity to draft a concise and clear resume
Focus on skills and education
Include keywords relevant to your preferences
Choose a professional resume template
In case you need help, use professional resume-building services like talentworkforce.in Fast forward to drafting the perfect fresher resume
Tailor your resume before applying to each internship
A cover letter is an additional application sent along with the resume. It is a part of an application but is more conversational than the resume. While a resume is a brief and concise collection of facts, a cover letter can be used to convince the recruiters that you would be a great fit for the organization.
With a cover letter, you can talk about things that did not make it to your resume but are relevant to your professional life.
Some basic tips to keep in mind while writing a cover letter are
Make an impactful first impression by opening with a unique introduction
Research the company and include a few anecdotes about the same to reflect your research and passion for the company
In 2-3 lines, convey why you think you are a good fit for this internship
Just like the resume, tailor your cover letter to suit the internship opportunity
3. Update your social media profiles
We live in a digital age where the social footprint is more impactful than the physical ones. Social media has grown into a platform for people to showcase their lifestyles, hobbies, and talents, making it one of the most important tools in the hiring process.
Many recruiters check the candidate’s social media accounts before hiring them. So, a good practice is to log on to professional networking sites and make a profile with all relevant professional details.
Some good practices to follow for professional social media platforms are
Use a professional headshot, preferably with a plain background
Avoid banter and personal conversations in posts, comments, and public replies
Share and write content that is relevant to your preferred industry
Add work experience in a descending chronological order
Connect with people in your industry and seniors who can help you find opportunities
Build strong professional networking on to the last tip from the previous point, having a good professional network can be a huge plus for people looking for job opportunities.
A strong social network helps you organically discover relevant job openings, and you can also reach out to them to ask for help if you need any.
You can also use the platform to raise concerns, understand new market developments, and connect with companies. With a good networking group, you can find relevant answers with ease.
So, reach out to your teachers, seniors, mentors, or even people on good posts across organizations.
5. Explore internships on talentworkforce.in and start applying
Now that all the prep work is done, it is time to finally start applying. You can explore relevant job opportunities, and internships across various fields, verticals, and companies all in one place.
Log on to talentworkforce.in, upload your most recent resume, and find jobs matching your preferences using the location, experience, and skills filter.
If you are new to talentworkforce, you can read our blog on How talentworkforce Works?, to understand how to begin your search for internships on India’s No.1 Job site.
Prepare for the interview By this step, your resume and profile have been shortlisted and you have been called for an in-person interview with the recruiters. The final thing to do now is to ace your interview and to do so, you need to prepare well.
Experienced or fresher, every jobseeker faces interview blues at some point. The only solution for this is to invest time and effort in interview preparation.
As you prepare, here are some basic pointers to keep in mind:
Prepare to answer crucial interview quetions and answers
Research about the company and tailor your answer accordingly
Dress to impress
Get 8-hours of sleep the night before
Understand interview etiquette
Participate in a mock interview with your peers
List questions you want to ask
Understand the dos and don’ts of non-verbal communication
For an in-depth answer on how to prepare for interviews, read Interview Preparation: Tips for Before, During, and After an Interview
Follow the final step to answering how to get an internship is simple- follow up. Post-interview, make sure to follow up with the recruiters since they come across several candidates every day, and a follow-up email from your end will refresh their memory about your job interview.
Conclusion
Questions like how to get an internship often have simple answers, but the implementation takes a lot more than theoretical knowledge, sending resumes, and giving interviews.
Everything that happens before, during, and after the internship interview is a different story, and in this blog, we tried to explain a step-by-step way of landing your preferred internship.
We hope this was helpful and that you will be able to find the right start and make good career choices.
All the best!
