Summer-time – beaches, sun, and internship season. Using summer as a time to intern is one of the best investments a student can make for his or her future. Along with having “fun in the sun” on the North Coast, students set to graduate within the next two years should very seriously consider taking up an internship – paid or unpaid – as they come with many benefits.
According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ 2018 Internship & Co-op Survey Report, the average job offer rate to interns is 59% (with a 77.3% acceptance rate).
Getting one’s ‘foot-in-the-door’ can often be one of the hardest parts of building a new career. However, internships will give you great exposure to the business world, besides a long list of career-related benefits. But at least, don’t let your internship ends before you reap these four benefits.
Internships give you real-world experience
Joining a company as an intern gives you the opportunity to work hands-on in a professional environment. Think of it as a trial and error phase, don’t be afraid to make mistakes or too proud to do any task – big or small.
Being an intern doesn’t mean you’re there just to get coffee or run errands, but to gain actual work experience. Internships make it so that whatever you are learning in school is no longer just theoretical, but now it’s tangible and practical. Internships are a way to test-drive possible career options before graduation.
[irp posts=”4894″ name=”How to make the best out of your internship?”]Internships allow you to network
Internships often enable you to interact with new people across the company and across the industry. By interacting with working professionals, you gain new connections and learn how to communicate in a professional environment. Make sure you save people’s contact information such as email and phone number or add them to professional social networks like LinkedIn.
Keep in touch with your new colleges from time to time, and when you graduate, let them know when you will begin your job search – you never know your new connections may help you find your next job!
[irp posts=”5271″ name=”Tough Calls:This is how I juggle an internship with university without dropping any (part 1)”]Internships are a great resume builder
Even entry-level jobs can be quite competitive. Internships give you a way to stand out from your competition. This is your time to do as many relevant tasks as possible in just a few months and gain some experience in your field of choice. Everyone is in a similar boat right out of college, internships can really impress future recruiters, and they give you a real-world experience you can add to your resume. Make sure you try to do as many meaningful tasks and make some worthy accomplishments that you can highlight on your CV. Internships tell recruiters you are not only a learner, but you are proactive. It can give you just that boost you need to land future interviews, eventually your first job.
[irp posts=”5555″ name=”No experience: How to write your first CV ever”]
Internships help you assess your career choices
Because internships give you real-world experience, you may end up deciding you either really want to continue upon this career path, or it’s not for you. Keep in mind, employers often use internships as a recruitment tool to test out future employees, and in many cases, companies hire interns after graduation.
On the flip side, as WUZZUF Coach Yosra Nasrat advises, you should use an internship to ask yourself at the end of your internship if you want to work in such an environment as the company you interned for and do similar duties full-time.
So as you can see, there are many benefits summer internships can give you on your path to finding the right career for you! If you haven’t started your internship, check out WUZZUF Internships and spot the right internship for you from all of the open opportunities available now.
Find the Right Internship now!
