Internship... What's the Big Deal?

The chicken and egg question: You just graduated from university and the employer is looking for graduates with some experience, but as a fresh graduate, you wouldn’t able to get experience any if you are not employed. Now, the cycle begins.

There are several methods to enhance your employability, and one of it is through volunteering activities, extracurricular activities and of course internship. To ensure you get the competitive, make sure you plan your university life well without missing the fun!

Internship is a work integrated learning placement that gives university students (mostly penultimate students) the hands-on learning experience on a certain occupation. Depending on companies, there are both paid (usually in the form of allowance) and unpaid and it usually last from a minimum of 6 weeks to 12 weeks internship experience, some might even last up to 4 or 6 months.

With the job market today become more competitive, the benefit of internship will enable you to stand out from the crowd. It also gives you the chance to trial a certain job roles and to understand the companies working environment. In short simple bullet points, here are the benefits you can gain out of it.

1.    Gain practical on-the-job experience in your field of study
Apply what you have learnt from the university through demonstrating, practicing, coaching and mentoring. You will be guided to try out the imaginary process that you have in mind in the real world.

2.    Understand the industry and the organization’s process

This can be consider an “insider view” or the first taste of working life in the chosen industry, as students usually are in the “laboratory”  classroom environment. Having a peek of the industry makes you realize the on-going process of the organization, the contribution of your role to the organization’s success and the trend of the current industry.

3.    Explore and adapt that particular organization’s culture and value
There are heaps of companies in an industry and you often not sure which to choose from. As the first stepping stone, internship exposed you to that particular organization’s culture and values that shape that organization as it is today. If you are a good fit to that company, you know that that company can be a place for you to grow in future.

4.    Enrich your knowledge about your future work environment
Using elimination or addition method, you will figure out which department or function that works for you or the support from an organization that you would like to have.

5.    Develop your communication skills and confidence when meeting corporate people

It gives them a good impression on your professionalism. Your words and actions will be rated more favorably by the potential employers

6.    Enhance your resume and reference
Internship can enhance your resume through ‘relevant work experience’ section as well as gaining recognition through your referee. Your ability and skills will be highly value b employers through those endorsements

7.    Build your business network

They could be your mentor, referee or even the person who will be able to give you a hand in future.

8.    *Increase your employability in that company upon graduation

This might not be applicable to all interns but if you have outshine yourself throughout your journey with the organization and have enjoyed your internship experience with them, often than not, you will be place on a top section of the screening list. Reason being you already has the basic understanding of the company and you can adapt faster to the work life although that internship was completed a year ago.

After completing your internship and your studies, you might wish to look into graduate program that is valuable for graduates to move forward in your career.

So, have you consider internship yet? Do you know when you should apply and so on?

Pic credit to OpenLettersMonthly.com