By Nicholas Kwame Adjei
Students and graduates of higher education have always been confronted with whether to do an internship or not. Questions that always arises is “Does internship actually matter? The answer is a big “Yes”.
Experience is becoming a pertinent factor for most employers when deciding who to employ. It’s strongly recommended that students and graduates take the opportunity to complete a period of work experience to ensure that they have a competitive advantage over their peers, and this is where an internship really matters and makes all the difference.
What then is an Internship?
An internship is a period of work experience offered to a student or recent graduate by an employer to give them (students and graduates) exposure to the working environment, normally within a specific industry that relates to their field of study.
The duration of an internship can vary depending on your employer or sometimes the intern’s preference. Internships can be as short as a week, a month or as long 12 months (a year). They can be paid or voluntary; however, it is at the discretion of the employer.
Internships can be done in a diverse range of sectors, including banking, marketing, management, communication, engineering just to mention but few. Just go to Munplanet to know more about the benefits of an internship and a wide range of Fully Funded Opportunities that are available to students and graduates.
How does one get an Internship?
Getting an internship can be easier than finding a full-time job, but not always. This mostly depends on the industry you are looking to work at.
Here are some tips to get the internship you want:
· Create And Grow Your Digital Identity
Make sure your social networks are up to date and reflect who you are (Your Personality) Don’t just use your social networks for fun activities. Your Linkedin, Twitter, and About.me should be the social networks of most importance. If you are looking for a job at a tech company like Facebook or Google, being active on their platforms is a must as well. Want to go into entertainment? It makes sense to be active on Twitter and engaged with followers. Just make sure everything is up to date and appropriate on these major social networks, because whether you want to believe it or not, your prospective employers are watching.
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Research about possible companies you want to work with Do a thorough profiling of the companies or organizations you want to work at. Consider things such as whether the company accepts interns, when will the internship start, what is the eligibility criteria if any and the mode of application, is it a paid internship or voluntary, the deadline for applications, the location of the company and where you will commute from just to mention but few. This will serve as a guide in order for you to either participate in the application process for the internship or for you to submit an internship letter on time.
· Networking
Networking is the single most important part of the internship search. I would venture to guess that 8 out of 10 jobs are found via a personal connection or recommendation. Make sure you attend networking events for the industry you are looking to break into. If you hang out where the industry folks hang out, it will take time, but you will eventually become part of that industry. Try to reach out to people in the industry and talk to them and create a rapport.
· Identifying People
There are a few pieces to know when identifying the right people to speak within each industry. It’s not always the people in the news who can make the most difference for you. First, you need to decide on a specific field and start doing research. Look at the leading companies and the individuals there who can help you. Once you have your list, get in touch with them. You need to find out where they hang out (i.e. industry events) or write them a concise and powerful email about who you are and why they should give you the time of day.
While there are many other topics that can be discussed pertaining to internships, this list is the beginning of your education. With all the aforementioned, there is no doubt that internships really matter.
Just go to What I Hope to Gain From A Fully Funded MunPlanet Internship / MunPlanet to know more about what I hope to gain from my internship at MunPlanet.
Administrator. Entrepreneur. Digital Marketer and a Civic Leader
