If you are a student or a fresh graduate, you must have heard the word INTERNSHIP, and the question you may have with this is What is an Internship? As the competition for jobs is increasing day by day and the number of deserving candidates are more than jobs. So it is important for you to find ways to make yourself more deserving and skilled than all the other equally qualified candidates. One such way is the Internship.
HIGHLIGHTS
- What is an Internship?
- Importance of Internship
- Types of Internship
- What do interns do during Internships?
- Benefits of Internship
- How to apply for Internships
WHAT IS INTERNSHIP?
An Internship is basically a short period of work experience that provides you a ‘real work environment‘ related to your career and job. It is a kind of training that a person (known as an intern) get before entering the actual job.
It is beneficial for both, the intern and the recruiting organization. Interns get the practical experience and skills by working for the organization while the employers enjoy benefits your labor.
IMPORTANCE OF INTERNSHIP
We all know that work experience has an important role in getting better jobs with a decent salary as most of the companies prefer experienced employees. So, how can a fresh graduate gain work experience for his first job? Here Internships play a role.
A student can join Internship programs during his final years of graduation ( somewhat like the summer internship). These Internships will provide you the practical skills and work experience that you will need during your placement (on campus or off campus). It not only gives you an experience, but you can also build your network and sometimes, a letter of recommendation.
There are many types of Internship programs. An internship can either be paid or unpaid. They also differ in duration. The duration may be of 15 days, 30 days, 2 months, or 3 months. Obviously there are some differences between the paid and unpaid internship or the duration of Internship. Let’s discuss them in detail.
TYPES OF INTERNSHIP
1. Paid vs Unpaid Internships
There’s a difference in the work pattern of paid and unpaid interns. Unpaid interns mostly have a limited amount of work, which is not so professional whereas paid interns deal with the real working environment and work more professionally than unpaid interns.
Sometimes, you have to pay a certain amount of fee to join an internship program and it depends on the program type whether you will be paid or not.
2. Academic Internships
As I mentioned before, students during their final year of graduation are provided Internships through their college or university to prepare for their future jobs. Internships have now become a part of academic coursework where students with great potential and academic performance get an opportunity for such internship programs without making any extra efforts of finding companies providing internships.
With the New Education Policy 2020 in India, students in the 6th standard onwards will now be able to do internships with different companies and organizations.
3. Online vs Offline Internships
Many online options are also available for internships. You don’t need to visit the organization or company as you can complete your internship remotely through Online Internships with work from home options.
But personally, I feel that virtual internships are not as effective as the actual internships where you are present physically and mentally both. You get more involved and experience more things when you are physically present on location. Online internships are better if you want to do Internships with foreign companies.
4. Seasonal Internships
There are Internships which are provided on a seasonal basis like Summer Internship, Winter Internships, or End Semester Internships (for college students) when most of the interns are free to join any Internship programs.
WHAT DO INTERNS DO DURING INTERNSHIP?
Interns are responsible for performing junior tasks, depending on the type of industry you choose and your employer. Tasks may include mail processing, scheduling and managing appointments, volunteering, data entry, or just a helping hand.
But you can still be able to learn great things like how businesses and companies work, how things work, and the process involved in any big tasks by observing your seniors. Observation helps to develop the skills within you, which is required for any job.
BENEFITS OF INTERNSHIP
- Develop skills and knowledge that are required for any job.
- Opportunity to explore new things and create identity and networks in different organizations.
- Observing different people working at the high posts and their way of working.
- Making yourself comfortable with the working environment.
- Gaining work experience which is very useful during job recruitment.
HOW TO APPLY FOR INTERNSHIP?
There are many Internship programs available online where you can just apply by simply filling a form and providing your details. But be aware of the scams.
Search for a genuine company. Generally, you can find Internships on job-seeking websites like LinkedIn, Indeed, and internships.com.
If you are a student, then finding an internship is a bit easy for you. Colleges often provide internship opportunities as Summer Internship and End Semester Internship. Don’t miss such opportunities. Many companies are willing to organize such internships for college students. You can ask your college about this.
After finding a suitable company, create a resume that includes information about you, your academics, and other skills. If you have any previous internship experiences, mention them too. Your resume should look professional even if it’s your first-time experience.
Few companies may involve an interview process for your Internship. In that case, you need to be prepared for this. Consider such Internships as seriously as any other job interview. Remember that internship prepares you for your actual job, so you have to make efforts from your side.
If you performed well during your internship, the company may hire you as a permanent employee.
