"Will work for free!" Why an internship is a good idea.

If you are a recent graduate of high school or a college, or maybe a final year student at university about to graduate and enter the working world, you have one thing in common: your wish to find employment quickly. For many however, there is a hindrance to quickly securing employment as planned, and that is lack of work experience.

We all know the story, the enthusiastic, newly graduated job seeker goes out there to find employment but gets his/her enthusiasm crushed because every where they apply they are told they lack experience.

If you're reading this article and you find yourself in that particular situation, read on, this blog might change your outlook and your life!

So you're looking for work and applying to almost every job advert you see, but it's the same thing "candidate must have 1 to 3 years (or even more years) experience..." What can you do? How can you put the odds in your favor? Become an Intern, volunteer and/or join various clubs and societies and network! Today we'll be focusing on Internships.


Internships

Employers want to see that new graduates have some form of experience and they most certainly accept participation in a well-structured internship as relevant experience for entry level positions. An internship is one way of overcoming the lack of experience dilemma. The benefits include:

• Gaining general work related and discipline specific knowledge
• Developing skills and competencies
• Building your confidence in relation to job performance
• Acquiring a frame of reference for evidence of your abilities
• Increasing the possibility of landing a job.

College students, if your academic programme requires or offers the option of taking an internship for academic credit please make full use of the opportunity! Alternatively, you may choose to take a not for credit internship and even go as far as getting involved with a programme that does not offer a stipend. Remember, the ultimate aim is to gain vital experience that will make you more marketable.
Here are a few strategies you should use to help you land a life-changing internship position:

1. Make a list of the organizations, large and small, at which you would like to intern.

2. Identify the specific knowledge and skills that you have to offer the organizations.

3. Determine the benefits you would like to derive from the internship experience.

4. Do your research. Find out which of these organizations do offer internship programmes. Don’t limit yourself to those companies with existing programmes. If you make a good case, your offer of service or request for accommodation could be considered by even those companies without established internship programmes.

5. Prepare a professionally appealing cover letter and résumé making sure to tailor them to match the needs and culture of each of your target organizations.

6. Begin making plans for your accommodation away from home or your current school location.

7. Engage your networking links to get doors of opportunity opened, your professors, mentors, as well as family and friends are good persons to begin with.

The search for the right internship can be just as tedious as finding an actual job, but don’t give up. You'll reap the rewards later. Use similar strategies as you would for a job search and be sure to begin your search early.

TIP: The best time to seek out an internship is during the summer months.

Happy hunting!

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