Why Summer Interns Should Target Small Companies
Not all interns are hired equally
Summer internships, you either love or hate them. They give you experience and growth, they inform you on what you decided to study in college. In most cases they are the most traveled path for recent graduates to secure full time employment.
In this article I’ll explain why I feel that targeting small companies for summer internships is more beneficial than pursuing an opportunity at a larger corporation.
Difference
A small company ranges from 5–50 employees. They aren’t a well known brand name. They have no internship program.
A large company is a commonly known name, they potentially have multiple branches, and have a competitive internship program.
Many Hats
The point of a summer internship is to get a quick taste of what your full time employment after college could look like. At a large company this is harder to gauge. You will be working on one project or performing one duty repeatedly, there may be some flexibility, but in general, it’ll be a very uniform summer.
That is why I believe small companies suit interns better. In a small company as a summer intern you will be a full fledged part of the team, not in a back row cubicle answering calls, you will sit in on leadership meetings, do a bunch of side quests for multiple people throughout the company, getting a taste of everything that the company has to offer. This way, by the end of one summer you will have experience in many divisions of labor, not just the one single thing you were originally hired for.
Better Mentorship
In a big company you could become faceless and nameless, a small part of a big group of interns. Other full time employees might not bother to learn your name, because you will cease to exist by the time school rolls back around. You may get dumped into a division of the company that doesn’t need or want interns. It would be easy to get lost in the cogs of the giant machine and not gain any experience or wisdom from the summer.
At a small company, where you may be the only intern. Everyone will want a piece of you. It would be pretty rude if someone didn’t learn your name if you’re both on a team of 20. You will be able to approach anyone in any role that you want. If you are special and singular, people will make sure to care for and include you.
Job Security
As an intern at a big corporation, in an internship program, there’s a chance you will be in competition with the other interns for a seat in next year’s program. Since you don’t have long as a summer intern, your focus should be on learning and growing, not outperforming your fellow summer hire. In an internship program, you are part of a whole, parts are replaceable.
At a small company, that competition will disappear. You’ll be able to focus on your growth and duties fully. If you are the only intern on that company’s radar, then you’ll be their first call for when they need more summertime help next year. At a small company, you’re an internship army of one; replacing you would be more trouble than it’s worth.
Resume Building
Big well known companies may look good on a resume, but it doesn’t help as much as you think. Your recommendation letters from a big company will be the same as your peers, there will be nothing unique about what you did all summer. Companies like to hire unique candidates.
A small company may not have pomp and circumstance connected to its name, but it does have mystery. You’ll be able to relay to hiring managers that your work in your summer internships required you to perform a wide variety of tasks in vastly different arenas. Instead of being really good at just one thing, you will be pretty good at a lot of things.
Energy
At a big company, the hiring process could be extensive, there could be a few in-person interviews, a written test of knowledge, a background check at the police station, all this, and you may not get the job. Potential for wasted time is high.
A small company may have a phone interview or an in-person interview, but by the second interview, there is a high chance of an incoming offer letter. Don’t waste time and energy pursuing a flashy internship, when a lesser known company can provide you with better exposure and growth opportunities.
20% of the work produce 80% of the outcomes
Key Message: Strategize about your internship goals to ensure you have chosen the right career path.
