7 Must-Follow Tips To Bag That Awesome Internship
Internships, these days, galore year round and not just the summer. Students spend their academic years in a flurry of activity- classes, assignments, examinations, extra-curriculars, and of course, internships.
Internships are an exciting way to add valuable work experience to a resume, but they are more than just that. They are a source of validation, inspiration and force you to be a critical thinker, determined and a creative individual. They are a window into the unexplored and could introduce you to what could be your next calling.
1. How to apply?
Research:
- Research includes not only about the company and its products, but the business itself. Who are the compitetors? What are they known for? How are they doing? Have they been in the news lately? If yes, then why? What sort of people work there? What are their backgrounds? What are their products? What product is most popular? Which is the least popular? If people are writing about those products, what are they praising and what are they criticizing?
- Use and know the product. Then see the Big Picture: The single most important thing about seeing the big picture is to know where you stand in it.
A ready-to-go resume and remember Passion Beats GPA:
- Job interviewers swear by the virtues of brevity in an internship application. They are busy people and devote not more than a couple of seconds to go through your life’s accomplishments. It is up to the candidate to design a resume that can be the make or break of their careers. Highlight your side projects! This shows you have a passion for making things, not just going through the motions.
- Demonstrate strengths :The skills and the experience should be the focus of the application. It should be written in a reader friendly way that makes your resume easy to skim.
- Grammar Check: It is a cardinal sin to have spelling and grammatical errors in a resume. Make sure you proofread it yourself and ask others to do it for you as well.
- Unprofessional email address: It will undermine your credibility as a serious candidate. The recruiter will turn sour towards your application in no time.
If you are still struggling to make a resume, have a look at free resources from Connectedreams.
2. Put a Story in Your Cover Letters
As far as the imperative nature of resume goes, an excellent one is still only half the battle. Your cover letter is your chance to explain exactly why you are the best person for the job.
The principle of ‘less is more’ applies here too. A genuine and an honest cover letter devoid of jargon or irrelevant information is the best suited option for any aspiring intern. A good word about the organization and some homework will go a long way to get you the internship of your dreams.
If you are changing careers, are an inexperienced fresher or have been out of the job market for a few years, your cover letter is your best shot at leaving an imprint on your employer and explaining the anomalies in your resume, if any.
Cover letter should be customized according to the job description and the employer’s requirements. Read the job description properly and write your cover letter accordingly. Use the space in your cover letter to write about what no one else is writing about. You.
While there is no ‘correct’ way to write a cover letter, you can probably try listing a couple of skills from the job description and say how you are proficient in them by elaborating under each skill . For example, your headings might read:
“1) Experienced in sales and marketing
2) Proficient at Marketing Analysis and Management
3) Excellent oral and written communication skills.”
Remember, busy people skim through a document first and then decide whether to read later. If you want them to keep reading your cover letter, hook them with a strong headline that practically jumps off the page. Most importantly don’t forget to sound excited.
3: Don’t neglect social media accounts
After these basic steps, a good social media presence is also an essential that if done wrong could do serious damage to your chances. Updated social media profiles are a must.
Most employers turn to LinkedIn and Facebook to hire new candidates. A majority of them will also make it a point to visit your social media profiles before making a hiring decision.
*Here are a few steps to fix your LinkedIn account.
4: Where to look for them?
Lastly, scouting for meaningful internships is the most important skill of all. Thanks to the internet, it has become a much easier task.
Various online platforms offer thousands of opportunities in many fields everyday. Some of these internships could be paid, unpaid,virtual, part-time or full time. By creating a solid profile on these websites, it is very easy to bag opportunities.
Connectedreams’ Weekly Resources are a huge assistance for internship applicants. Every week, pertinent information about internships, jobs, scholarships and grants is uploaded. Helpful books and other reading lists are also suggested. Many fields like Photography, Law, Education, Virtual Reality, UX Design, Writing and Journalism etc. have been covered to provide guidance to aspiring interns and job seekers.
Follow Us On Medium And Facebook to get weekly updates on - Reading List, Fellowships, Scholarships, Internships & Jobs.
Other resources: Internships.com, Idealist.org, Experience.com
Furthermore, the college placement cell, contacts through previous employers and LinkedIn can also be helpful tools in the search of internships.
Also, we are looking for super interns.
Also, we are looking for super interns.
We’re a small team of people from a diverse background working to make an impact in varied cultures, environments and ethnicities. As a startup, we all wear a million hats so this is an opportunity to grow the role into your core strengths in business development and sales. These roles report directly to the CEO. If you think of yourself as a good fit, reach out to us at connectedreams@connectedreams.com.
5. How to prepare for an internship interview?
After a rigorous and a hectic pursuit of an internship that excites you, the next hoop to jump through is the interview and the selection process. Interviews can be conducted over the phone or in person or both. Here’s how you can put your best foot forward:
a: Research: As a would-be intern, some research about the organization and the position is a good place to start the preparation.Visit the website, the LinkedIn page and contact a current employee. After this, write down the questions that can be asked in the interview and prepare answers to them.
b: Telephonic Interview:
- It is crucial to be present in a connectivity zone at the calling time decided before. A telephonic interview should be taken as seriously as an in-person interview. A lax attitude over the phone will make the recruiter weed out your application.
- Furthermore, it is important to keep answers short, informative and thoughtful. It is easier for the audience to be distracted if you launch into a monologue when asked a question. Having them hang onto every word you say is essential. For instance, a staple question in any interview is, “Tell me something about yourself?”
There is no rule or format to answer a question in an interview, but you can go with:
“I am XYZ, a second year English Honors student from Jesus and Mary College. I have worked as a content writer for the online student newspaper, ABC for a year. Along with that, I am also the editor of the English department newsletter and a blogger. Currently, I hope to diversify and consolidate my skills through a challenging opportunity. ”
- It can also be embarrassing to have background noises from traffic, animals or a neighborhood party amidst a professional interview call. Make sure you choose a quiet setting.
c: In person Interview:
- A good first impression requires you to dress immaculately, look groomed and most importantly, exude confidence.
- Arrive 10 minutes early for the interview. You can use those precious few minutes to collect your thoughts and get your game face on.
- Be polite and courteous to all the employees you come in contact before, during and after the interview.
- Body language is often noticed by recruiters. Greet with a firm handshake and be attentive during the interview. Do not let the jitters get to you and do not fidget nervously. While there is more pressure, it is no place to look frazzled if things don’t go your way.
- Make sure your phone is silent. Do not take any calls or texts while the interview is underway.
- There should be an effort to engage with the hiring manager and ask for feedback when the interview ends.
6. Interview Thank-You Note:
Do you want to be lost in a swarm of hundreds of candidates who applied for the same internship as you did or do you want to stand out? Well, if you choose the latter, you are destined to get many more call backs. A way to stand out is a simple and rapid follow up interview note after the interview to show interest and personality to the hiring managers.
Make sure your follow up note is short and anything but generic.
Subject — Thank You
Body Copy
Hi [interviewer name],
Thank you for taking your time out this Monday morning to talk to me about the position of a content intern. I am looking forward to joining [Company Name] and gaining experience under your guidance. I am nervous and excited about developing fresh content with the new team of interns as we talked about earlier.
I am truly amazed by how much [Company’s Name]’s mission of empowerment through networking (it could be anything and you should know this before going to the interview, Refer 1: Research) resonated with me. With bated breath, I am looking forward to this incredible learning experience and hearing more from you.
Here a few articles I wrote pertaining to the issues we discussed earlier like equity, diversity and lack of sex education in India, when I worked for [Company Name], an online social magazine previously.
(Add Links)
I look forward to hearing from you about the next steps in the hiring process, and please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide additional information.
Best regards,
[Your name]
7. What to look for in an internship?
The meat and bones of every endeavor you undertake is what you take away from your experience, and an internship is no exception to the law.
- A mentor — Internships open the doors of the real world to us. We meet many individuals who have amassed valuable knowledge and insights in the inner workings of their field. Under their tutelage, we can learn a lot from their experiences and embark on a positive journey of personal development. An internship will not, thereof, be just a way to add experience to your resume. It will also be a gateway to meeting more experienced professionals and mentors that can help you advance networks and connections.
- Am I learning new skills? — Internships are as much about self discovery as they are about future employability. An internship can be a wonderland filled with enticing opportunities to experiment and get your hands dirty in different areas. You can unleash your potential and creativity only if you diversify your skills. Internships are a meaningful way to try your hand at something completely alien to you. The revelations you make about yourself as you leave your comfort zone are far better than any benefits that can be reaped from an internship. If you have always wanted to write, take up that content writing opportunity without further ado!
- Am I expanding my connections? — When you think long term you will realize the true potential of an exhaustive professional network. As you make many connections with your employers and other professionals in an organization, you will always be in the know about many exciting opportunities even after you have left the company when the summer is over. A previous employer can also help you in the job hunt with their own contacts or they can hire you full-time. Job hunting and internship hunting become much easier with connections.
- Will it be fun for me? — Lastly, an internship should not come between you and your happiness. All experiences are valuable, even the bad ones. Do not commit to something that makes you miserable. Internships should be taken very seriously, and you should make sure that the culture of the organization you are interning for nurtures your growth. Search for internships the way you would search for a job.
An internship is an introduction to the work environment that will be our habitat in a couple of years. Stepping out from the sheltered life in a college campus to a company’s fast moving culture is a shock that can only be buffered by internships. A successful internship gives a real taste of the world outside with its good, bad and the ugly.
Make the most of your experience as an intern! Life is short, don’t be lazy!
About The Author — Aarushi Arora | Content & marketing intern at Connectedreams.com | Under grad student at Maitreyi College, Delhi University.
Connectedreams.com is an online data-driven, cultural context-aware networking platform, bridging the role model & mentorship gap.
