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An internship offers the opportunity to work with someone who can become a mentor for interns – not only in the internship but throughout the career.
- Leadership and Skill Development.
An internship offers the interns the chance to learn by working in a setting where they are supervised by a work-place professional and have the opportunity to achieve the learning goals, without the responsibilities of being a permanent employee.
Unlike conventional employment, internships have an emphasis on training, rather than employment itself. An intern is expected to:
- Apply some of the ideas learned in college and provide a bridge between educational qualification and the professional world. Learn new skills and add to the knowledge-base while gaining confidence in his/her dexterity.
- Opportunity to practice communication and teamwork skills.
- Gain industry knowledge first hand from an organization and the professionals.
- Provide evidence that interns have initiative, are reliable, and have a sense of responsibility.
- Achieve a sense of accomplishment by contributing to an organization.
· Networking and Establishing Mentors and References
An intern:
- Meets new people and practice networking skills while establishing a network of professional contacts, mentors, and references.S
- Is open to door to advice on the next steps to be taken on the career path.
· Resume Enrichment.
An intern:
- Gains valuable experience and accomplishments to add cogency to the resume.
- Has a competitive advantage for the jobs over fresh graduate applicants.
- Is potential candidate for a full-time job offer at the end of the internship based on how well the intern has performed
Conclusion:
Results from a recent survey conducted by Graduate Advantage prove that internships do create jobs for graduates. It showed that 81% of interns are now employed and 74% of those are either in permanent employment or are on a long term contract. Of these, 68% believe their internship helped them to gain their current position and an impressive 33% are still working with their internship organisation.
Michael Ellender of Birmingham Forward said of his internship: “I am a very proactive person and was keen to only take a role where I could use my graduate skills. In my experience, if you are willing to show initiative, enthusiasm and work hard, you will be given further opportunities to develop. I was pleased to stay on after the placement and have now been promoted to a higher level role that I enjoy.”
Following a successful internship it is not unusual for employers to coax interns for a full-time job as many employers use internships as a trial period and already have plans to recruit on a permanent basis. A stint as an intern can prove to be a watershed in one’s career. Therefore, it is vital that interns make a good impression; turn up on time, be enthusiastic and show their worth, flexibility, adaptability and commitment.
I am confident that very soon internship will become a byword generally in different disciplines at the educational institutions (in business schools internships are a regular feature) and corporate environment for career building process. But the system has still to go a long way, to adopt the practice widely and in a more as fashion.
wqReferences:
https://careers.uiowa.edu/students/benefits-internship
