By Jahnvi Vyas
Are you in college? Are you looking for an internship? Are you unsure where to start? The competition for landing an internship is much much higher than one might have ever anticipated. Like seriously, so much competition for a (usually) unpaid role!
It is important that such a short amount of experience can help you gain massive exposure and experience, especially as a college student who has never had any professional insight. Let’s get right into the five most important tips to get that internship you have been eyeing…
Resume is Perfection
Yes, the first and foremost thing that any employer would see is your resume, curricular vitae and/or your cover letter. Now, it does not matter whether you have the highest grades or the best extra-curricular applauded. What matters is how you present them on paper. If you have the best things yet you can not put them in a catchy manner, it might get missed out when compared to a highly presentable resume.
So, highlight your best accomplishments on the top and you can take the help of various design tools available online to make it look better. Do not forget to add the relevant skillset to the role you are applying for. If you feel like your current resume does not do justice to every role that you are applying for, there is a solution. You can either make one generic resume or make 2 to 3 resumes that are specific to the roles that your niche has.
Start Applying
Start applying as soon as you can. As soon as you get to know that your college needs you to do an internship, then the time is now. Prepare your resume sets, write cover letters and start applying. Often the companies or institutions tend to hire the interns that apply at the earliest. So do not miss out and stay in the loop with the platforms that put out regular internship posts.
Platforms and Websites
Well, isn’t this obvious? If you need to apply somewhere, you need a medium to get there. Internship platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn and Glassdoor provide you with just that. Fill in your academic qualifications, and your personal and contact information along with your resume and get started. These platforms will suggest to you the relevant roles as per your qualifications and as per the role you have selected to get notifications of.
Moreover, you can also go to Google and look for roles applicable or your profile. Visiting the websites of an employer that you want to work at is also a good idea. You can easily find the emails of HR and the relevant team heads. You can just send them emails with your qualifications, resume and the role that you are interested in. Then let them decide and respond to you.
A Good Interview
Suppose you get a call from an employer. What now? Well, start preparing because that’s what’s going to decide whether or not you will be able to join that company. First, dress up according to the role when you go there. It should be usually formal for most places unless you are applying for a different role. Before going, prepare yourself to get an introduction and answer confidently. You can practice the most commonly asked questions with a friend.
The interviewer will often ask for things like what you want with this role. Where do you want to see yourself in the next few years? Why did you choose that particular stream? What are your skills and hobbies? What are your weaknesses and strengths? You prepare in advance for these along with the subject knowledge. If they ask, you can also say that you will be happy to do full-time work there (of course, only if you really want to).
Networking is the Key
More often than not most students get their internships through networking. The same is true for full-time job rules as well. If you know someone in the workplace that you are applying for, there are far greater chances of you landing that internship there. It could be a college senior, a teacher, a friend or a classmate who could help you get in well-abouts your prospective employer. So network via LinkedIn, and college groups and ask your professors for some guidance.
See! these were some really basic tips, right! But these are highly effective and can surely help you get that first internship. May your career glow just like your well prepared resume. Be ready for your interview and you will surely shine.
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