Why an Internship is Your Shortcut Into a World of Success

Working primarily to gain experience may not sound so great for some, but an internship can be the first essential step to land a great job. When you engage in your desired industry and work for a company as an intern, you show your dedication to that career and enthusiasm for the job. Dedication and enthusiasm are two important qualities that employers look for in candidates, so interns get a competitive advantage by gaining the experience and particular skills needed for the job. What’s more, you make connections in your industry of interest.

Let me show you why the internships in college can be the shortcut to your success by reviewing the following reasons.

You will have a better resume

When you complete an internship, you have a lot to put in your resume because you would’ve likely had a range of roles and responsibilities there. Everything you did should be highlighted in the resume in a way that shows you as a skilled employee—particularly those responsibilities that relate to your degree program. When your resume is loaded with this information, it will be much attractive to the employer than the one of a student who preferred to go straight from the college to paid employment.

You will get a valuable experience

By working in a company you will get the experience that you otherwise would not get. According to a recent study described in Forbes, 60% of the time, a paid internship will turn into a job offer. The data was provided by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which collected results from 15,715 college seniors at the bachelor’s degree level. According to the results, 60% of respondents in paid internships received at least one offer. Reason? These people have received the experience that the companies needed and got hired afterward. You can do the same.

The results for unpaid internships weren’t as favorable (37% received job offers), this was mainly due to the fact that unpaid internships often end up with more menial tasks. If you end up in an unpaid internship, you can avoid this by asking for more professional tasks during your time there. Prove to them that you can handle anything and everything.

You will gain confidence

Your first job in your field of study may be a little bit intimidating due to the load of responsibilities that need to be completed every day. That’s because you may not have the confidence to perform them, which is a completely natural thing. However, if you have the experience working on similar positions you will be much more confident in performing these responsibilities because you have done it before. For example, a person will be much more confident in showing writing skills while working at a publishing agency or an essay writing service if he or she gets to complete similar projects before applying for the job. This will inevitably be noticed by the employer and you likely lead to you getting hired.

You will build your professional network

During the internship, you will have the opportunity to meet many people in your desired industry. It will give you the chance to network with professionals that are involved in the area you are interested in. Even if you don’t get a job after completion of the internship, you will have met people that can likely help you get an interview at other companies. There are many ways you can make and maintain connections during your internship, so make this a priority during your internship and it will improve your chances of getting the job you want.

You will get a reference letter

This reason follows the previous one. When you have built your professional network, these people can be asked to be a professional reference, which can be priceless. The fact that there are other people who trusted you gives you a great advantage over other and impresses the potential employer. Moreover, many people have their friends and families as references, which is a bad business practice that will not do any good for the first impression and is considered as one of common job reference mistakes. Most companies ask for reference letters today, so having one with you is a great deal.

You will have a glimpse into a future job

Internships are all about providing real-life exposure to the work world you’ll be experiencing in a future workplace. It can be said that internship is a glimpse into what the position is like, which is also a valuable experience. Having an internship under your belt will also help you decide if the position is the option best for you and give you a better understanding of what you will encounter in the future.

Having an experience, connections and confidence to engage in a workplace is beyond important for a student. It gives a priceless experience that will be greatly beneficial for you, so do not think twice if you have an opportunity to apply to a great internship program!