Role of internships in landing your dream job

Internships play a pivotal role in transforming career aspirations into reality. This practical approach to career advancement offers a unique blend of hands-on experience and professional networking. Beyond traditional education, internships provide a firsthand glimpse into industry dynamics, allowing aspiring professionals to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings. The bridge between academic learning and workplace demands, internships not only enhance skill sets but also cultivate crucial soft skills and industry-specific insights. This article helps understand how internships serve as a strategic pathway to realizing and securing one’s dream job.

As per research, graduates who completed internships during their graduation are 34% more likely to land at least one job offer. Let us explore how an internship is beneficial to landing your dream job.

Work experience

During the internship period, you get to experience the real world and work in the dynamic corporate world. You get to put everything you learn to practical use. While you attend professional meetings and perform various tasks, you gain deep insights into the corporate world. You can showcase the projects you have worked on and other tasks you performed in your resume, ensuring your resume shines from the array of applications submitted for the job.

Mentorship and networks

When you join an internship program, you get to work with different people with the same skills as you, as well as those who have grown over the years. You get good mentorship for your seniors in the organization. Additionally, you build professional relationships with your colleagues, which is a great asset when applying for a job. These relationships will not only help you climb the ladder of the job process, but they can also act as references to show your skills and work.

Access to different departments

While working at an organization during your internship, you work with various departments. You see the daily processes and perform small tasks for various departments. This helps you understand how different departments work and decide which department interests you the most. Apart from that, you gain experience in the overall workings of the corporate world.

Makes a strong resume

A compelling resume full of real facts will boost your chances of being shortlisted for internship vacancies. You might detail all of the worthwhile jobs you had during the placement on your resume. You could describe the tasks you completed and what you did during your internship in the section on work experience. 

Builds confidence

Even if you are shortlisted for an interview without an internship, you face a lot of anxiety about the interview process. You might feel worried about which point will make you stand out during the interview, what you will say about your work experience, and more. An internship takes away the concerns, as you will have plenty of things to talk about during the interview to make your candidature stand out. You can talk about the tasks and everything you did during the internship. You are also aware of the interview a bit, as you have already been interviewed for the internship, which makes you feel confident.

Conversion to a full-time job

Recent research has shown that 50% of internships provide the chance to work permanently after a successful track record of excellence and continuous growth. Upon taking on diverse tasks, your capacity to generate visible results and utilize efficacious tactics will impress recruiters while showing your compatibility with the company. Throughout the internship, your progress will be regularly monitored, and if you continuously meet and surpass the company’s expectations for a permanent post, you have a good chance of landing one.

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How to land an internship

Landing an internship is not easy. Not every applicant who submits an internship application is chosen. Recruiters receive thousands of applications everyday; therefore, yours must stand out. But do not worry; here are a few tips to land an internship.

Make a good CV 

Because recruiters only spend 6–7 seconds reviewing a resume, you need to highlight your qualifications. You don’t have enough experience to demonstrate when you apply for your first internship. However, you can demonstrate your accomplishments over time. You can add your interests, certification courses, co-curricular activities, and a host of other activities that showcase your skill set.

Do Read: How Freshers Without Work Experience Can Ace their Interviews

Research thoroughly

Doing thorough research about the company before putting in your application showcases how much you want to work with the company. It also helps you customize your application as per the internship requirements and, therefore, increases the chances of your application getting noticed. So, make sure that you do a thorough research about the company before applying.

Keep your LinkedIn profile updated

The greatest way to showcase your expertise is through your LinkedIn profile. Thus, be sure to put all the information about your experiences and courses on your LinkedIn page and to keep it updated. Make sure that your LinkedIn profile piques the interest of recruiters, as many of them now check profiles before making decisions.

Use connections

There are numerous ways to engage with companies in the digital age. Make sure you utilize your lecturers, placement cells at your college, family, and social media contacts to the fullest. These contacts can serve as useful references for your application in addition to offering advice.

Must Read: How Placement Drives Drive Success for Online Learners

Tips to add internship experience to your resume

Here are some tips to add internship experience to your resume that will improve it.

• Make sure that you list the internship in a relevant section, either under work experience or in a separate internship section.
• Maintain a chronological order while listing the internships.
• Add the title, dates, company, and location.
• List the tasks and projects you did during the duration thoroughly. Include 5 bullet points if the internship is the first ever work experience and 3 bullet points if you are listing it after other experiences.
• Make sure that you add the achievements. Maybe feedback or the results you drove for the company.
• Do go for a final review to check for any mistakes.
• Get your resume checked by your professors or other professional connections for the scope of improvement.

Check This: Overcoming common placement challenges: Tips for success

Placement assistance from Online Manipal

Online Manipal excels in empowering learners with comprehensive career and placement assistance, bridging the gap between education and employment. Through Online Manipal’s placement assistance services, learners not only gain hands-on experience but also increase their chances of securing rewarding internships & positions in their respective fields. Online Manipal’s commitment to career development ensures that learners are well-equipped and connected for a successful transition from academia to the professional world.