Tips to increase your chances of bagging an internship

When one is studying or has just graduated, the most important thought that strikes one's mind is to intern at a reputed firm. Interning as a student or as a graduate at a well known firm helps you earn a good volume of experience and knowledge; the experience you gain here keeps you ready for your future job.

Internship not only expands one's experience about a particular job but also brings an awesome opportunity of exposure along with a scope to develop one's personality.

So let us have a look at some interesting elements related to internship and requirements to grab the same.

What is internship?

Internship offers a candidate with a temporary position wherein on-the-job training is more significant than mere employment. A person may be or may not be paid during internship.

Internship is like a warm up session you undertake before jumping into the real world of jobs. Some jobs require certain amount of experience before kick starting them; for instance, if anyone wants to start a career in the field of publishing, taking internship before starting an actual job is quite essential.

Who is an intern?

The Free Dictionary defines an intern as "A student or a recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training".

Under internship, a student who has just graduated from a college takes up a job at a firm in order to practice the taken job under supervision of the concerned authorities.

Bagging internship to build a foundation for your actual job

The following points may help you bag internship with less labour:

1. Maintain contacts, they always help you

Earning an internship is a cakewalk for those, who have a good number of genuine contacts or acquaintances. Such people can expect one or the other opportunity of internship since they have people who keep them informed on a regular basis.

So make sure you are in touch, especially, with those who are already interning or have already interned in a few places. However, you should see to it that the circle of contacts you have developed responds in a positive way to you. Do not waste your time on those who never get back to you and who always discourage you.

2. Be the first to attend any events or exhibitions related to your aspirations

If you want to get an internship, you need to be visible to the eyes of concerning firms. You need to be ready and available when they need you. This is called being 'job-ready'. In order to be a favourite of the hirers, you need to understand their requirements so that you can hone your skills and polish your credentials accordingly. So, start attending events, exhibitions and expos related to your aspired job.

These events will not only help you earn the required knowledge for your future job but also to develop contacts as you meet different people from different walks of life. Meeting different people from different fields means, you may hit the bull's eye as opportunities are present in various forms.

Being A Good Intern, Walk The Ways! Being A Good Intern, Walk The Ways!

3. Prior study of companies you want to intern at is an excellent move

It is always wise of you to do a proper prior study about a company you want to intern at. So reserve your time to do a thorough research about a company's internship programs, its previous posts and what are the requirements it has set for its upcoming interns.

Practice makes a man perfect! If you follow this philosophy without fail, you will accomplish your dreams. Most of the students could not land a decent internship because of the lack of background study and practice to make themselves ready for the job they wish to bag. So if you want to intern as a proofreader, the concerned company is sure to test your skills in grammar and meticulous reading to find and rectify errors. Hence, practice till you emerge perfect!

4. Your resume is the index of your personality, so create one with care

Most of us give importance to how we converse over how our resume should look. However, this should not be the attitude. You should know that an employer takes 7 to 10 seconds to decide if he wants to hire you or not. So in those few seconds he may take a look at your resume. If it is interesting, he may proceed further. If not, you will not stand a chance for that job.

So pay close attention to your resume. Structure, write and format it well. A well written resume does 90% percent of your job. The rest is up to how you present yourself and answer the questions of the interviewer. Remember Sumukh Mehta from Bangalore? His stunning GQ resume earned him an internship without an interview!

So work hard and wisely on building a nice resume. It should comprise true and practical records. Avoid or delete fancy words and objectives. It will definitely help you come out with flying colors in any field you choose.

Hope the above suggestions would help you be a successful intern.

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