If you’re still schooling, there’s a high chance that your educational institution will help you find or land an internship. An internship is a great opportunity to for your future career. We highly suggest that you take matters into your own hand and find an internship for yourself as well. This is not to say that you shouldn’t take up the opportunity that your school provides you, but rather, you should expand your horizon with your job choices.
When I was still in university, my degree didn’t provide internships as a criterion for graduation. This meant that taking an internship was not compulsory for me. Nevertheless, I decided to take matters into my own hand and find an internship before I graduated.
My main goal was to experience working culture and gain knowledge from the media industry. So, I applied to several internship openings and went for countless interviews. One of the most interesting parts about finding my own internship was that employers noticed and appreciated the extra mile I was taking.
Several interviewers asked me “Why are you taking up a voluntary internship during your holidays? Is this a trend amongst students? Why didn’t you go through school?”
To which I expressed my interest in being independent from school, I wanted free-range of the companies I could choose to work with. Additionally, I shared my desire to gain as much industry experience as I could while I was studying. This won favor amongst interviewers who understood how serious I was about the job opportunity.
Eventually, I was given several internships offers and had the autonomy in selecting the one that best suited my interests and career goals. This freedom would have been as accessible if I had gone through the traditional route of finding an internship through school.
If you’re looking for an internship but can’t decide how to get about doing so, here’s why you should find one yourself.
1. Find an Internship Completely Catered to Your Needs
The best part about finding your own internship is that you have endless possibilities. Whether you’re looking for a remote internship, a part-time internship or an overseas internship – you’ll be able to land one if you have a relevant resume and specializations. Going through the school route traditionally means that you are limited to a certain number of companies and you don’t get a say in the scope you are looking for.
When I started searching for my own internship, I narrowed down the specific type of job role I was looking for, the area I preferred to work at and the type of company culture I wanted to work in. Eventually, with enough research and job applications, I found one that perfectly matched my checklist.
If you’re looking to find an internship, try signing up with Bridge.com.sg. You get the choice in filtering the job availabilities to your preferred location, specializations and pay range. The bonus? You can sign up for free job alerts that update you on the latest job openings that are relevant to you.
2. Practice Independence
When you enter the real working world, jobs are not served to you on a platter. More often than not, you have to search for openings yourself and you won’t get a job solely because of network connections. To prepare yourself for the working world, take the first step by searching for your own internships.
As seen from my own experience, employers appreciate when interns pursue their own internships, it reflects well on your work ethics and determination.
Here’s our pro- tip: To seem even more professional, make sure you do thorough research on the company before the interview to impress them with your knowledge and show them how serious you are about the role.
3. Grow Your Network
Even if you don’t get the internship, you desire while taking things under your own hands, you still get the chance to expand your network. We all know how important networking is (3 tips to get started) in the current working environment, so, having as many contacts as you can will prove to be beneficial for you.
One of my friends experienced the benefits of networking through job applications first hand. She had applied for an internship role in Company X. Company X told her that they would get back to her when she was finalized. In the meantime, my friend found a more suitable role for her in Company Y. When company X got back to her, she was already hired as an intern by Y. Wanting to still tap on my friend’s talents, Company X reached out to her to contribute as a freelancer for their team.
In this sense, making contacts in the same industry was very helpful to my friend because it provided her a second source of income. If you want to reap these benefits, start applying for internships on your own now!
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