Finding the perfect internship for your career is a bit like shopping for the perfect item that you’ve been dreaming of having. It needs to serve a purpose, whether that’s like a pair of shoes that provides the ultimate experience in comfort and practicality, or a technological device that makes your life more convenient. If you’re a student who is about to graduate or you’re in the midst of your degree, then you might be considering pursuing internship opportunities that can give you a purposeful entry point into your professional life.
Here are 5 signs that you can use to see if an internship is a perfect fit for you.
1. The internship aligns with your career
An internship should provide you with a gateway into your dream career. If it’s in a role that you might not think about pursuing, then that’s ok – but as long as it is within the scope of what you can see yourself doing professionally in future, that’s the key point. If you’re still unsure of what you want to do for a job, then that’s completely ok! You can pursue an internship that follows a combination of your strengths and interests. Strengths are skills that you feel confident in your ability to do to a certain standard. Your interests are the areas that you gravitate toward – this could be a hobby, or an area you’d like to know more about.
2. It suits your work-life balance
Our world is increasingly leaning toward putting employees first, and this can be said for internships as well. This focus on connection and collaboration within the workplace and within professional training can provide you with a balanced approach to your internship. For certain roles that can be completed via remote work, there are internships that follow suit. If you’ve always dreamed about working interstate, there are internship vacancies around Australia. Gone are the days where entering the workforce means sacrificing your sense of work-life balance. Your internship should provide you with a realistic overview of the workload to expect within a real-life setting.
3. You find that your goals are clearer
Goal setting is something that everyone should do to challenge themselves, no matter what stage of their career they’re in. The art of making goals is much more profound than many realise! Goals should increase in complexity over time as you gain more confidence and self-efficacy, as well as being measurable so that you can look upon your progress to continuously improve. They should be an accurate reflection of your trajectory, and focus on building you up, not founded upon negativity or self-consciousness. If you find an internship where your goal-setting is easier and more measurable, then that’s a sign of success!
4. It allows for networking opportunities
A large portion of your future working life will entail making and keeping connections with people within a professional community. This could include people who are your peers, mentors, and people you’d like to collaborate with and share knowledge about the industry. Internship opportunities should provide you with these chances to start building a robust network that you can take into your real working life. The people within your network can potentially be referees that can endorse your skills and character when applying for jobs throughout your career.
5. You can develop a portfolio
Internships are practical experiences. Many degrees only focus on acquiring knowledge, but what about the everyday skills needed for the role? This is where the learn-by-doing method of an internship can greatly benefit your career. At the end of your internship, you’ll want to have accumulated proof of your ability to put these skills into practice. For many industries, such as technology, design, media, and advertising, this can look like a portfolio of tasks you’ve completed. If your internship doesn’t include projects, then your CV can demonstrate the transferrable skills you’ve acquired.
The most important thing is to keep a record of all of the wonderful things you’ve learnt during the course of your internship placement, as this will come in need during an interview process when you will be asked to specifically talk about what you’ve achieved in your working life.
Read Also: PROFESSIONALISM AT YOUR INTERNSHIP
Internships are a wonderful opportunity for you to increase your skills and consolidate your knowledge in a professional area of your choice. For many, finding the perfect internship should meet certain criteria that is according to what you are personally looking to get out the experience. The perfect fit for you should make you feel like you are able to see your growth and progression by building upon your strengths and weaknesses and integrating into the workplace community.Want to know more about internships and how they can be advantageous for you?
With Premium Graduate Placements, internships can provide you with the kind of mentorship and workplace experience that can compliment your studies. Put yourself in the best position you can to succeed by browsing through our current internship vacancies.
