3 Tips to Find the Best Internship

By Ian Acosta on December 27, 2016

As students start researching potential careers to succeed in after college, an internship in the field is becoming increasingly necessary to ensure students have the proper experience and skill set. While there are an immense number of potential internships, co-ops, and work opportunities, it is up to the student to try and decipher the ins and outs of each potential opportunity and how it may benefit them both now and in the long run.

Students need to take the time to not only research the potential internship they desire but also to see if it is right for their situation. Will it require a move? Will the position require taking time off from classes? What kind of experience will the position offer? Who will the student be working with? Obviously, there are numerous questions to ask, but here are some tips to try and make sure a potential internship is the best one.

1. Finding the right type

The first step to finding the best internship is to find the best type of pre-career job experience. Common types include a normal internship usually in the summer but sometimes throughout the winter; a co-op during a semester to work for a firm in the field of study to count for credit; a practicum to have students apply their academic experience to a real-world project to gain valuable graduate school and overall job experience; and an apprenticeship in a highly skilled trade to make money and gain more experience and wages as time goes on.

From these types, each has varying duration, experience with who to work with, different compensation, different job and field experience, and so on. For business and economic students, a summer internship at a firm would most likely be the best fit. For engineering students, a co-op at a firm in their field might help provide great experience in the field while also receiving credit for the time.

However, if students may not have the time to allocate to a co-op, a summer internship with the same firm or a similar firm can also provide great experience while allowing the student to continue to focus on classes.

2. Location

Sometimes the most exciting part of an internship or co-op is the location of the job. This new opportunity can provide a place to step outside a comfort zone from being close to home or school. Internships can provide not only great experience for developing your career, but also a chance to develop personally.

Do some research to see if the company will provide for relocating fees and pay for temporary boarding. If not, it may make sense to take an opportunity closer to home and to pay for the commuting fees. Research all the opportunities out there to find a balance between gaining great experience and perfect location. Do not go to a city just to experience it. Go there if it makes sense in the long run.

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3. Research

The best decisions are the most informed ones. Students owe it to themselves to make the most well informed decisions to advance their careers not only now, but also in the future. This research begins with investigating the internships in one’s field of study. From there, research the firms that seem to offer the best fit while also providing invaluable experience.

A great site to utilize is Glassdoor. On there, numerous amounts of information are available on all sorts of different topics related to the company, such as various company job postings and details such as compensation, experience, work role, and probably most important, the interview process. Students can get a leg up on what others have experienced before and therefore can better prepare to not only showcase why they are perfect for the role, but also to add in a personal flare unique to them. This is not exactly groundbreaking information, but the whole point of a job interview is to stand out and be remembered. Gain as much intel as possible and stand out in the process.

Also as important, potential interns can get a better sense of exactly who they will be working under and the tasks involved. Further, look to see where others in the same position ended up after the specific internship and if it is a position that seems like a potential career path. After all, an internship opens the door to numerous real-world experiences and opportunities.

At the end of the day, tips can only go so far. These are in a general sense for a wide variety of students in numerous fields of studies pursuing thousands of different career goals. The important thing to remember is that the internship, co-op, etc. has to feel like the best opportunity for the student both in terms of experience for now and in the future.

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