Gear-up for a Power Internship!

Sadia was studying engineering, she was very happy with her performance and grades. She felt that the profession was perfect for her. But when she graduated and started working she came to know that practically the work is very different and not that interesting. She became very disappointed and wished that she could have taken up IT instead.

Well, this is not just Sadia’s problem there are several students who continue to live in fools’ paradise and blindly accept the profession as they see in books, though it’s a fact that reality has its own pros and cons. So, it’s very important to get an insight of the profession you want to choose in the future. In this regard internships — a short attachment with a progressive organization — could be a viable solution. The attachment as intern could vary from two weeks to one year. It all depends on your capabilities, the repute established between you and that organization and also the need for the firm to keep you on board.

Normally organizations hire interns in summers when vacations start in universities. But the process starts quite early; with collecting applications, pooling and short-listing.

Gone are the days when there were few candidates lined-up for internship. These days with a sprawling growth in business schools and IT arena getting an internship in a good organization is no easy task. So if you are one of the candidates you should gear-up before time passes.

You should start with finessing-up your resume and e-mailing them to various HR Managers of various firms, your father’s friends and the placement officers present in your university. Because this summer you will nurture yourself with the right nourishment that will be required in the future. Get serious for the thrill… literally internships are so much fun. At least you will get rid of the university’s tedious assignments, presentations, tests, reports and all. You would have so much typical organization work to do… which is not that difficult (trust-me!)

Here are seven secrets to make the most of your time:

Develop the urge

This is the key thing. You should develop an urge that you want to learn the skills required to excel. And fellows, as soon as you get an urge, you will automatically become inquisitive in learning new vibes about the profession. That excitement would be natural. And that exposure will literally help you overcome the weaknesses or help in chalking out new dimensions which you were missing in the course curricula. So go for it!

Make a choice

Now think and finally make up your mind as to what you really want to do in life. Is it marketing, finance or human resource management? Or is it telecom or electrical engineering. Chalk out your goal. In fact, you can also use internships to check the level of expertise you command on either side. You can definitely find your calling through these programmes? Definitely your association with a related organization will help you answer certain questions that have always been in your mind. Sometimes you are confused between the two; internships in this regard will help you give the most visible solutions. Your performance will speak for itself!

Brand yourself

Now, prepare a good resume. The best way is to use an MS-word template. As you might not be experienced, your resume would hold only a brief introduction of yourself and the degree you are pursuing. Do include your Grade Point Average (GPA) and your previous academic records.

Also add the courses you have studied, the projects you have completed, and seminars/workshops you have attended. Make note of your past achievements or extra-curricular record in schools and college but keep them very brief.

Don’t forget to mention any relevant course or workshop you have attended. But keep all the information very brief. The résumé should be not more than two-pages. Do concentrate on your image building; it’s your very first impression!

Select the target market

The next step is enlisting all the organizations you dream to work in. Now if your university has a placement officer, discuss with him your interests. Or approach the HR-Managers in various organizations, introduce yourself and your institute, discuss your interests of internship and send your résumé. But this is not all, do follow-up and if possible meet them personally. Trust me, organizations are also looking for good interns to relieve themselves of the back-log of work. So be confident in your approach!

Fuel up your ammunition

After approaching the manager, the next step is to sell yourself. Here you have to satisfy the HR-Manager as to how that particular internship will help you in your career. You will find the answer within yourself when you follow the first step mentioned above. That is to develop the urge. So think about it!

Use your resources

Well, finding a place for internships in a good organization is never easy. It’s more difficult than finding a permanent job because sometimes organizations even don’t need interns. So use your resources; approach your family friends, neighbourhood uncles, seniors, placement officers, refer to newspapers etc… Make a wild search!

Enjoy!

Literally that’s the essence of work life. Take your work as a passion. The day you start feeling that you have burdened yourself that becomes the last day of your life. Introduce some thrill. Make friends and chill-out in lunch hours. Internships are non-stop fun at organizations. And if there are other interns as well it would give you some space. But make sure you take your work seriously. So Good Luck!

What pros says...

Misbah Husein is a project manager in a leading web design and marketing firm. According to her she looks for a quick learning intern while total professionalism is not expected, but the intern should be punctual, responsible and responsive. She said we assign all routine types of jobs that are well defined and do not require using a lot of intuition. She has a mixed experience till yet and at times her firm retains internees on permanent employment as well. She said we usually hire interns with specific job description in mind and the intern is informed of that in the beginning so work results are near expected.

She advised youngsters that they should know exactly what kind of organization/industry they want to work for and how much time they want to spend, and only then should they apply. One should not get into any organization just for the sake of getting some experience. You normally get opportunity for internships two to three times in your academic life so you should try to get the most out of this by experiencing diverse atmospheres each time. It would prepare you for a permanent job as you would know better where you are most comfortable.

Hania Sheikh is working as communication manager in one of the leading multinational company. She had done three internships in her student life. Two in advertising/ marketing and one in human resources. She recalls that as she was a bit confused about the two disciplines i.e. marketing and human resource, she chose to intern in both. Her experiences as an intern gave her much confidence and she headed a project in her first job. According to Hania, internships give you a mature and realistic picture whatever you are studying in books, so it’s very important to observe the other side of the picture.