It is said to gain experience, you need experience. So, without being said a practical work background carries a major significance when attempting to enter the job market.
It’s all about competition. Not only businesses competing against each other for a competitive advantage, but people are also competing to land that coveted position in a company. Therefore, internship plays a vital role in supporting our effective career development and furthering our goals in life. An internship can push the candidate in the right career development path and teach them numerous things.
If looking to gain experience, working as an intern is arguably the most advantageous plan of action. If you’re lucky enough to snag a beneficial internship, it can be remarkably valuable towards your career. An internship enables us to gain first-hand exposure to working in the real world. The great thing about the internship is that it teaches young professionals about the specific industries and companies they are interested in. Doing an internship exposes you to new people in a more controlled and stable environment. It also provides a nice learning curve for students with little experience in the professional world. You will also learn to play as a team and develop skills. The added value and quality you take away from internship programs give you a bonus which will take you to a new height on your career development.
An internship helps you to build a perfect resume for a job. For example, take a business management student who decides to do an internship related to his/her field of study. That internship will give them a chance to explore what a career in business management would be like and apply their knowledge in the practical environment. Most organizations and jobs that you apply want employees to have some sort of professional experience, even for entry-level jobs. Moreover, at the point of the internship, the student is given a chance to see and decide whether they wish to continue with their current career path or try something new.
With a few internships under your belt, you can score better than other candidates and have an undeniable edge. Suppose in a company you are a finalist for a position, haven’t had an internship but another finalist has, you may lose out on a good job opportunity. More reason why we should make sure we at least have one internship on your resume before leaving college to give you a leg up on the competition.
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” -Aristotle
An internship does not only help us directly with our career development, but it also has indirect advantages. The experience we go through in an internship is what shapes our career and encourage our personal and professional development. It also allows us to have a greater understanding of ourselves; Finding the level of clarity is difficult, but sometimes all it takes is trying something new, out of our comfort zone.