If you’ve been out of the world of work for a while, or are undergoing a career change it’s you may be struggling to get you foot in the door with an employer. Have you thought of going on an internship or work experience? It’s not just for the twenty something graduate, who has no financial ties, you know.
According to UCAS, 24% of those applying for a university degree are mature students. So, don’t think there won’t be other students your age looking for an internship. You may get a suspicious look or two, but who wouldn’t prefer an old, well-oiled brain that is serious about getting good experience for s specific purpose, than a young person who doesn’t really care about their internship?
Internships and relevant work experience can greatly help to increase the value of a new graduate in the eyes of a potential employer. Gaining work experience prior to working full-time is very important because it enhances skills and is great preparation for the world of work. Taking time to gain work experience or to do an internship is particularly useful for recent graduates, as it will dramatically increase their chances of finding permanent employment.
Find your career path
Internships can help you discover your ideal career path. Experiencing different sectors and industries will help you to better understand the type of work you enjoy and the type that you wish to avoid. Gaining work experience by working with CCJM for example, can help you to determine which job you want to pursue in the future. This will allow you to make better informed decisions about your career goals so that you can strive to achieve it in the future.
Valuable experience
You will gain valuable experience by participating in an internship, which can provide you with extremely valued knowledge that can go a long way towards helping you to find a job. According to Internships, doing a great job and completing more than what is required of you, will leave a great lasting impression which can “provide a great reference letter at the least and may even potentially lead to a potential job offer.”
Build confidence and relationships
Internships and work experience can help you to expand your network as you socialise with various people from the business on a daily basis. This offers you the opportunity to make valuable contacts in your area of interest who, according to Career Savvy, will be able to provide you with further information about the job and will be more than happy to answer any of your related questions to help increase your knowledge on the subject.
Make CV stand out
Further enhance your CV or resume by adding an internship to your list of previous work related experiences. Job applications will be more rounded when filled out and you can always bring up your work experience in job interviews to showcase your experiences in different fields and sectors of the industry etc. Gaining work experience that is relevant to your job of interest will be particularly useful during the interviewing process because you’re increased knowledge on the area will allow you to better communicate with the employers with an added stream of confidence.
Potential Job Offer
If you are fortunate and talented enough, your long-term internship may lead to a full-time job within the same company. This is perhaps one of the most popular aims that students have in mind when they participate in an internship. As part of a graduate recruitment scheme, many employers do employ their interns on a full-time basis. In order to increase the chances of this happening to you, work harder than what has been expected of you to emphasise your passion and enthusiasm for the position.
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