How to Find Internships
“Experience is the teacher of all things.”
Introduction
One of the most frequently asked questions by graduates after completing their course is ‘how to find internships?’ An internship is not just about working with an organization, practicing what you have learned, and understanding the work atmosphere. It is also a way of preparing for a future job and understanding the need and nature of each job role.
This article explains the importance of internships, the easiest ways to find internships, where to find internships, the different types, and also some tips that may help you find internships.
Types of Internships
The types of internships are mainly categorized based on their payments, purpose, and outcomes. There are twelve different types of internships that you should know before applying. Some of the most popular types are:
Paid Internships
A paid internship are opportunity you find at an organization where the company can offer you a temporary earn-and-learn experience for a short period. The employer may offer you a small amount as a salary for the duration of work.
Unpaid Internships
Unlike paid internships, these are temporary job opportunities where an employer hires you short-term to help you get skills and experience from a particular industry. The duration for unpaid internships varies in different firms, hence it is ideal to check before joining.
Externships
Externships are a collaborative experience where the aspirants learn and work simultaneously. They are allowed to do their course during the course hours and later, they may work with an organization to gain work experience. Externs are usually hired on completion of a certain number of days after a quick internship interview for shortlisting.
Co-Op
Co-op is also a simple form of training where companies conduct camps or workshops within an institution and the students are made a part of it.
Arts Internship
This internship type is like volunteering for an activity at a place. If you’re someone who loves the arts, then organizations may choose you to work for them for a while.
College Internship
University students are often asked to take up a subject or a topic, research on it and do a project on behalf of their department. A college internship is the type where organizations provide a certain type of training only for college students.
Fellowship
This category is for those pursuing a higher education degree such as a PhD or an MD in their respective fields. These kinds of internships comes with financial benefits where a specific institution requests them to present a thesis on a topic and the applicants get paid for it.
Service Learning
This is the most researched category on ‘how to find internships’, as this is an unpopular category. Aspirants who wish to serve the underprivileged categories or poor students or students in remote areas by teaching them are considered for service learning.
Apprenticeship
When a company allows a few students or aspirants to learn a particular work or a specific activity by giving them hands-on experience it is called an apprenticeship. These can also be considered a kind of paid internship where you might be paid for your work quality.
Education Intern
Education internships are known by different names such as factory visits, industrial visits, and so on. It is a one-day learning experience where students are allowed to watch and understand the concepts they learned theoretically.
Typical Internships
A typical internship is one where the student gets to choose their area of interest and intern on the topic to gain testimony. For instance, if an aspiring data scientist wishes to do an internship in the data collection process, it comes under the typical internship category.
How to Find Internships?
While every aspirant is ready to intern with an organization and prove their caliber, the next question that comes to their mind is ‘how to find internships’. Here are some simple steps to find exciting opportunities with the best organizations:
Evaluate your goals and interests
Understand your goals and interests and confirm whether your internship duties align with them.
Understand your need
Like the organizations have expectations on interns regarding their job fulfillment, you must also have a clear idea of what would you like as a takeaway learning experience.
Start researching
Knowing how to find internships is the first step to finding one. Start researching well ahead of time and get to know the most demanding opportunities.
Create a list
Creating an appearing in interview listings the opportunities available and collect the minutest details such as duration, mode of internship, scope, and takeaways so that you stay updated.
Shortlist providers
Now shortlist the best opportunities you feel can benefit you in the long run and shortlist the best providers you feel can support you for a future career. Make sure to choose for both paid internships and unpaid ones based on the takeaways. But always look for the ones that give you the best experience.
Use your contacts
Connect with some of your faculty, friends, relatives, or even social media contacts to know the internship opportunities available.
Attend workshops and fairs
If you feel you need more information to pick your hiring organization or tips to perform well or to do an internship interview, just enroll for some of the workshops and fairs.
Use job search platforms
There are plenty of job search platforms that offer crisp, concise, and current information about learning and training opportunities. Stay active on them.
Make use of social media
Use your social media to widen your connections. Ask your friends and faculty for connections and keep in touch with the experts over social media by following them.
Ask for details
The last thing to do before going for an internship, especially paid internship is to ask for details such as your work hours, leaves, and perks. Make sure that you benefit from the training offered.
Where to Find Internships?
Still wondering how to find internships? Well, there are some great sources where you can find, filter, and settle with the best internships. Here are the sources to visit:
LinkedIn
Also known as the best platform to find internships, LinkedIn offers wide choices with detailed information on the provider, the qualifications, the documents, and everything to know.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is one of the directories which offers clear and concise information about the organizations, their strength, working process and other minute details.
Upwork
If you’re interested in doing a paid internship with the most reputed companies, get paid well, and earn a couple of referrals, then this should be your go-to platform.
Indeed
Most of the time, incomplete information leads to a bad experience even if it is for an intern. If you’re looking for postings with transparency and accuracy, you’ll find them on Indeed.
Fiverr
Fiverr offers different huge and small opportunities from summer internship to a part-time opportunity to earn some extra income.
Why Finding Internships is Important?
Here are some of the key reasons why finding internships entry-level and above is important:
Improves practical knowledge: Finding an internship is one way to improve your practical knowledge but applying the theories you learned during your online courses.
Helps find new opportunities: Interning with an organization and its team and attending an internship interview helps you evaluate the firm and vice-versa, and they may assist you with new opportunities.
Develop new skills: Interning with an organization helps you get an understanding the skills to work with a firm and improve your abilities.
Strengthens social network: One of the best ways to find internships is to work with a well-known organization and get referrals from their employees who add to your social network.
Highlights your resume: Adding your internship experiences and having a well-framed resume helps the employers understand your dedication and interests in your job role.
Connects to a job opportunity: Knowing how to find internship online and performing well in them creates a good impression to the employer and helps you get hired quicker than you imagine.
Conclusion
While it is important to know how to find internships and complete them successfully, it is important to stay active and regular through the process. The organizations also greatly value your enthusiasm and proactiveness in the process. Needless to say, it is as important to upskill and update yourselves and build a good resume to find the right opportunity at the right time.
These are some of the key aspects which help you set your next step to your career and improve your career journey.
FAQs
Internships are worth the time as they allow the students to upskill and upgrade their knowledge at the same time.
An internship is a period of time that an aspirant invests at a reputed organization learning the career developments and requirements to fulfil while working at a firm.
Though both paid and unpaid internship offer the same experience, unpaid internships look at providing more learning opportunities.
Networking allows you to connect with like minded professionals, learning new skills and finding new opportunities worldwide at a high payscale.
Yes you can find internships online but it would be mandatory to visit the organization to complete the internship period.
