How to use an internship to help guide your career choices

While some people know exactly what they want to do and how to go about achieving their goals, not everyone is in the same position and it can be difficult to feel like you haven’t found a direction.

However, a great way to gain some insights and perspectives into different industries is to find an internship. This can open your eyes to the working world, let you experience what life might be like in a particular industry.

An internship is also highly beneficial if you do know what you want to do as it lets you get your foot in the door and understand what employers are looking for from you. Here are some insights to help you use an internship to guide your career choices.

How to find an internship?

It is estimated that around 70,000 internship positions are posted each year, so there are plenty out there to help shape your future. You may be looking for an internship but where should you start your search?

Job sites

Many companies will post their internships on job sites and to be enrolled you will typically follow an application process. This might be a competitive position, so it’s important to treat it just like a job application and apply for more than one internship to improve your chances.

It will also be a good experience for future job interviews so embrace the opportunity and application process, even if you are unsuccessful you can still learn something from it.

Career services or advisors

Schools and colleges are not just places to learn, they are also valuable for leavers to find employment. Careers advisors at your school or college can help you to find internships and you may find that there is already a pathway in place between your educator and companies willing to hire young professionals.

Using your initiative

Not every company offers internship opportunities but it’s not a bad option to canvas opinion from some in a particular industry about whether they would be willing to take you on as an intern. You can also speak with your tutors and teachers, who may have contacts within the industry.

Where can you gain an internship?

Many industries welcome interns into their workplaces as they understand the need to help young people develop their skills and gain experience. Knowing how to approach and ask a company for an internship is helpful if you have a particular company or work experience  spot in mind. Here are some of the most common industries that welcome interns.

Creative industries

Creative industries like performing arts can provide invaluable experience for someone with an interest in entertainment. From learning what goes into stage design, orchestral arrangements, makeup or dance, an internship can help you to find an area that interests you and begin making connections in your chosen industry.

Digital marketing teams

Digital marketing is an essential tool for many businesses to get noticed online. Spanning multiple sectors, internal departments and agencies hire interns to give them an introduction into the world of digital marketing, allowing them to learn some of the basic skills required including search engine optimisation, social media marketing and improving the conversion rate of sales.

Engineering firms

If you are interested in design and building, an engineering internship can stand you in good stead within the industry. Gaining experience at an engineering firm will help you to learn more about product design, construction, manufacturing or supply chain management.

The benefits of an internship

An internship is a great way for you to gain a better understanding of the world of work. As well as learning about a particular industry you can gain valuable skills that will help set you apart from the competition when looking for your first job. Here are some of the key ways an internship will help shape your career.

Gain practical experience

A quick look through the jobs posted on any employment site will show you that the number one thing employers are looking for is experience. An internship is your opportunity to gain vital time in a professional environment dealing with the real-life situations that companies across the country encounter every day. Having that practical experience under your belt will set you apart from many candidates and elevate your position on any recruiter’s shortlist.

Enhance your CV

Your CV is one of the most important aspects of a job application as it’s largely what employers base their hiring decisions on. Having a CV that stands out from your peers is valuable in finding a job in any industry, particularly as a young adult.

Internships allow you to enhance your CV by securing industry-specific references and a list of skills and experience that others who haven’t done an internship will be missing.

Furthermore, once you get to the interview stage of an application, you will have a wealth of relevant job experience that helps you to speak from a place of knowledge and understanding about the tasks your potential employer will need you to do.

Earn a job

If you impress on your internship and your enjoyment for the role comes through to your employer, you may find yourself with a full-time job at the end of the experience. It’s not uncommon for interns to impress their temporary employers so much that they don’t want to lose them. With so much competition for jobs across most industries, an internship can be like an extended application process.

Gain inroads into your chosen industry

Once you have been placed on an internship it is natural that you will hope to gain a job at the end of it if you are enjoying the role. Unfortunately not every company has the capacity to welcome an intern to their team in a full-time position but it’s not a wasted experience.

An internship is a great way to make inroads in your chosen industry as it helps you to make professional contacts (known as networking), prepare for graduate roles and learn vital skills from industry experts.

Try something new

In some ways it’s kind of ridiculous to ask you to decide the next 40 years of your life when you are a young adult. An internship allows you to try out different industries without making a long-term commitment or heading down a career path you aren’t sure about.

Enrolling in a temporary position at a company is great for opening your eyes to a particular industry. This could be one you’ve always dreamed of working in or something you’ve never considered or even heard of before. You can also use an internship as a way to rule out certain industries, jobs or roles out – and there is nothing wrong with that.