Everything You Need to Know About Interning

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Are you having trouble finding a job or career?

If you’re having difficulty finding employment, there are a few things that you can do to speed along the process. Volunteering and interning are two sure-fire ways to gain experience, get your foot in the door with a company, and build your professional resume. But for right now, let’s just focus on the benefits of interning. Some of you might be thinking, what is an internship? Well, let’s start there!

WHAT IS AN INTERNSHIP?

It’s as simple as this.

An internship is a structured work experience that usually compliments what you’re studying during your post-secondary education, what you have a degree or diploma in, or your career in general. This work experience is specifically geared towards furthering your career.

An internship is usually supervised by a professional or team of professionals in the field. Most internships are offered throughout the year, but with an influx in the summertime, for when students are out of school. While most internships are unfortunately unpaid, there are a few companies and businesses that do pay their interns.

Interns usually do entry-level work, while watching the industry professionals engage in daily work in the field. This provides the interns with a real-life job experience in the field of their choosing.

HOW TO GET AN INTERNSHIP

You will have to work hard to get your dream internship. They rarely come to you, so you’ll have to do some in-depth research and look online to see who is offering internships, when they offer them, and how to apply.

The best place to begin is by researching local companies and businesses in your field. Go to their website, and look for the careers, volunteers, about us, or contact us sections. You should be able to find out some information there, or at least, find the appropriate contact information for the right person to ask.

Take a look at this article to ensure you have everything you need while looking for an internship.

Once you have discovered an internship that you would like to apply for, it’s time to spruce up your resume and craft a customized cover letter for your application. You should also gather any letters of reference and examples of past work, to really boost your application and impress your potential new employer.

After you have submitted your application, ensure that you are checking your email inbox and phone regularly, just in case somebody contacts you.

THE BENEFITS OF INTERNSHIPS

There is a wide variety of benefits of being an intern.

Learn More About Your Industry

What better way to learn about your industry, than by working in it? As an intern, you can learn from your supervisors and observe how a day in the life in your position really is. You can only learn so much from a classroom.

Build Skills and Gain Experience

As an intern, you’re provided with support and guidance as you learn new skills and apply the ones you learned while completing your post-secondary education. All the experience, but with less pressure and more learning opportunities.

Explore Different Careers

Often, you can apply for an internship that is similar to what you went to school for, but not exactly. You will be able to apply many of the skills that you learned while in school, but for an industry that is going in a slightly different direction than you once imagined. This can help you explore different careers, and make the best choice for yourself in the long run.

Networking and References

An internship provides a great opportunity to network. You can meet industry professionals, build a strong work relationship, and even leave with a few letters of reference. Even if you don’t end up getting a job after your internship is over, most likely somebody knows somebody who is hiring, and a recommendation from them could prove to be very helpful for your career.

Build Your Resume

An internship can provide you with a lot of very valuable work experience and skills relevant to your industry. You can add this internship to your professional resume, add your supervisor as a reference, and elaborate on the new skills you learned during your stay.

Get Your Foot in the Door

This internship is your chance to really prove yourself and get a foot in the door. If you have proven yourself to be a quick learner and valuable asset to the team, they might just offer you a job.

FIND A JOB YOU LOVE

There are many things that you can do to gain work experience and discover what your true passion in life is. Finding work through a staffing agency can prove to be very helpful, especially if you aren’t sure what you would like to do for a living. An internship could most definitely help you further your experience following a temp job.

If you’re looking for administrative or customer service temporary jobs in Hamilton, Burlington, Toronto and throughout the GTA, contact our experts at ABL Careers to get started.

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