The Role of Internships in the Career of a Recent Graduate

College students have to find the golden mean between work, friends, family, and studies. Having so much to consider, they can easily underestimate the critical importance of internships. But, in today’s competitive economy, internship must be a top priority.

Lack of experience counts against recent graduates as employers need evidence that they will be able to do the job they apply for. And an internship is a great way for college students and recent graduates to obtain valuable work experience.

To help you to assuage doubts about internships, we asked one of the top writers at UK EduBirdie to give a few reasons why internships are good investment for your future.

Priceless real-life experience

First of all, let’s clarify what is an intern. Interns are usually undergraduates or students. But sometimes employers may offer internships to recent graduates. It might be considered as a probation period.

Internships for college students are a great opportunity to get a first-hand insight into working in the real world. They can receive invaluable knowledge about specific industries and companies they are interested in.

It’s like a chance to test drive possible jobs and look into different career options. Besides learning the specialized skills of a particular field, you will obtain some transferable skills, like communication, teamwork, and computer proficiency.

A Chance to Learn More About Yourself

An internship is a good chance to learn more about your strengths and weaknesses. Try to comprehend the mistakes you make as an intern and the many things that you won’t know. Don’t be shy to ask questions, observe, and take risks to make the most of your internship training experience.

At this point, you’ll have a chance to decide whether to continue with your current career path or try something else.

Development of Your Professional Network

As an intern you will have the opportunity to attend meetings and events. That’s when you’ll have a chance to interact with company professionals that can be very beneficial for your future career. You will gain new connections and learn how to communicate in a professional environment.

Life is unpredictable, and it’s always good to have a backup plan. Even if you think you don’t need it. A network of acquaintances and friends may come in handy at any time.

Building Up Your Resume

During your internship you will for sure obtain new skills and abilities and become better as a young professional, and enhance your resume as well.

With a solid resume and relevant internships you’ll have advantages over your competitors for the same position. Employers realize that academic grades aren’t valuable criteria for candidates anymore as graduates without any practical experience may lack the required skills.

Recruiters appreciate internship experience because they enable students to get the skills and background that they cannot acquire in a school setting. College graduates with internship experience are more marketable as they usually require less training and can deal with more responsibilities.

Gradual Transition to a Full-Time Job

Internships provide you with opportunities to build a foundation for your career. So, it’s important to choose your internships based on your interests and career prospects. Nowadays companies use internships as a way to improve their recruitment efforts.

Some companies even choose to hire an intern at the end of the assignment. An intern who makes a good impression will for sure receive a job offer down the line when a vacancy occurs. Employers often use internships as a recruitment tool to test out future employees before committing to hiring them.

What is more, internships offer opportunities to gradual transition into full-time positions. If you have never worked full-time before, such change may be very challenging or overwhelming. So, you have to be able to adapt quickly.

Don’t miss a chance to have Lady Luck on your side

We hope that we managed to convince you that an internship is more than just important for your future career. It’s crucial. It’s like the building blocks you need to create the path to a successful career.

Internships are remarkable options to improve your chances as a job applicant and to become a better potential employee. Start investing in your career today. Consider the possibility of becoming an intern.

Bryan Davis, Career Expert and experienced HR manager.

About Bryan: He lives in North California with his wife, Jessica, and their children. From a young age he was very passionate about reading and writing. Bryan teaches at relevant writing conferences and conventions, writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets, and does content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job searches and human resources technologies.