I was lucky to have double opportunity for internship during my MBA. For the first time, I wasn’t really serious and focused about it. I utilized most of my time with friends exploring new place (my internship was in a different city). The next internship opportunity was during my final semester and for a longer duration. Campus placements were ON but with limited HR opportunities and by then I was determined to make it into HR. I got an internship (unpaid though) with one of the largest power company in India and the experience largely prepared me for the corporate role.
The young grads today have a tough competition to face in every field and the best way to deal with it is – Preparation. An internship does the same; it prepares you for the upcoming workplace responsibilities. But there’s more to why you must take internship seriously.
1. The honeymoon period is actually a fad. Once you step into an organization, you are expected to behave, if not perform from day one, professionally. Workplace rules are different from college and so the etiquette. An internship is a wonderful chance to learn the behavior basics (at least) for a workplace so that you can create that first positive impression.
2. If you have an internship experience on your resume and you can justify that equally well during the hiring interview, you increase your chances of selection. Organizations are keen to hire applicants who can demonstrate potential to perform with less on-job training.
3. Hiring & selection scenario today is much different, things work more on relationship, networking & references now. Internship is a good chance to network and gain references for beginning a new career going forward. And the best deal… the organization you join as intern might be your first employer.
4. Is the career you picked suitable for you? Are you in the right profession? Are you good at handling deadlines and stress? An internship is a perfect way to find this out. You understand how things work behind cubicles and inside meeting rooms that will help you in the long run.
If you are looking for Internship opportunities or advice, following are a few TweetChats dedicated to help individuals on Internship and job search
- #InternPro – Mondays at 9:00 pm EST
Hosted by YouTern, #Internpro chat features guest speakers, authors and internship experts each week to help connect young grads and mentors. Each conversation offers great advice for internship or job search.
- #JobHuntChat – Monday 9:00 pm EST
Founded by career expert & HR professional, Rich DeMatteo (founder of CornOnTheJob.com) at #JobHuntChat your job search queries are answered by other job seekers, bloggers, resume writers, career experts, HR professionals, and recruiters.
- #HFChat – Friday 12:00 pm EST
Hosted by Margo Rose, #HFChat is to make your job search easier by connecting you with leaders in the career search industry experts.
- #InternChat – Tuesday 7:00 pm EST (Bi-weekly)
Hosted by Lauren Berger & Heather R. Huhman, #Internchat helps you find out internship opportunities and helps with all of your internship questions and problems.
Any career you chose, any workplace you chose, an internship is the first step of your professional journey and it counts. So think, analyze and make the best out of it.
HRDictionary 
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