Source:
myStarjob, 1 September 2012
By: Brian Cheah
A few months
ago, as I was studying at university, I pondered what would be an ideal first
step to ensure my future success in my career. Sure, my degree (which I hope to
complete soon!) would be critical for my future career, but I knew that there
must be a better way to prepare myself for success in the future. Having a
strong grade point average and being highly involved in campus life would be
important too but there must be more. So, I researched and found a new study by
Millennial Branding which postulated that any “real world” experience is your
ticket for the surest route to success. And in this study, they showcased that
internships increase your probability of success in the workplace as they
enhance your experience base prior to you landing your first position.
And so, I
prepared my resume and locked in an internship. These past few months, being an
intern at one of the most exciting social enterprises in Malaysia, has given me
a completely different perspective on life and my career. An internship offers
knowledge and lessons beyond the classroom that are invaluable in the real
world. For instance, in school, if you make a mistake in a test or paper, it
only affects you. This is the mentality that is engraved in the mind-sets of
most students, and, it is this exact mind-set that creates problems in the
workplace (as I found out much to my dismay!). In all real jobs, mistakes are
much more serious and have an immediate impact not only to you, but a number of
other employees and potentially customers. An internship teaches you how to
take your work seriously, handle mistakes correctly, and take responsibility to
fix them; all lessons that will do me a world of good when I do land my first
job.
In my brief
stint as an intern here in Malaysia, I have learnt that the benefits of
internships are as follows:
Gain experience in your field or industry.
One of the best
ways to learn about your field of study from a real-world perspective is
through internships. While the classroom focuses mainly on imparting important
information, there’s something different and exciting about implementing that
information with real clients or customers. As a result, you will be given the
opportunity to apply the knowledge you’ve gained from the classroom in real
life situations, thereby reinforcing these concepts.
Attain priceless work experience.
Nowadays, it is
rare that a university graduate can land an entry-level job without any prior
work experience. With the help of internships, students can get this real-world
experience while still in school. Internship programmes are a great way to give
you real accomplishment stories for your resume and online profiles. In
addition, you will be able to develop and build upon some of your existing
skills. Having a good set of skills will help you in future employment
opportunities and give you an edge over your competition.
Determine if this path is the right one for you.
In order to
potentially avoid the cost of obtaining a degree you’re not interested in,
working for a company in a related field will give you valuable insight into
whether or not it is the right choice for you. It’s best to know as early as
possible, and an internship can help you do that. Internship experiences provide
a valuable opportunity to showcase your skills and work ethics, and to prove
your worth to a prospective employer. In the future, when a job opening occurs,
you’ll probably be on the list of top candidates if you’ve impressed them. This
is one great benefit of internships.
Develop valuable networking contacts.
Another great
benefit to completing an internship is the contacts you make. Networking is
often one of the best ways to land a new job and to learn about unadvertised
jobs. Your network of contacts will also help you obtain references for future
job opportunities. For example, your internship supervisor is an ideal
reference for future job opportunities because he/she has had the chance to see
your skills in action.
Experience the world of work.
The first time
you will probably ever experience the day-to-day work life in your field will
be through your first internship. When you intern at a company, you’ll gain
first-hand experience on what it’s like to work in an office, interact with
supervisors and co-workers, and handle customers and clients. This helps ground
you in a sense of reality.
Develop your communication skills.
In the same
study by Millennial Branding when employers were asked what skills they were
looking for when hiring, the top answer, with a percentage of 98%, was
communication skills. An internship teaches you how to communicate not only on
issues related to work, but also on a social basis. Many don’t realise the
importance of communicating especially in the office environment which is
different from university and to learn how to make meaningful conversations
with people who are older and more experienced than you. Developing this skill
will indirectly grow your confidence, and make you an individual who stands out
and carries himself well. It is a skill that will be very valuable in the
future especially when meeting clients or supervisors from top management.
