Introduction
If you scroll through your LinkedIn feed, you will see maybe 3/4/5 offers each cycle and hear that people have submitted upwards of 60 or even 70+ applications. That can leave you thinking—what chance does little old me have? Trust me, you’re not the only one!
I have submitted fewer than 50 applications a year in the last three years, with only 30 this last cycle. This has allowed me to gain experience in the Tech, Marketing, and Finance industries, and it has also grown and framed my network to bring me the right opportunities. But a key part of application season is creating a process for yourself, so it’s not just a mundane quick application, cold emailing, and monotonous task. At the end of the day, you want a long-term role that you’ll love! So, investing in a strategy is key which I hope this blog goes someway in helping you on your journey.
So, let’s start at the beginning…
What is an internship…?
Internships are a type of short-term work experience. It can be off or on a cycle aka a summer role or during their main business year and it helps with gaining practical skills in specific fields. Now seemingly most people think it’s just 8 – 10 weeks but (when you read the full description) it can be 6 months or even a year long with some creative and tech roles.
The fields on offer – Creative, Stem, Corporate, and more. And there is something for everybody in person, virtually, or hybrid. Certain offerings can lean more often to being unpaid, such as the virtual option in industries and companies, which is harder to access before graduation. This can pose a question: am I here for the company or the industry and when applying it is an option to weigh up as to whether you’re ok with being unpaid or in the section of a business you’re not so keen on? Which is an obvious challenge. But a positive to such is access and a growing network that can get you into space sometimes a CV can’t.
Prepping to search
I’m guessing now that you’ve heard everything about them, you’re thinking about where I can get one.
The initial research can start with your usual Indeed, Reed, and the like, but a way to step it up is to bring in LinkedIn and user-friendly sites like Bright Network. This allows you to see who works there currently and potentially use their sites to link to the company’s social media pages to see what a “Day in the life” would look like.
Regarding industry-specific sites, Corporate: Trackr, RMHUB, Consultancy UK Creative: Eric App, Apprentice Nation, Need2Know Stem: Skillstruct, Gradtracker, Otta.
The next step is creating a list of non-negotiables for the company and the skills you possess, both soft and certificated skills. Ensure your CV is full so that when it comes to matching company values, there is no confusion and no need to compromise unnecessarily.
So, it’s key to have a CV for each type of industry you’re interested in, tailor each one, and build your LinkedIn using this information and with your local network from school/college/university.
Then, in the event certain processes require a cover letter to apply, you need to have personalised cover letter templates for all the same industries.
A keyway to stand out in a CV or cover letter is to link your skills to their values and weave what you’ve done to show these skills in action into your work experience bullet points, as opposed to just dropping a skill section at the bottom.
Then, my next tip is finding courses, events, and other related in-person or virtual work experience to the industry but even better with them specifically for example is Forage – as they have Bank of America simulations which are also useful to prep for the job as well as showing them your interest for the field.
By the end of your search, you can collate what companies you like, their values, what’s needed to apply, and the prep needed.
The process
Now you’ve got your research and are ready to apply the general cycle tends to be –
- Online Application – Motivational assessments as well as seeing where you are currently with education
- Aptitude tests – featuring things like non-verbal reasoning, logic tests, and cognitive assessments checking how well you’d deal with the role
- First round interview – competency questions and how you apply previous experiences to questions
- Assessment centre with other candidates online or in-person to assess your communication and more hands-on skills in a workplace environment.
- The final interview with the last layer of management will need a bit of research into the HR department, current departmental work, and more.
You’ll need to apply the S.T.A.R. approach.
Situation – what you dealt with, Task – the objective of the task, Action – how you dealt with it, and Result – what goal was achieved?
Then you can also use online practice tests via Online Assessment Practice
Interview/Group Assessment – What to bring
- Basic Stationery to ensure you can make notes and jot last-minute points
- Correspondence in emails or on a pdf to ensure you can get into the building and know who you are meeting
- ID – Passport, Visa Docs, License to ensure you can verify yourself when entering
- Tissues in case of emergency
- Gum to help with nerves
I have the role what now….? Prepping and planning!
Have a way to track conversations informally, from hints on how to work to career history, as you never know who you can connect with and network with!
In all my internships, I have kept a spreadsheet of facts, tips, and quotes from everyone I’ve met. I also make sure to send the team a message every quarter to check in and get advice when needed. This helps me manage my network and keep up with everyone personally and professionally.
I also use a similar tracker to track long-term job prospects as you can convert internships to graduate roles…… in this version of my tracker it is company, HR contact and what I did for them
In addition to this doing some research through asking around the office you can see what being an intern can do for your graduate prospects. Many internships offer an easier conversion pathway for interns. For example, my 2nd-year internship allows me to skip their final interview for their graduate or even full-time roles if I want to jump right in.
So, think about how you can leave your mark and network be it a blog, vlog, LinkedIn post, or internal communications.
Key Takeaways -Prep! Prep! Prep!
Research isn’t just about sounding good in interviews; it’s about finding what fits and gauging the culture.
You are who you know. One in two of my feed posts are job offers on LinkedIn, as I follow career-minded people on LinkedIn who push me to be persistent and pursue what I’m worth. Keep those people around you!
Equally, you only know as much as you learn so get reading, try courses, and even reach out to the hiring staff at companies you like the sound of.
So, the final question to ask is how you want to leave your legacy in that workplace. Is it via a report, a post, or even just some office treats……
Now that we have gone through the life cycle of an internship, I hope this inspires you to step out of your comfort zone and even potentially go to an event – maybe even through SkillStruct University and increase your employability whilst meeting new people!
Skillstructor TCP.