Most business students these days must seek an internship as part of their studies or based on their own quest for a personal competitive advantage. For many European students, there is the double challenge of finding multiple internships and at the same time finding them somewhere foreign. For American students, from a variety of disciplines, it’s not a question of ‘should I intern’ but rather a question of when and where.
Whether it’s French business students looking for a retail internship in Turkey or an Australian student interning on their gap year, the ultimate question remains, “How do I get one?”
Here are 5 key strategies for landing a great internship:
1. Look where no one else looks
Everyone applies for ‘that’ internship that is advertised every year. Avoid this one like the plague. Start by creating a list of your own network: your dad’s friends; your Uncle Johnny, the CEO; the industry guy he introduced to your class; a guy you saw at TEDx; etc.
Better to have a list that is your own unique list, just one person looking at it, than a list that EVERYONE has access to, hundreds or thousands of students looking for the same internship.
2. Be a good fit for your employer
There is no point in applying for a job where you don’t have a passion or have few skills. You will hate it and they may hate you. The name of the internship game is building your CV and earning referees along the way. It also won’t happen if you don’t fit into the organization.
3. Make sure your employer is right for you
As above, but in reverse. If you don’t like them and they’re useless (for example, you spend 3 months filing meaningless documents instead of doing anything worthwhile), then it’s a total waste.
Think of companies that offer you freelance project work – you start and finish a job over the course of your internship. You develop skills and they get a real result.
4. Use a study tour to find an internship
Most study tours visit 15-20 companies over 2-3 weeks. Be brave enough to ask each and every presenter for a business card and add them to your own personal contact list. (see point 1)
5. Build your CV
The only reason you intern is to overcome the perennial problem of ‘I can’t get a job because I don’t have experience; I can’t get experience because I don’t have a job.’ Make sure all your papers align around the same theme (eg urban planning, advertising, cost accounting, etc.). Doing this demonstrates both consistency and experience to future ‘real job’ employers (as opposed to internships).
One final thought (could have been a 6th bullet, but wasn’t) is DO NOT DO NOT use an internship company to find you an internship. They break the five rules, charge thousands of dollars for very little work, and are usually mismatched between interns and company insiders, often breaking visa regulations while lying about doing so.
Follow the five golden rules to get that internship and make it work for you, and you will undoubtedly have a great internship experience that will provide a foundation that future employers will truly value.