Find The Right Job

Internships

Make having an internship part of your must-do list while in college or pursuing a new career field. Internships offer amazing opportunities to get real-world experience in the industry and also provide a chance to network and make connections that can lead to a full-time job.

No matter the industry, you can find folks seeking interns. Some internships are paid; others are not, but give the opportunity to gain valuable work experience.Employers are seeking students who have taken the time out of their school year or summers to participate in an internship. An internship also can be a major component of your resume, helping you stand out among other job candidates who have not devoted time to learning more about their field.

Fortune 500 and other companies offer formal internship programs for college students. With formal internship programs, you may be based in one city, but you also could travel around the U.S. or world to learn different facets of a job or be introduced to a variety of business units within a company.

You also can find small and medium-sized businesses that seek interns to assist them during the summer and busy seasons. At smaller companies, you may be the only intern while larger corporations may have dozens of summer interns assisting them.

Your college and university may bring in employers seeking interns as part of a career day or through the career services office at your school. To find an internship, you also can search free online job postings through major career websites as well as online job databases offered industry associations in your career field.

In addition to getting hands-on training in an internship, you also gleam insight from your colleagues and bosses into appropriate workplace attire, behaviors, and ethics. The individuals you meet during an internship can serve as mentors who can assist you as you prepare to graduate from college and also provide essential advice and motivation throughout your career.

An internship comes in all forms and sizes, with some lasting a few weeks and others spanning an entire year or longer. With an internship, its a great way to test drive your chosen career field and gain the real-world experience that employers are seeking today.