By Grossnickle Career Services Center
There are many routes to securing a solid job, and one “detour” might benefit job-seekers – especially first-time workers – more than others: Internships.
An internship can present you with new skills and opportunities that you would not receive otherwise. Interns not only gain technical knowledge within the industry of their choice, but they also learn how to interact with professionals in a workplace setting, and develop essential soft skills like time management, organization, adaptability, problem-solving and teamwork.
Good for you, good for them! You could enjoy numerous benefits from internships, including a solid extra line on that résumé you’ve been busy building. Among them:
- Just like you test-drive a car, internships let you “test drive” a career. Would I be happier working as a programmer or managing a database? Am I more comfortable working with patients or in a lab setting?
- The opportunities to network – your part-time colleagues could end up becoming your future coworkers
- Accumulating new skills
- Establishing relationships with mentors
- An introduction to the field’s culture and etiquette
- It helps you gain a real-world perspective on an occupation. How much overtime do employees really work? How much time is spent behind a desk versus in the field?
Employers also benefit from hiring interns. There are plenty of organizations that hire positions directly from their intern pool; after all, it’s a captive group that is already familiar with the company, its culture and operations. In addition, internships allow the employer to evaluate how a potential future candidate would perform in their actual workplace.
Looking for an internship? Contact the Grossnickle Career Services Center for help at ccis.edu/careerservices, email careerservices@ccis.edu or call (573) 875-7425.
