Should I do an internship whilst studying?

Should I do an internship whilst studying?

We sat down for a conversation with University of Bath student, Divesh Hirani. He gave us his thoughts on his internship with Kaplan Holborn College. In today’s competitive job market candidates need to go above and beyond to stand out from the crowd, many graduates are finding it difficult to start their careers. With the number of graduates steadily increasing, you need to get ahead of competitors. One of the best ways of doing this is securing an internship and there are huge benefits to doing it while studying. We hope the below tips and advice is helpful to you –

1. Build up your contacts

An internship is the first step in building up your contacts which are vital in today’s job market – it’s about who you know rather than what you know. Even if you think it is a menial task like admin work or even making tea, do it! Who knows, you may even meet your future boss during your internship. Remember to be engaged, approachable, and kind to the people you are interacting with, and also don’t shy away from adding people on LinkedIn to start building out your network. LinkedIn will also help you find internships in the first place and then full-time positions after you graduate, the more familiar you are with the platform – the better! And never forget – you might love the job and the company might love you. It is pretty common for internships to evolve into permanent jobs if the employer likes you enough. If that isn’t reason enough then we don’t know what is!

2. Strengthen your CV

It’s natural that if you have more experience, you will have a better CV. Most students don’t have a lot of work experience when they finish studying. They focus on getting a first, taking part in a few societies, and then start looking for a job. There isn’t anything wrong with that, however, a graduate with a 2.1 that has some previous experience is more attractive than one with first-class honours and no work experience at all. Having done an internship will let employers know that you understand the business, know how to work as part of a team, and assume responsibility. It will also give you a story to tell in an interview, beyond having spent your university life studying. There is A LOT to learn in the workplace, even down to office politics and how to conduct yourself at work- having some exposure to an office environment is really valuable as you are likely to pick things up more quickly than someone else who looks similar on paper.

3. 'Test drive' the job

Most people have an idea of what job they want to do, however, you can end up finishing your degree, getting your dream job, and hate it. I always wanted to be an investment banker, mostly for the money, but after having a similar job role I now know what the job actually demands and that it’s not the job for me. During my internship at Kaplan, I liked the various jobs that I was given, and it has opened my eyes to careers that I thought weren’t paid well or that I didn’t know about. Now I can comfortably see myself in a managerial role in the education sector. I’ve decided to change my career path by simply doing an internship. Internships also help people test out industries if they are not sure what direction they are interested in exploring. For some, even discounting industries and jobs is helpful in the process of elimination.

4. Amazing work experience

Internships can give you the opportunity to do some pretty cool jobs, something out of the ordinary. They allow you to meet colleagues that you wouldn’t have otherwise met! Having an internship can definitely be something that transforms your life and gives you a new perspective. The best thing to understand before you start the internship is to realize that you may never get this opportunity again – this will help you be more confident and slowly build stronger relationships which will help you build your network grow.

5. Considerations to weigh up

Before you plunge straight into an internship, spend a bit of time considering the below.

1. Academic workload – make sure you are not overstretched and not slipping behind with uni work.

2. Financial implications – is this unpaid work, will the company cover travel costs, can you make this work?

3. Does your desired field require or place value on the internship – if you need experience then jump at the chase! If the internship is likely to put too much pressure on you and result in a negative impact on your studies, then leave it!

4. Personal goals – If you know what you want to do, does the internship align with these goals?

6. Key takeaways

• Internships are important because they help you build connections, gain experience, and test-run your desired career path.

• Start searching for an internship as early as possible, and use the Internet, such as LinkedIn and your University resources to find one.

• To ace an internship interview, do thorough research, express your enthusiasm, and be honest about your skill level. We also have so many blogs to help you prepare for interviews.

• During the internship, connect with other interns, co-workers, and supervisors – build that network! 

• Make yourself known to the full-time employees to leave a good impression and show your excitement and dedication to the position – you never know, this could evolve into a full-time role.

If you want to gain some transferable skills, meet some interesting people, and earn a bit of spending money, then I thoroughly recommend doing an internship. Don’t let your degree suffer, though; you will need to balance your time carefully. Some universities are even making their timetables flexible to allow for this! If you don’t have many contact hours getting work experience while studying is a good use of that time not spent at uni. Then once you graduate you are in a better position than all those graduates who have yet to get into the workplace.