Now’s the perfect time to apply for an internship
David Taylor welcomes students back from the Christmas break and looks at the ways they can stand out to a future employer
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Your support makes all the difference.Resolutions are there to be broken
Did you make any rash New Year resolutions? Are you planning a Jagermeister-free January or a sabbatical from social media? Toying with deleting your Tinder profile? Now that you’ve finally shaken off that mother of all hangovers, and you’re safely ensconced back in the higher education fold, those drunken post-NYE promises might not seem like the best idea you’ve ever had. But worry not, resolutions are there to be broken. The most important thing is getting straight back into the uni routine. Which means planning, preparation, and making sure you set the alarm for that Monday morning lecture now that mum’s not around to drag you out of bed.
Football, Festivals... And your future
In fact, January is the perfect time to start looking at your options for the year ahead. And not just where you’ll watch Euro 2016 or which festivals you want to bunk into. The summer will be here before you know it and, as well as taking much-needed time out to recharge your batteries, you should use the time to help give you the edge over your future job competitors. Whatever year you’re in at uni you should be planning on doing some sort of work experience. Gone are the days when a degree guaranteed you a decent job. Today, potential employers are looking for candidates who stand out and there’s no better way to do that than by taking an internship.
Stand out from the crowd
All sorts of internships are available and there will be one to suit you; whether it’s a fortnight shadowing reporters in a national newspaper newsroom, a month on a management programme with a multinational, or the whole summer spent getting to grips with legalese at a global law firm. If you can demonstrate to a future employer that you’ve had relevant experience in a similar field to the job you are applying for, which will clearly make you stand out from the crowd.
Polish that CV until it shines
So what do you need to do? Take a look at graduate websites for any hot vacancies and carefully read through the job criteria. Applying for an internship place is pretty much the same as applying for an actual job in the real world, so make sure your CV is bang up to date and tailored for the position you are applying for. Put together a portfolio, sort out your references, make sure you showcase your best work – and, more importantly, ensure it’s relevant. Good luck.
This article was created by the Independent and sponsored by graduate-jobs.com, the biggest independent graduate job board in the UK, with over 5,500 registered graduate recruiters. We are NOT a recruitment agency. We are dedicated to working with small and leading organisations, across all industry sectors, to provide the best opportunities available to students and graduates alike.
www.graduate-jobs.com/internships
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