Are internships good work experience?

If you’re considering doing an internship, chances are you’re embarking on a new career and have limited amounts of experience behind you. Internships are a popular choice for people just starting out in a new career, particularly graduates who’re soon due to enter the working world.

But how do you know if an internship is right for you? Is it worth the time? Or are you better off bypassing this?

What is an internship?

An internship can be defined as a work contract ranging from 1 week to 12 months. Usually, students will complete an internship during the summer holidays or straight after graduation. Internships give students and graduates the opportunity to learn and develop new skills, and essentially have an initiation into the working world.

Are internships paid?

Most internships are paid at least the national minimum wage. So long as you’re classed as a worker, you should be getting paid. However, if you’re volunteering or are just shadowing, employers don’t necessarily have to pay you.

Benefits of completing an internship

Develop your CV

Trying to find a job straight out of college or university isn’t easy. And this can be made harder if you’ve not got much work experience to include on your CV. By completing an internship, you’ve got the opportunity to gain hands-on industry experience, which will be invaluable to your application.

Employers know you’re serious

By completing an internship, you’re proving to employers that you’re committed to working in this particular role/industry. It’s not like you’re just dipping your toe in – you’ve already gained first-hand experience and still want more. This can be very reassuring to employers since they don’t want to hire and train someone who is just testing the waters and may leave in 6 months.

Grow your network

Internships are a great place for you to start growing your professional network. You should be seizing every opportunity to get to know people in your place of work, on meetings and on conference calls. You never know when you’ll be able to call on these connections later down the line!

Expand your horizon

Once you complete an internship, you’ll immediately have more job opportunities become available to you since many companies will only hire people who have experience. This means you don’t just have to apply for the same standard graduate schemes everyone else is applying for, but you can consider other opportunities too!

Develop soft skills

Sure, internships are great for gaining experience in your field, but it’s also such an advantage to show employers that you’ve worked in a professional environment. You’ll have been able to develop your soft skills like teamwork, communication and timekeeping and will have a stronger sense of professional etiquette. This gives you a real edge over other applicants who haven’t yet acclimatised to the working world.

Get hired

It’s not uncommon for interns to be offered permanent positions at the end of their internship. In fact, after an internship, 70.4% of interns get offered a job and 60% of employers say they are more likely to hire someone who has done an internship. If you work hard to prove yourself and do an outstanding job, employers would rather hire an intern than launch an external search. That’s because they already know you and your work ethic.

It’s a no brainer

If you’re a student or graduate considering your career options, it seems that working an internship is a no brainer. And what’s great is that you can complete a remote internship or an online internship these days – so you have even more options to choose from. So whether you complete one during a summer holiday or straight after university, we think internships are a win win!

Looking for an internship? SonicJobs can help! On our app, you’ll find internships across tech, marketing, journalism, finance and more. Download our app to get started.

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