How To Find Student Internships (With Duties And Benefits)

Updated 9 July 2022

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Internships are short-term work experiences that provide the students with skills that help them become job-ready and give them the knowledge and confidence to start their professional careers. Young graduates often do over one internship to familiarise themselves with the work environment of the industry they want to work for as a professional. The duration of these internships may depend on a student's professional goals or the organisation. There are various ways to prepare yourself for getting your first internship.

This article discusses finding student internships in India and the duties and benefits of working as an intern before starting your professional journey.

How to find student internships in India

Follow these steps to learn how to find student internships in India:

1. Define your goals

Understanding your purpose and defining your goals can help you clarify the type of internship you want and the sector you want to work in as an intern. Be clear on your objectives before researching internship opportunities. This process helps filter out any internships that may not be of much use to your desired career path and ensures that you invest your time and efforts in opportunities that can benefit you as a professional. Once you identify the field that interests you, the rest of the application becomes a simple process.

2. Start your internship search

As soon as you know your professional goals, begin with the internship search process. The early you start, the higher your chances of making more applications, as some internships are only open for a specific period. Various ways to perform your internship search include browsing online communities on social media platforms and utilising college campus resources to locate and target ideal companies. You can also check in with your professors, mentors, or network, see where other students have applied to, or directly visit the companies you want to work for as an intern.

3. Narrow down your search

Once you know your interests, you can narrow down your search to find an opportunity that meets your expectations and career objectives. For example, you are a media studies student, and your interest lies in working for a media company. Start narrowing down your options to find your perfect internship in the media industry. If you are most interested in advertising, you can identify, research and target advertising agencies that offer what you are looking for in an internship. You can further narrow down this list using filters like job location, company type, stipend, and duties.

4. Write your resume

It is time to prepare your resume once you have decided on the company you want to work for and the internship that you want to do. Your resume reflects your skills, abilities, career objectives. It is a way for you to show how you fit the company's requirements of an intern. Prepare your resume in an easy-to-read, well-formatted, and structured way to display your relevant skills to the recruiters and convey your passion for your chosen field and industry. Add any previous internship or volunteering experience that you may have.

5. Write your cover letter

A cover letter is a document you send attached with your resume to potential employers to get hired for jobs or internships. It acts as a personal introduction and statement of motivation to help the recruiter understand why you are perfect for an opportunity. A personalised cover letter can help you stand out when applying for internships. It shows the employer that you have done your research about the company. Begin your cover letter about how you heard about the opportunity and what motivated you to apply for the position.

Discuss your academic and extracurricular achievements and how you intend to use those skills to contribute to your internship performance and fulfilment of duties. End your letter on a positive note and thank them for their time. Last, humbly request them to consider your application favourably.

8. Prepare for interviews

Once you have applied to the company, wait to hear from them within a few weeks or months. Use this waiting period to start your preparation for interviews. The interviews conducted for internships are highly subjective and depend on several factors: the type of company, internship, employer, experience, and expertise. Sometimes it can be a hard skills interview, and other times, it can be an informal conversation to know you as a person. Whatever the case may be, preparing in advance can better equip you to present yourself confidently during the interview.

Some of the general factors to keep in mind while preparing for an internship interview include:

Be clear on why you want this internship at this organisation.
Mentally prepare yourself for the changes in your routine since you may work long hours from an office setting.
Focus on the learning and growth opportunities that an internship provides more than the monetary compensation.
Do your research about the company and the type of internship you have applied to so that you know your job profile and the company's job structure, in case recruiters ask you.
Ensure the internship experience is valuable to your long-term goals and provides you with skills and expertise to help you in your career.

Duties of an intern

Some of the primary duties of an intern, irrespective of the type of internship or organisation, are:

1. Shadowing professionals

Job shadowing involves following the work profile of a professional as they carry out their duties and tasks. A large portion of an internship revolves around shadowing professionals as they perform their job. Organisations usually assign individual mentors to each intern who guides them throughout the process and answer questions that they may have regarding the role or responsibilities. This shadowing method allows the interns to learn indirectly from their mentors or heads and see what daily tasks and assignments look like in a real-life setting of their industry choice.

2. Assisting with daily tasks

Interns perform daily tasks and responsibilities alongside their mentors. These tasks may vary according to the internship type and the organisation. Typically, the organisation or the intern's department allows them any daily tasks, especially if the mentor thinks these tasks closely relate to an intern's work profile and can help sharpen their skills. Apart from this, an intern may also occasionally perform essential functions outside of their responsibilities, such as clerical duties, maintaining records, and organising files. As an intern, you may also update the company's social media pages, perform research for your coworkers and organise events.

3. Gaining relevant experience

An internship experience allows you to gain professional experience in your chosen field. It helps you develop hard and soft skills related to your job. Hard skills are the technical skills specifically related to your job or knowledge domain, such as drafting a press release or a company report. Working as an intern also strengthens your soft skills, which help you better interact with those around you, such as communication skills. Gaining relevant professional experience as an intern allows you to improve your hard and soft skills that better train and prepare you for your career.

As an intern, working with your desired companies can also help you build your portfolio and work experience that you can show your future employers. Internships also make you confident and proficient in performing your tasks on time. Interning in an actual office environment can help you assess whether an office job is for you or if you like working with a particular organisation.

Benefits of an internship

Here is a list of the benefits that you can expect as an intern in India:

It helps you find a job in your desired industry and company.
Provides an advantage to you over your competitors when applying for jobs.
It helps to build and expand your network and connections with other professionals and decision-makers in your industry.
You can develop relevant work skills.
You can receive mentorship from a highly skilled professional in your field.
You can earn recommendations from your immediate mentors or internship supervisors.
You can build your portfolio of work to show to future employers.