Debunking Myths about Internships
By Katie Arango
More and more, college students and recent grads are turning to internships to gain practical skills to complement their education and to give their resume that valuable boost that will help them stand out from the pack. But for all the great reasons to have an internship, there are still some myths and misconceptions out there that we aim to dispel.
MYTH: Interns spend their time getting coffee and making copies
Well we’ve all heard the horror stories. Your friend’s cousin’s boyfriend’s brother who had high hopes for his internship but ended up as a glorified errand boy.
But this isn’t the norm and, as long as you do your research ahead of time, doesn’t have to happen to you! If you have any doubts, you can always speak with your future supervisor or a former intern this organization may have had. No matter what, before accepting an offer, make sure you have a good idea of what your actual responsibilities and deliverables will be.
If you’re thinking of interning abroad, it might make sense to enlist the help of an organization in-country, especially if they have an on-the-ground team that can work with the host organization to define clear and specific projects for an intern to work on.
You’d be surprised at how truly beneficial having an intern can be for a host organization, and how much real world career related experience an intern can gain from just a few months on the job!
MYTH: If I intern in one area and then want to work in another, it won’t look good on my resume
One of the main reasons to have an internship is trying out a career to see what it’s like without a long lasting commitment. Trying out a few things out before you officially launch in your career is not going to negatively impact your resume – on the contrary! If you study medicine and your long term goal is to get into research, having an internship experience shadowing in a hospital or working with patients will only add to your profile. Not only will it will show that you’ve got a variety of skills, but also that you have a strong sense of what the big-picture, overall industry is about.
MYTH: An international internship won’t be as relevant as an internship in my town
If you see getting an internship as a great way to increase your skills, make you more attractive to future employers, enhance your resume and give you some hands on, career related experience, then this myth just isn’t true!
Having an international internship can show employers that you’ve got a global perspective, as well as a many other highly desirable traits! Living (and working) abroad can show that you’re flexible, mature, a good (and creative) communicator, organized, and independent, among many other skills! It also shows that you’re willing to step outside your comfort zone and thrive in a potentially difficult situation…and perhaps that you’ve got working knowledge of another language. For many jobs, showing that you’ve been able to combine prior work experience with an international experience might just make you the ideal candidate!
MYTH: It’s better to intern with a large company that has name recognition.
The best internship opportunities are not necessarily working at large high-profile companies. Huge organizations typically have quite a structured organizational chart, and when you’re an intern, you’re likely relegated to intern tasks. When you work for a smaller company or start-up, you (like everyone else at the organization) will likely have to wear many different hats. In doing so, you will have a lot more exposure to different areas of the company, as well as the challenges faced by companies in that industry. Not to mention that working at a start-up practically guarantees you time working directly with the head of the company, which can be a valuable career mentor.
What are some common internship or career related myths you’ve come across?