11 minute read
To Be or Not to Be a Graduate Intern?
Before applying for that graduate internship, take some time to reflect on these pros and cons.
At long last, you are done with school – congratulations! You have got your prep game on, and equipped yourself with your resume, cover letter and portfolio. It is the perfect time to dive straight into the deep end of the professional pool… Or is it?
If you do not have any work experience under your belt, this jump might not be the best decision as employers may be hesitant to bring in an applicant without prior experience in the working world. It is not the best idea for yourself either, to enter the workforce without having exposure to the industry or the job you are applying for. For example, what if the job is not actually what you imagined it to be?
One solution to this sticky situation is to start from the shallow end of the workforce and dip your feet into the pool by taking up a graduate internship. While there are many benefits to doing an internship after you graduate, there are also drawbacks you have to consider.
Regardless of whether you do an internship before or after you graduate, you can get your foot in the door at the company and/ or industry you want to work in.
Think of this as a long-term strategy – apply as a graduate intern, and give the internship your all to make an exceptional impression with your employers. If your manager likes you, you may just get a full-time job offer at the end of your internship!
It is not uncommon for graduate interns to be converted into full-time hires if they perform well. In fact, many employers find former interns a “safer bet” compared to external candidates. After all, those with prior experience with the company already have an understanding of the office culture, and have demonstrated their capabilities.
Even if you do not land a full-time position when your internship wraps up, the experience will still look great on your resume, and you can use the experience as a stepping stone to explore opportunities with other firms in the same industry. You will also walk away at the end of your internship with the relevant experience and skills, not to mention positive testimonials and/ or recommendations from your co-workers or manager. But you will need to perform well in the first place! An internship is a golden opportunity to grow your professional network as you will get to work alongside professionals in the industry you are interested in. Not only will you get to learn about what they do, you may even get the opportunity to get to know them personally. This can later be helpful for your future job search.
To maximise your internship experience, participate in as many physical or virtual networking events as you can – such as company or office events – and make a good impression by putting the best version of yourself forward. For all you know, someone who you introduced yourself to at one of these events may be looking for someone to fill a full-time position in their department! Put yourself out there, and be on the radar.
Making a positive impression is a good start, but making a lasting impression is something you should aim to do as well. Keep yourself in their minds by adding the people you networked with on LinkedIn, but do not forget to ask them if it is alright to do so beforehand. Drop them a personalised message to thank them for their time and for sharing their insights with you.
The pros: Why you should do it
1. To get your foot in the door 2. You can expand your professional network
3. For an insider’s point of view
Doing an internship will help you discover the kind of roles in the industry that align with your personality, skill set and even long-term career goals. It is a great way to learn about how the industry works, and what is expected of the different roles within the industry – especially if you are shadowing a senior coworker or manager who has rich experiences to share with you.
However, the onus is on you to be proactive and make use of the resources available. You may not always be assigned to a mentor explicitly, but you can always ask someone friendly in the office to share their work life stories with you, or to answer any burning questions you have about the industry and workplace.
Avoid grilling a co-worker or manager when they are busy, though. You do not want to annoy them! Office lunches, gatherings and networking events are typically good opportunities for you to ask questions.
4. To bulk up your resume
If you did not spend enough time on CCAs or gaining other work experience that can help build your resume with relevant points for the industry you want to work in while you were still in school, it is not too late to start after you graduate.
An internship is the perfect way to develop the required skills and gain the necessary experience to make your resume attractive to recruiters. As the saying goes, better late than never!
Pro tip: Get a notebook and jot down your objectives as an intern at the beginning of your internship, as well as your achievements over the course of your internship. This will make it easier for you when you update your resume and cover letter. You can earn some brownie points by mentioning them during your job interviews as well! It is no secret that as an intern, you will be paid significantly lesser than your peers who hold permanent jobs. If you are living independently and supporting your own expenses, it may not be a good idea to pursue an internship.
You also have to think about any commitments you may have. Did you take up a student loan that requires immediate repayment upon graduation? Or have a family that requires your financial support? These are questions you need to ask yourself if you are considering an internship upon graduation.
The cons: What you should consider
1. The pay
2. The intern role
Your internship role will likely not be as focused and specific as that of a graduate recruit on a training scheme. Instead, you will be given a variety of tasks that may seem insignificant, and you may find it difficult to develop key industry skills.
If you feel that you are not gaining the exposure you were promised, you could ask your manager or co-worker to assign you tasks that are more relevant to your ideal job. Showing initiative and requesting for more responsibilities will not only help you grow professionally; it may also impress your manager and improve your chances of being offered a permanent role at your company.
You should also make sure that you are not simply treated as cheap labour. Interns are protected under the Employment Act just like other employees under a company’s contract, and should not be made to work more than 44 hours a week, or more than 88 hours for two continuous weeks. While it is good to demonstrate that you value the opportunities given, it is also important to stand your ground if you are being mistreated. The trick is to strike a balance between knowing your rights and doing your job as an intern!
That said, best of luck on your internship journey and maximise the experience as much as you can!
Liow Qian Qing
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Economics and Politics, SIM-UOL Education Intern, Edible Garden City
My role
Edible Garden City is a social enterprise that advocates the growing your own food movement. My role was to provide support to the educators in their work, such as preparing for logistics and farm tours. Some other roles included providing technical support and feeding chickens in the farm.
Firstly, I knew that I may not enjoy the full-time job I applied for and landed. And the thought that I would have to spend so much time being interviewed for something I may not like in the long run was a little depressing, to say the least. And of course, it was difficult to successfully apply for full-time roles, especially during this global pandemic. That was another reason why I decided to pursue an internship.
I also did not have much working experience when I graduated, so doing a graduate internship slowly exposed me to working life, and showed me that it was not so daunting. Most importantly, it gave me the time I needed to figure out what I wanted to do next.
What are some of your takeaways?
Although my internship experience with Edible Garden City was short, it exposed me to different experiences, and allowed me to grow as a person. It even made me more appreciative of the food I have on my table!
Other things it exposed me to was harvesting, something most people would not have done before. For instance, I would harvest flowers under the sun at eight in the morning – and find it therapeutic. Apart from harvesting, I also learned how to be more detailed in my work. As I had to prepare the logistics, it could be challenging, especially when I did it alone.
There are chickens in the farm located at Queensway, and I have a strong phobia of them! Once, I even had a breakdown. Fortunately, my colleagues understood that I needed some time to get used to the chickens. Over time, I slowly began to approach their coops and interact with them. I later came to the realisation that they are actually harmless creatures, and very cute, too! Although I still have the phobia, it improved considerably.
Another challenge was adaptation. I am sure most people have not been exposed to farms, and I was one of them. My work and responsibilities were exactly the same as what farmers literally do; weeding, harvesting flowers and braving an ice-cold container – that makes you feel like you are in the Arctic Circle – to harvest vegetables.
I also had to prepare the logistics for workshops and farm tours independently. This was a bigger challenge, because in this age, we use computers so much, we forget how to use our hands. Once, I even packed 400 packets of seeds on my own for an event!
Moreover, as a university graduate, the department expects you to act in a certain way and know your stuff. But a clueless creature like me had to ask questions for clarification, and then learn from doing it myself.
Some words of advice
My colleague told me, “Walk before you run”. I believe that starting small is better than going fast. When you start small, you can accumulate skills and knowledge. You can continue learning and accepting that making mistakes are alright. Just take it one step at a time, and take the chance to do what is meaningful.
Pursuing a graduate internship does not mean you are losing out – it is just taking a different path to explore what you want to do in the future. Experience is greater than money. If you are willing to put money aside for a while, a valuable graduate internship is one that you will learn a lot from, and to become a better person who is more empathetic and understanding of the people around.
Amirah Zakiyyah
Bachelor of Psychological Science, SIM-UOW Marketing Associate, Wantedly
My role
As a Marketing Associate Intern, I supported my marketing lead in managing Wantedly’s social media platforms, as well as crafting our weekly newsletters, and creating and launching digital ads. Other than that, I also assisted with submitting weekly monthly reports of key campaigns and executing marketing campaigns.
I decided to embark on a graduate internship because I have been interested in marketing since I reviewed books on Instagram with @watermelonreads. I discovered I enjoyed the process of content creation. However, I also knew that there was a whole world of marketing out there that could not be learned on Instagram alone.
Wantedly’s Marketing Intern opportunity came my way and I have never looked back since! After this internship, I would like to do something related to social media and writing – two things I find great joy in doing.
What are some of your takeaways?
My biggest takeaway is that the world of marketing is so vast and ever-evolving. Technology and trends change rapidly, so it is essential that I keep myself up-to-date with the latest happenings.
Another takeaway is the plenty of opportunities I have had to develop myself personally and professionally. I found strengths I was not aware of, and worked on areas that require improvement.
Asking questions was something I found difficult at the start. However, marketing was entirely new to me, so I could not let my burning questions go unanswered.
To beat this fear whenever I debated with myself on whether or not to ask a question, I would ask myself whether I was more afraid of not getting the right information, or being judged based on how silly my question was.
Small talk is not my forte either, but I found preparing potential topics of conversation way ahead helps! Practising plays a part as well, and before we officially start a meeting, we share about how our day went.
Some words of advice
What you are doing is very brave of you! There will be instances where you feel as if you are stretched to your limit, or you feel uncomfortable. Take these experiences as a way for you to polish yourself professionally. You will be surprised by how much you have grown since beginning your graduate internship!
