Making the most of internships

Internships are a great way to get experience and to determine if your chosen field is really right for you.Internships are a great way to get experience and to determine if your chosen field is really right for you.“By getting some kind of hands-on experience outside of the classroom early in your career, you can find out what you like and don’t like, what you’re good at, and also explore some career options while expanding your network,” says Susanne Thorup, manager of Concordia’s Career and Placement Services (CAPS). 

 

“I worked with a student once who had done an accounting internship in her final year; she came back and said, ‘That is the last thing in the world I want to do with my life’. So for some students, having internship experience helps confirm their career direction; for others, it helps rule it out.” 

 

Any kind of work experience outside of the classroom can be valuable and will help build your resume – a part-time job, volunteer work – anywhere you might get some exposure to a specific career path, notes Thorup. 

 

A March 19 workshop called Find an Internship and Make the Most of It, offered through Counselling and Development, lays out the nuts and bolts about finding internships, and using them to help focus your career path or advance the career you’ve already chosen.

 

While many internships are posted on CAPS’ online database, Thorup notes that students can also create their own opportunities. “If there’s an organization that you really want to work for, it’s worth it to reach out to them and see if they take interns,” she says. “Have an idea of what you want to do for them. If you’re interested in doing marketing for a non-profit organization, contact them directly and say, ‘I’m interested in an internship and these are my skills.’ ”

 

Part of the workshop covers the importance of choosing the right internship that will help you gain valuable experience, not just the kind you get answering phones, adds Thorup. 

 

“There are some internships out there that are called internships, but you aren’t necessarily getting the experience that you want,” she says. “Don’t be afraid to read the description carefully, and find out what exactly you’re going to be doing.”

 

Many companies offer post-graduate internships that could lead to full-time work down the road, adds Thorup. 

 

“For example, Hockey Canada will be returning to Concordia in April, looking for post-graduate interns to do eight-month positions in all kinds of departments: marketing, event planning, and communications. They’ll be posting internships on our database,” she says. 

 

Once your internship is locked in, what’s the best way to leverage that gig into future employment? Make yourself indispensable, advises Thorup. 

 

“Be as professional as possible. Be the one who always offers to stay late and do more. Make sure that even if things are slow, you’re always asking people for work and finding something to do that makes you indispensable. Work hard and ask questions and become a valuable member of the team.”

 

Career and Placement Services is offering a workshop on making the most of an internship.

 

When: Tuesday, March 19 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Where: Room H-440, Henry F. Hall Building (1455 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.), SIr George Williams Campus

 

• CAPS database

• List of workshops offered by Counselling and Development