How Internships Can Propel You Toward Your Dream Job

Internships are valuable in every field, whether it's engineering or management. The impression they leave on your resume can significantly affect your chances of landing your dream job.

Yes, college life is fun, but in the 2nd to 4th year of engineering, and after the 1st year in management, internships become crucial. Whether you are in Computer Science (CSE), Electronics (EC), Civil Engineering, BBA, or B.com, getting a good internship requires foundational knowledge about your field. Your basics should be clear, and you must show enthusiasm and interest to give 100% of yourself — that's all it takes to get your first internship.

"Communication is key", but I won't go deep into that here since I have other articles on communication skills.

For non-tech internships, your co-curricular activities matter. For an event management internship, it helps if you have prior experience organizing cultural events in college or school. Many organizations hire campus ambassadors to promote their products. If you’ve been a campus ambassador, it can make it easier to get a social media marketing or SEO internship. For a software development internship, you need basic knowledge about the particular field and proficiency in 1-2 programming languages mentioned in the requirements. A certificate from training in these languages will also help you stand out.

Now, let's talk about the impact of internships on your resume and how they can help you get your dream job:

Internships are very important for your resume. After the introduction, the first thing the interviewer will likely ask is, "What did you do in your internship?" or "What did you learn?" Internships typically last 3 to 6 months, and they add significant value to your resume.

If you interned at a big tech company like Microsoft, Amazon, or Google, it looks impressive, and they often offer pre-placement offers (PPO) after an internship. However, even if you didn’t intern at a tech giant, learning and upskilling at any good company, including startups, is valuable. Startups offer a vibrant learning environment where there is a lot of work and a chance to learn quickly. If your internship was at a reputed IT solutions or software company, the key is what you learned during that period.

When answering the interviewer's questions about your internship, the way you convey your experiences — such as the challenges you faced, the skills you developed, understanding office culture, communication, teamwork, time management, and meeting deadlines — will be closely observed. Your opinion about your previous internship company also matters.

Remember, not every candidate is 100% perfect for a role. HR and management know this. At the beginning of your career, we are all raw, and what they are looking for is potential — how much you can learn, how much benefit you can bring to the company after training, and how deep you go into your work. The duration of your internship also matters. A 6-month internship provides more learning opportunities compared to a 3-month one.

"Remember that internships define you in your initial stage; it is very important to grab a good internship"

After answering the initial questions, interviewers will ask different questions, and your responses will determine if you land your dream job or any other job you are applying for!