Navigating the Internship Market: How to Stand Out and Succeed

A few days ago, I came across a post on my WhatsApp Group regarding how to find internships (very interesting) in Australia and many were looking for references in the company for internship opportunities.

After doing some research, I discovered there are plenty of internship opportunities available on company career portals or job platforms like Seek, which lists numerous positions.

Most students or early career professionals look for short routes (lucrative and with less human efforts) such as references, recommendations, personal recommendation etc. to finding an internship. Though this can be a fast available route to internship, but it may pose risk to the person making referral. This short route to internship may also limit the job hunting, exploration and resilience skills of individuals looking for internship.

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself in this self-reflection process:

1. Why would companies offer you an internship? – From a business perspective, interns can be seen as liabilities, requiring extra resources like supervision, insurance coverage, and time, without the immediate benefits of a seasoned employee. More cost than benefit.
2. What are your “cashable” skills? – Identify tangible on intangible skills you possess that would make a business want to invest in you. Are you proficient in any technical or soft skills that can deliver measurable results? Think yourself as business and hiring an intern with or without referral with min cashable skills.
3. What standout projects or achievements have you completed? – Beyond your formal education, what have you done that demonstrates your initiative, creativity, or ability to solve real-world problems? Do you have any significant achievement which you can put forward to selling yourself.
4. What core strengths do you bring to the table? – Reflect on your personal strengths and how they can positively impact a business. Whether it’s your adaptability, flexibility, self-accountability, approachability, thinking outside box or innovative thinking, rational thinking or problem-solving ability etc. these attributes could make you valuable to a company.
5. Do you bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas? – Businesses seek interns who can inject fresh energy and new ideas, offering them a perspective they might not get from experienced employees.

Although interns are often viewed as short-term liabilities due to their limited exposure to the company culture and industry, inconsistent work habits, and the need for increased supervision, they can also bring tremendous value.

Interns can offer new insights, help with smaller tasks that free up experienced employees, and potentially grow into future full-time roles.

When considering applying for an internship, ask yourself whether you can position yourself as an asset rather than a liability to the company.

If you haven’t engaged in volunteer work yet, it’s worth exploring. Volunteer work and freelance projects can provide valuable experience and demonstrate your work ethic and ability to contribute.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I offer coaching to help individuals shift their mindset and become more productive in their careers (service charges apply*).

Asim Saleem is a seasoned technology leader and NLP Master Practitioner with over 25 years of experience, specializing in IT operations management, service delivery, and professional coaching. Connect with him on LinkedIn for insights into his career journey and leadership roles: (https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/saleemasim)