What every intern need to know before start applying

Many internship seekers realize one thing after applying to so many opportunities that it’s not the thing that they want, and this realization often happens in the first or the second month of the internship. However, it becomes a red flag if you leave the corporate now. if you don’t then you’ve to face the sleepless nights. I literally got the exact same stories in my Linkedin DMs. 

Why does it happen? 

Is it because you choose money over the culture

Is it because you choose the company not the manager

Or is it because you are not doing what you’ve planned for you already

The myth is “a combination of all the things above”

Well, you could be extraordinary, you might have won a gold medal for showing an ad canvas in your university or winning the rank holder place. But guess what the bookish knowledge and what you 've achieved vanishes once you step inside that dream corporate life.

So what it is that will keep you stand out from the other freshers or someone who is seeking a good long internship. Don't hold your breath now, cause I’ve hired a few who actually impressed me with some of their quick actions.

So what they did is actually simplified in some quick points

1. Don't beat the bush

You read that exactly right. Don't rush when you apply for an internship. This thing I often saw in my dashboard that one student applied for two different internships. Clearly you do this because you think your chances of being selected in that company will become high. 

Guess what, you are wrong. 

Recruiters always take a close look at the highlighted parts that you have marked in your resume. If you are a developer and your resume doesn't give what a company needs, don't waste your time sending them. Instead, look for one who needs you

And how that happens, by just don't blindly apply in each and every opportunity. 

Recruiters always appreciate students who actually read the job description and go through the company's website and understand what the company is actually standing for. That is where you actually win the game. Flipping every page will not get you in anything. You need to read the book to understand what you want to highlight. 

2. Eat that skill

It's not just a thing, it's really a mandated process for your living. Not just for the people who are seeking an internship, it's actually necessary for all human nature to understand the importance of continuous education. You need to have those combinations of both hard and soft skills. 

Don't ask just ask why is it necessary, Google it what skills your profession actually needs

It's basically a good thing to know what skills will land you where. If you have an intention to get a profession in project management I would prefer you to choose six sigma certification rather than learning python just for fun. A combination of skills actually makes you stand out from others. It's just like a technical recruiter doesn’t need to be an engineering student. He can take his education in the field of HR and can learn skills in tech which can make him hire the best developers for the company he works or a sales guy who knows how to do social media marketing can execute his best when it comes to the output. 

3. Make a product out of you

Specialization in one thing is the key. You don't need to be a master in all subjects. You don't need that trade. You need to be good in at least one good skill in your field. You might be good to go for digital marketing but you need to understand what you like in digital marketing, it's it content writing that attracts you there or increasing productivity through Instagram rings the bell for you. 

Interns make mistakes with skills all are following instead of skills in demand. 

Everybody likes to learn how Facebook marketing works because all they want to do is freelance through Facebook ads. But the corporate eagerly wants people who have a passion for doing content or making their website visible at the top through SEO. It's not like doing Facebook marketing is bad or not needed but you need to ask yourself that question again. Is this something you need to specialize in? 

Make a special product out of you, let recruiters know what you can solve for them

4. Personal branding is the key 

Making a good resume doesn’t guarantee the internship that you are looking for. Now that you made a product out of you, it's time to market it. Usually, I have seen 2 different platforms to boost your personal branding. 

A. It's LinkedIn for sure, cause this is where recruiters find you the most

B. One star professional platform where your field majorly based on. 

Let's see the second one first, you need to identify those open social platforms that can give your shoulders a bit height. It's actually easy to find places where you can show your skills to others. For developed they can easily do their own projects in GitHub, for content writers, Tumblr and Medium is always open for them for product managers, product-hunt is always a good option. Just like that, you need to find where you can show your skills and create a showcase of your art. 

The main problem is recruiter pick very less time to see your showcases in these platforms

That is where LinkedIn plays the part

Just click the feature tab, show what you got there. Put the URL there and that is it you have started your branding. Please try to be consistent in your branding process to land where you want to land

In every step, you need to make one and only one perception. Don't let you choose the company. Let the recruiters find you

5. Become a red zebra

Networking becomes a new CV. Ever imagined why your resumes are not considered the majority of the time when you put them into a career portal, because more than 150 of you are doing the same. In my company last month we got more than 100 applications for the role of executive assistant and we selected the one who DMed us on Linkedin. PS. he applied on the portal as well. Magic happens when your networking becomes strong. LinkedIn makes it easier for the recruiters as well as the job seekers a more unique platform where you don't even need to know the mail-id of the person to sent a mail and hope it will get a response. You just sent the connection request and boom you got one more step ahead than those who really think they will get a call because they actually graduated from A-schools

One plus point for the interns is they don't want to do different things they just have to do things differently. 

Pro tip: you don't actually need that. You might be a student who is reading this or might be someone who is actually looking for an internship. You got everything that you want. It's just like you have the bookish knowledge, now you just want to know how corporate works. It's okay, it's totally fine you can laugh too in corporate. Some think there are pressure and sleepless nights, for some, it is bean bags and free coffee. You are actually going to make a lot of mentors there, not just playing around for the next 3, 4, or 6 months to get a certificate and tell the world you achieved it. Grind every minute, take the risk, and doing mistakes are the only takeaways when you do an internship, and you get infinite learning. 

I would suggest rather than looking at the glassdoor review try to connect a former employee on LinkedIn who matches your profession. Tough to get, but worth a lot trying.

"internship is a lot cooler when you start taking ownership and execute it"