An internship is the new raging buzzword these days among high school students. It is an ingenious way for students to have a taste of the appetizer, to try multiple fields before going into full-time employment. From making contacts to gaining experience, it gives your resume certain credibility and a better cache over other candidates in the job market.
If you are curious about what an internship is, how to prepare and apply for it, and get one in your field, we present to you -- The Ultimate Guide To High School Internships!
An internship is a short-term job that allows the worker, or intern, to gain introductory experience in a certain profession. As an intern, you will work for a company or organization and gain hands-on and practical experience you can use for future jobs.
Internships can last from a couple of weeks to a year or even more, can occur at just about any time of year, and maybe paid or unpaid.
The duties and responsibilities of an intern depend a lot on where they work.
Typically, you will spend your internship doing work similar to that of an entry-level employee at the organization. You may also do work related to several jobs in order to learn more about different career paths. During your internship, you may work with employees, customers, other interns, on your own, or a combination of these. Typically, you will have a supervisor who will act as your boss, assign you to work, and make sure you feel comfortable at your internship.
Plenty! There is a wide misconception that internships are a college or graduate experience, but this simply isn’t true. In fact, more and more high school students are beginning to realize the importance of internships. And there’s an ever-increasing number of employers beginning to hire them.
Opportunities are available in any field that you can imagine, and each one will teach you something new and exciting.
It's important to remember that some of these opportunities really do lead to meaningful work, and you might even land a job at the company you're interning at.
Internships can be an extremely beneficial experience for high school students. You’ll gain real-world work experience that boosts your confidence and helps you make a more informed choice about your college major and future career.
There are multiple reasons to pursue an internship in high school.
One of the most important benefits of doing an internship is that you’ll gain skills and experience that you can use for future jobs and classes. Completing an internship that relates to a job you may want to have will help you get relevant work experience and a better chance of getting a full-time job in that field in the future.
Doing an internship is a great, low-risk way to learn about different jobs because they provide hands-on experience and the opportunity to observe many aspects of a career. It's much better to figure out whether you'd like a particular job during a high school internship rather than waiting until you've finished college and started working to discover that the jobs you spent four years and thousands of dollars preparing for aren't a good fit for you.
Internships are great experiences to include on job and college applications. Completing an internship, especially as a high school student, shows that you are a hard worker, motivated, and interested in learning new things. These are all qualities that employers and schools like to see in applicants.
If you’ve landed a paid internship, you also have the benefit of earning a paycheck, which I’m sure you know is a significant benefit and can help you put money away for college.
Now that we have understood the importance of internships, below are some things you need to do before applying for an internship.
Everything begins with you. Whether you want to have an internship that is similar to your major or you want to try another industry, it’s important to know what you want. An internship can be the stepping stone for your future career, so take some time to reflect on what you want with your internship and future career.
Now that you already know your preferred industry, it is time to learn about your industry. Make sure you know what skills are expected for the position you are applying for. Go back to yourself and see whether you are qualified or not. Don’t get discouraged if you lack certain skills. It’s your time to learn before your winter internship starts!
Take the time to research the company that you are applying to. Before you even arrive, companies expect you to have a solid idea of what their company does. Incoming interns should read through company websites and social media sites to get a feel for their culture, structure, and mission.
After you've researched the company, practice the interview by considering your response to frequently asked questions and developing confident body language. Also, make a list of thoughtful questions about the company and job description.
If you’ve been fantasizing about exploring things that interest you (instead of lifeguarding at the pool again) the good news is: you don’t have to wait till college to find an internship. There are tons of internships for high school students--if you know how to find them.
First things first: you need to do your research ASAP! Internship positions get filled quickly, even months before the actual start date.
Knowing where to look for the internships that will be the right fit for you is a great place to start. There are several websites like Indeed and InternMart that have millions of internship opportunities listed on their page. This is where you can search for internship titles that you wish to apply for. Further, you can narrow down the search by industry, location, and company ratings.
Almost all schools have a career guide or a dedicated partner firm that allows students to find open internship positions. Along with this, the occasional internship or career fairs can also be of great value.
You may also scroll through the social media profiles of the companies that you're interested in and reach out to them via email.
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