INTERNSHIP
Nowadays, students are feeling more pressure to build up the best resumes with the most work experience in order to be even considered by employers after graduating. I’ve also been feeling this pressure as I near the end of my undergraduate course, and have been hustling to utilise all the opportunities I have as a university student (including writing for Flycatcher). I recently finished a stint working for a local publication as a work experience student/unpaid intern for one of my units, which has given me great insight on why they are so great for people like me. From my own experience, I definitely think internships are valuable in letting you experience a career field first-hand and helping you build new skills. Thus, here are my tips for those who are looking for an internship or are about to start one:
1. Don’t be picky – One of the best pieces of advice I was given by a senior employee at my internship, was to never say no to jobs − no matter how small or mundane they are. I admit that when I was choosing where to do my internship, I assumed that I would automatically get into wherever I called. My misconception was that because I lived in Darwin and companies were so small, they would welcome free help. But I was wrong, and it took a lot longer than expected to finally organise an internship after reaching out to several different places.
2. Always look for work to do – As the inexperienced intern, I was often overlooked by superiors whenever jobs were assigned. Therefore, if I wanted work, I had to search for it. It made sense, since the purpose of me being there was not to wait around to get paid like a normal employee. I was there because I genuinely wanted to learn. If I ran out of jobs to do, I had to ask around for more – and the more work I got, the more I was building my skills.
3. Welcome any challenges – When I first started out, I was thrown into the deep end; into jobs that I have never done before and had no idea how to approach. It was daunting and I was afraid I would give the company a bad name, but I would eventually figure things out and accomplish them. Looking back, being challenged is how I learned to adapt to my surroundings the fastest. As someone who is a bit competitive, I would try to keep to the same pace as the normal employees around me, and by doing that, it was almost like I was one of them.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – I had never been in an office environment prior to my internship so it was a new experience for me to have my own desk with a computer and a phone. Once I was assigned my first job and was told that I had to call around for information, I was excited to get started. But when I reached for the phone in front of me, I quickly realised I didn’t even know how to use it. It seemed like such a stupid thing to ask help for, and I was hesitant, but it wasn’t stupid at all (and I wouldn’t have figured it out on my own). Asking for help was so much faster than sitting there deliberating. Instead of wasting time, I was able to make a call and do my job. I would apply that mindset to anything that I would need help with while I was there – big or small.
Overall, I think my internship was one of the greatest learning experiences I have ever done in my whole course. As a student unsure of what I wanted to do after I graduated, it really gave me more insight into what my future career could look like if I decide to go down that path.
Kathleen Lai is a communications student at CDU with a passion for writing and adventure.
