With high levels of unemployment among 16-24-year-olds, and the rise of the dreaded NEET and Uni leavers facing rising tuition fee debt, bagging the job you want is a tough gig these days.

We’ve all been there – trapped in the cycle of not being offered any jobs due to a lack of experience, and not being able to get any experience unless someone throws a bone and takes a punt. Starting out in the working world is becoming near-on impossible without knowledge, cue the unpaid internship.

In the last few years, there has been a proliferation of places available on internship schemes, becoming the most popular way for people to gain that all-important experience in their desired field. There’s always the chance, too, that you could impress and land a full-time role. But they’re by no means a golden ticket to the first rung on the ladder.

Now, young people leaving education with no job to go to could be made to do three months’ full-time unpaid work experience with charities and social enterprises or face benefit cuts, should government proposals come into force. Whilst I recognise how vital experience is to get a job in this climate, I simply can’t justify conscripting school, college and Uni leavers into unpaid work.

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You will develop a host of new skills as an intern. source: unsplash
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Getting invaluable work experience

Interning for any period of time for a company within your respective field will go a long way and is likely to hold significant weight in your resume.

This is because employers will look favourably at the experience and skills that you will acquire during your time working in a similar environment. The industry experience that you will pick up while interning is often far more valuable to a company than the grades that you have achieved at school.

If you have interned at a company for some time this will tell employers that you can handle working in this kind of environment. It also demonstrates that you are reliable in showing up for work, capable of handling such a workload and have some experience working in the field already.

This helps an employer to see that you will be capable of adding value to their company from the beginning. This is favourable as they will not have to expend the same resources on ensuring that you are up to scratch and capable of making an impact from the beginning.

The jobs market is also getting increasingly more competitive with the increased amount of students that res opting to study at university. For this reason, it is crucial that you do what you can in order to differentiate yourself from other potential candidates that might be applying for the same position as you.

When an employer has your resume in their hands, having experience interning at a company is not only likely to catch their eye, but it will also influence their propensity to put your CV right up there in the pile of serious applicants.

Upskilling your professional competencies

Of course the primary benefits of interning at a company which operates in a sector that you have an interest in working in down the line it the opportunities for personal and career progression that you will be exposed to.

While you are interning for a company you will be surprised at the number of training opportunities that might come your way. You will be able to use your time there valuable and spend time upskilling some of the core companies associated with your respective career path.

Having the experience down on your resume is one thing, but spending your time as optimally as you can throughout the duration of your resume is what will ensure that you become the most competent employee that you can.

You will likely spend a great deal of time familiarising yourself with industry-specific software. These are invaluable credentials that will also serve to decorate your resume. You will also be able to leverage some of these acquired accolades in future interview scenarios in order to help secure employment.

You should make an effort to consult some of your new colleagues at work as to where you can go about finding some of the career and personal development avenues that are provided in the company. Perhaps the best place that you can start your search is with the HR department.

Hopefully looking at First job tips will help to get you on the right track with your learning. Make sure to give your employees a sincere Post interview thank you.

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Choosing to intern at a company is a great career move. source: Unsplash
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Rush
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1st lesson free!
Lucinda
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5 (22 reviews)
Lucinda
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1st lesson free!
Hakim
5
5 (16 reviews)
Hakim
£50
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Maria-alexandra
5
5 (18 reviews)
Maria-alexandra
£40
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Rush
5
5 (79 reviews)
Rush
£75
/h
Gift icon
1st lesson free!
Lucinda
5
5 (22 reviews)
Lucinda
£150
/h
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1st lesson free!
Hakim
5
5 (16 reviews)
Hakim
£50
/h
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1st lesson free!
Maria-alexandra
5
5 (18 reviews)
Maria-alexandra
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/h
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The initial difficulties of networking

It is not uncommon for internships to only run over the course of a few weeks, the summer period or a six-month contract. For this reason, many interns can find it difficult to create relationships in the workplace.

Knowing that their stay in the company will be short-lived both the intern and their surrounding colleagues can be less likely to integrate with each other as they would if they were full-time employees.

This can deter interns from conversing and attempting to establish relationships with those around them while they are going about their internship program.

One of the valuable products of completing an internship program at a company in your desired field of work is the relationships and networking opportunities that you are likely to foster in that time.

Networking is invaluable if you are looking to get your foot in the door of a specific company or even just looking for opportunities within the industry more generally.

These are connections that you will depend on at some stage in your professional career, whether it’s in finding or filling job vacancies in the sector, expanding your reach on linked in or relying on sharing resources as you both progress in your respective career paths.

If it is a case that you are shy to strike up a conversation with a staff member, perhaps you could even reach out and introduce yourself via email. You would be surprised how willing your colleagues will be to guide you with any question you might have.

If you find this to be a difficult process because you consider yourself to be somewhat of an introvert you could of course come up with a few ice-breakers to aid you in the process.

Make sure that you have prepared a strong Cover letter, it will help you to impress potential employers.

Each job should have a different CV cover letter to ensure they are all personalised and adapted for the respective company.

The difficulty of Getting started

Starting a new internship can be daunting, the first day in particular is something that professionals that have completed numerous internships in the past will never get used to.

Since at this stage you have yet to introduce yourself and establish any connection in the workplace, one of the main issues with interns is that you're still perplexed. The reality is that you are likely to face a lot of difficulties since you don't know how to interact with your co-workers or supervisor.

The sooner you do this and get yourself into the swing of things the better. Depending on the size of the company and the sector in which they operate you might find that there are others interning at the same time as you or even participating in the same internship program.

This can be a great opportunity to meet like-minded professionals that are looking to enter the same career path as you. Not to mention the relationship that you harvest will also serve to improve the atmosphere in the office.

You tend to settle into the work atmosphere more readily if there are other interns joining you than if you're the only one. You will likely be collaborating with these interns on a number of tasks and be paired with a number of different projects together. Having good chemistry might even serve to improve the work that you produce.

If you ask anyone that has interned in the past, they will likely agree that getting started is half the battle and one of the greatest difficulties you are likely to experience as an intern. Becoming familiar with potential Phone interview questions will also help secure your next internship. You should also have Phone interview preparation up there on your list.

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Interning at a company is a great way for you to get a foot in the door. source: Unsplash

Getting exploited as an intern

While building up your CV is always good, being taken for a ride by greedy employers isn’t going to get you anywhere. It is also important to note that not all experience is interesting or worthwhile. Companies don’t always offer internships out of the kindness of their hearts – it reflects well on them to have a quota of graduates coming through the door, and all too often it’s a revolving door.

Some companies have been known to take on interns as a means of acquiring some lower-cost labour. Some internships are also poorly planned, which can make you feel defeated, especially when the person with whom you've been paired up each morning struggles with their own workload while trying to find things for you to accomplish. Not exactly a confidence booster.

An increasing number of placements are unpaid, and little money is given out for travel costs. This surfaces a serious challenge for those who are trying to get by or even get paid for the value of the work that they are contributing through their time on the internship. It seems unfair for a company to leverage the experience that the candidate will work in order to obtain payment for the hard work that they produce.

The majority of internships are also located in London. Don't take the chance; the tension won't be worth it if you can't get up and leave for the smog. If you leave outside of a major city in the UK, you might have a costly commute ahead of you if you plan on interning. you can also expect to pay a sizable amount of your pay or even your savings on renting accommodation closer to your work site.

Some internships are poorly planned, which can make you feel defeated, especially when the person with whom you've been paired up each morning struggles with their own workload while trying to find things for you to accomplish. Not exactly a confidence booster. A decreasing number of placements are unpaid, and little money is given out for travel costs.

The majority of internships are also located in London. Don't take the chance; the tension won't be worth it if you can't get up and leave for the smog. So what can be done by the government to assist? I don't understand why businesses shouldn't be required to pay employees a minimum wage in addition to their expenses.

With all this considered you should be capable of Writing a standout resume.

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Emma

I am passionate about traveling and currently live and work in Paris. I like to spend my time reading, gardening, running, learning languages, and exploring new places.