Not Just a Line on Your Resume

Internships are a training position commonly held by a student looking to further their career. But how do you know if completing an internship is the right step for you? And, if you decide to do one, what are the benefits? We spoke to UTS Graduates about their time as interns to find out about their thoughts on the internship process.

Alexandria Maclean, UTS Graduate, and current Social and Content Strategist at Ogilvy Australia, started there as an intern in 2014. Her biggest piece of advice was for potential interns to stop looking at these opportunities as resume fillers. Instead, go into an internship with the intention of growing within the company. By having that desire to progress, you’re more likely to be upskilled and trained as a future talent.

‘Ogilvy offered me a job based off my six week internship performance when I graduated, a year after my time there. I kept in contact with them as I finished my degree and I kept myself on their radar.’

Alexandria’s internship at Ogilvy was her second internship that led to her getting further work. This is the best possible outcome. You’ve put in the hours, you’ve enhanced your skills, and you’ve now secured future employment. Internships are a great way to show a company that you’re worth the time they invested in you.

That’s not always the case. Sometimes you do all the hard work, and you do it well, but unfortunately, the company you’ve interned at, doesn’t have a position available. That doesn’t mean internships are a waste of your time. For Gemma Matheson, UTS Graduate and current Bid and Proposals Coordinator at Ai Media, internships were vital for upskilling her for the work force.

‘My internships gave me a sense of security. I knew that I had the experience, and my internships allowed me to show off my skills. I could go into an interview with more than a degree under my belt.’

According to Gemma, an important aspect of completing an internship is managing your workload. Know what your intern supervisor expects of you throughout the program and make sure you know how many days a week you can commit to the company. For Gemma, that was two days a week during the university breaks, so she could still hold another casual position elsewhere.

Turns out, internships are worth exactly what you make of them. Find a company that you want to work in and go through the front doors as if your internship is a probation period on your first job. Alexandria might have the best take on what to do in an internship program:

‘Go into them and squeeze out as much information and skills as humanly possible.’

If you’re wondering where to find the perfect internship position, there are plenty posted on CareerHub. Practically everything else you’ll need to help with your internship hunt can be found on the UTS’ intern website.

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash