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Internships: Win-Win for Employers and Students

Author: Jennifer Tsai
by Jennifer Tsai
Posted: Jul 07, 2017

Which side are you?

Think interns are hired only as cheap labor to complete boring administrative work? Think again. For future-minded organizations, interns are no longer merely students who make photocopies and bring their bosses coffee. Instead, various businesses have come to appreciate the significance of hiring interns and view them as investments that are worth the return. Internships are a win-win for both employer and student.

Win for employers

Organizations can benefit tremendously from internships. They are effective recruitment tools that give companies access to and choice of the cream of the crop from the best colleges. Ultimately, internships help organizations build a pipeline of fresh and driven young talent.

Additionally, internships are effective experiential interviews. Employers can have a more accurate assessment on an intern’s behaviour and performance in a realistic setting, compared to the standard 45-minute case-based or behavioural interview. An internship is the best predictor of whether an individual is the right fit for an organization, whether he is culturally aware, whether he can easily build rapport with co-workers and whether he has the potential to fill a given position in the organization.

Finally, internships are beneficial to organizations because of the fresh and innovative ideas that interns bring to the table. They can offer insights, perspectives and solutions that potentially are new and different from what an employee molded by the tried-and-tested ways and thinking of the organization can offer. Plus, given the environment and context in which today’s millennial generation has grown up in, their ideas could also potentially be more technology savvy and contemporary.

Win for interns

Internships are one of the most effective career-building resources for students and graduates, as they open doors to multiple opportunities. Internships help students discover themselves and give them a realistic taste of possible career paths and provide them with networking opportunities while they are still in their academic careers.

Given their real-work experience, interns likely have an edge during the full-time job search. Studies show that new recruits with relevant internship experience are better prepared to handle work than those with no internship experience. It exposes students to a real work environment, helps them develop a professional attitude to handle work and effectively communicate and leave a positive impression on their superiors and peers.

In addition to all the experience and learning, an internship helps students build a solid resume. It adds value and weight to the resume and boosts the chance of getting a call for a job interview. A good resume can cut through the clutter of applicants and stand out among others competing for the same job. With all of these advantages, it is no wonder that with internships both employers and students win.

About the Author

Jennifer Tsai works at Philip Morris International as a Brand Building Executive on INKOMPASS, PMI’s global internship brand.

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Author: Jennifer Tsai

Jennifer Tsai

Member since: May 18, 2017
Published articles: 2

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