Mithu Roy, a B.Tech graduate from B.P. Poddar Institute of Management and Technology, couldn’t sit for any campus placements due to his low academic score. He was interested in the field of Mobile App Development but did not have any knowledge of it. So, he took up an online Android Development course and started applying for internships. Soon he landed an internship, and at the end of it, he got an offer to work with them full-time.
Our country has the youngest workforce yet like Mithu, millions of graduates struggle to find a job. Every year, 6 million students graduate from college, and only 8-10% find a job. Graduates are not able to find a job, and a major reason is the lack of relevant skills.
Unemployability and skill gap are two massive problems which
need to be tackled right away. Internships are the solution for this issue, and a meaningful experience can act as a stepping stone for graduates to build their careers. Internships offer a great wealth of opportunities for the students. They can be one of the best solutions for the problems many students face after graduation.
Freshers have always faced the ‘chicken-egg’ problem. Landing the first job might seem like a challenge to many as organisations prefer candidates with work experience, but the graduates have no prior experience. Practical skills and knowledge of tools can be acquired only through experience, and a ‘meaningful’ internship will help you take the first step in career-building. Moreover, the internship would give the graduates the much-needed corporate exposure as they learn to work in a professional work environment.
Post an internship; graduates can gain benefit by gaining the following –
- Skills
Classroom learning teaches you the theoretical aspects of the subjects. However, to acquire job-specific skills, you need practical experience. An internship will help you learn skills which are relevant to your profile, giving you an edge over your peers. Having acquired practical knowledge while handling real-time projects in your internship, you are better equipped to land a job in your core field.
At the same time, you will gain a command of soft skills. English is the language of the workplace today; have a good command over vocabulary and grammar as this will help you to write strong applications, cover letters, and emails. On the other hand, you will also develop ‘team spirit’, another essential quality which employers seek.
- Work experience
Having real-world experience under your belt gives you an edge over other candidates in job interviews. Moreover, your internships count towards your professional experience and boost your resume.
The internship experience also helps you network with peers and prominent members in the industry of your choice. Over 40% of the internships on Internshala come with pre-placement offers (PPO), and you might have a good chance of landing a job at the organisation where you are interning.
- Insight into industry
Employers often ask questions about the industry, the latest technologies, and developments in interviews. They do this to understand the interests and see if a candidate is a good fit. Now as a fresher, without any prior work experience, it is hard to grasp the various intricacies involved in a business or an organisation.
This is where an internship will come handy. The experience would give an insight of the industry, equipping you with knowledge of latest tools and understanding of the technologies. You would also have a better understanding of the ‘work-culture’ and learn the basics of professionalism. At the end of the internship, you would also realise if you want to continue working in the same industry or not.
- Networking
An internship is your first opportunity to work with a team outside the classrooms, and it will help you develop interpersonal relationships and strengthen your network. It helps you build a network and connect with people in your industry and work domain. Once you build a network in your industry, you would get to share ideas and learn from them.
Getting a job is extremely competitive, and an internship experience will make you stand out among your peers. Not only will it boost your resume but also give you an edge during job placements. An internship is a launchpad for your career, and it acts as the ‘first job’ before the ‘first job’.
Internshala has launched an initiative titled ‘India Employed’ to help graduates build their career. Through the campaign, Internshala is pledging to help 50,000 graduates secure an internship by March 2018. Unemployed graduates who are unable to find suitable jobs can apply to internships with pre-placement offers matching their requirements, which offers them a chance to land a job in the same company. Graduates, irrespective of their year of study, can apply to over 1,600 internships. The brands offering internships with pre-placement offers as a part of this campaign include Teach For India, Aditya Birla, OYO Rooms, Decathlon, and Sportskeeda.
Details of this campaign can be found here.
About the Author: Sarvesh Agrawal is the founder and CEO of Internshala.