Being an internship student or being placed within an organization during university studies is a requirement of many universities around the world.
Then students face multiple difficulties finding an organization that is willing to accept them. You are happy to work for free for a company, at the same time not many volunteering companies for that?
Why companies don’t want internships?
- Accepting internship students in a company requires time and time is the most precious unit in the business world. Companies prefer to use their time to generate business rather than to give knowledge to students that are not well oriented about what they want from the internship.
- Sharing knowledge and educating youth is a vocation, and the company should have a policy and dedication to educational activities.
- Many students are just there for the signature of the internship and do not care about what they will do.
- Students think a company is like an extra class activity – you can attend whenever you feel in the mood…
- If a student believes he has done a great job but he didn’t receive recognition? The truth is that most of the work of students very often cannot be used at all as it is beyond the deadline or it is missing the professional touch.
What is the true purpose of an internship?
- Get into an organization that is hard to be accepted otherwise and prove to them you are worthy.
- Learn how the real world operates – the student’s life and experience are very different than reality. Every company works towards budgets and deadlines, which are tight in most cases. Get aligned towards industry expectations and where your skill set lies.
- Learn how to be well organized, and how to fit into a team and company pipeline without feeling like an outsider.
- Learn what software is used in a professional company
- Try to learn as many practical things as possible that you believe you didn’t learn in your studies.
The perfect internship student? 10 tips that will open the doors even to the hardest to-penetrate companies:
- Be persistent in your chase to get into the company. Every company probably gets hundreds of applications and HR’s priority is not on internships. Persistence shows dedication and the spirit of someone motivated to achieve his goal.
- Be on time. Joining an organization and coming and going at your convenience is not a good example of the company spirit. Showcase that you are motivated, punctual, and reliable.
- Don’t wait for someone to tell you what to do – be first and ask your supervisor what to do next. This shows your willingness to work and the speed of the performance of your tasks.
- Try to learn fast. Try to ask quality questions, and do not overload your supervisor to babysit you all the time. Remember – time is precious, don’t waste it.
- Try to fit within the company project, timeline, and task deadlines. If you are always behind your task, you can’t be useful in a real work environment. Clients are not happy to wait, time is precious for them too.
- Be proactive, this always pays off. Good leaders are always looking for reliable people to whom to delegate more responsibilities. More responsibilities result in raises in salaries and growth within the company.
- Be consistent in everything you do. Companies follow processes and rely on structured way of work.
- Try to excel. Mediocrity doesn’t bring success.
- Don’t do your university work in the office. Use the time wisely to learn stuff that will take you longer at home if to learn by yourself.
- Build your CV. This may be the start of your professional career. Even if you are not yet ready for a job start – if you had an internship in a great company, this may help you in your job hunting later.
REMEMBER – Every employer is looking for talents. The company you are interning with might offer you a job.
However to help this to happen, you need to prove not only talent but persistence, motivation, and the spirit to grow your skills. Whatever behavior is during your internship – this is what the future employer sees in you as an employee behavior.
If you only need a work experience just signed – trust us, every company will be happy to sign it for you in exchange for getting onboard and wasting the company’s time.
If you are a valuable talent – don’t talk about it, simply prove it! In a time of recession, it is twice more important to prove your capabilities!
Pixelhunters is a 13 years old company in the UAE, a leader in content creation, game development, VR/AR, Metaverse, and knowledge-based applications, and is an initiator and supporter of multiple educational programs and initiatives dedicated to youth.
We live in a skill-based society of demand and getting started as a fresh graduate is difficult.
We believe good mentors and motivators are important for everyone, and we are happy to share our knowledge with young students that are eager to progress. Pixelhunters is collaborating with almost all UAE universities that offer education in multimedia design, animation and game development and has accepted multiple internship students not only from the UAE but from other countries as well.
Building a professional career path is not easy. But nothing is IMPOSSIBLE.