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So you spent the last couple of months prepping your resume, learning about interviews, and wrapping up with your college exams. You gave your best to score that winter internship. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and you were not able to get/pursue the internship you were hoping to. However, that’s not the end of the world. It was just one of the many internship opportunities that you will come across in your student life. And even if you could not get your hands on a winter internship, you can use the time to prepare for the bigger battle of Summer Internship.
Right now, Christmas lights have filled the streets and New Year is just around the corner. And preparing for a summer internship might feel way too early. But in reality, it is not. Most corporate companies post their summer internship openings during winters and have deadlines mostly in January and February. So yes, now is the time when you need to buck up to ensure you do not miss the chance to make it for a summer internship in the dream company.
Here are few tips to buckle up for your summer internship preparation:
Be an Early Bird
Many students make the mistake of waiting until summers for applying to internships. However, summer internship application season begins in the autumn of the previous year and runs all the way until June/July. However, companies receive most of their applications by February. And if you too want to beat the competition and ensure your application is gone through, apply as early as you can, especially, if you are planning for government organisations, financial institution or top engineering firms. Such companies, usually have the earliest deadline mainly because of the tough completion and secondly because of the lengthy and stringent hiring process they follow.
So no time mourning the winter internship loss. Get to work now!
Plan an Overseas Internship
An internship overseas can boost your career like nothing. Summer internships that take overseas students are facilitated by a third party program often look to fill spots for their summer internships at the earliest. This is mainly because a lot of paperwork goes into scoring an internship abroad and also because the internships can be expensive. Not all companies bear the travel and lodging expense, and early hiring means the student can look for scholarships available for internships abroad, especially those take into consideration academic credit.
Apply to as Many Internships as You Can
Everybody has a dream company they aspire to intern with. However, things may not always work your way. And you would not like to waste your summer without an internship just because you could not make it to the BIG 4 or so. Therefore, it is important to apply to as many internships as you can. When you apply to multiple internships, chances are there that you will make it to a couple of them. Thus, you will have a choice in your hand, and you will have the final say instead of the other way round.
Polish Your Skills
When you start preparing early, you have enough time in hand to hone your skill-set and get proficient in the skills needed for an internship in your dream company. Instead of getting sad over not getting a winter internship, use the time to polish your skills and learn as much as you can. Watch online tutorials, give fake interviews, create a strong resume and overall make yourself the best version of you.
Volunteer
While people in other countries emphasise greatly on volunteer work, Indian students often take it lightly. However, if you have time in hand, use it to do some good volunteer work probably with a well-recognised NGO or institution. It is undoubtedly going to earn you some brownie points in your resume.
And Finally,
Stay Motivated
Even if you have not found an internship by later April or May, do not lose hope. Many companies, especially small ones keep rolling the internship list until later in summer. And given that there is no industry-specific deadline for hiring an intern, many companies take their own sweet time replying to applications.
Stay motivated and keep working to improve your resume, and you will get the internship you deserve if not in winters, then in summers for sure!