by Sreeram J. |
Q1. What are the different domains in which internships can be pursued?
There are many domains/spheres where one can do internship which can be broadly categorized as:
1. Business Development
2. Sales and Marketing
3. Finance
4. Research and development
5. Data analytics
6. Content Writing
7. Human Resource
8. Social Work/ Volunteering
9. Social Media Marketing
10. Operations
Q2.What are the basic skills that companies look for in an intern to hire ? 1. Communication-
It refers to the oral and verbal skills. Verbal skills can be presented through CV and cover letter while verbal skills are tested in your interview.
2. Interpersonal-
Depending on the industry, you may be interacting with clients and vendors as well as your co-workers and managers.
3. Collaboration-
As part of a team, you have to understand your own strengths and weaknesses so you know how you can best contribute, as well as be aware of how you can bring out the best in others. 4. Time Management-
Employers want to know that you can prioritize responsibilities and recognize when it’s appropriate to multitask or focus on one particular project at a time.
5. Critical Thinking-
Critical thinking refers to your ability to analyze and evaluate a situation or issue and form a judgment.
6. Technical Proficiency-
Technical proficiency here includes elementary knowledge about computer and software skills such as MS Word, MS Excel, etc.
Q3. What are the general questions asked by a company during the interview for internships?
1. Why do you want to intern here? Why should we hire you?
2. What are your plans after graduation?
3. Why did you pick your school/major/minor? Tell us a bit about yourself.
4. Why do you want to work in this industry? What are your strengths?
5. How do you prioritise your work?
6. Tell us about a time when you have successfully dealt with a difficult situation.
Q4. What are some benefits of internships and student work experience?
In addition to potential wages earned, student work and internship experience is valuable for exploring fields of work which you may wish to enter after graduation.
Experience develops new skills and strengthens existing skills. Work experience helps you establish professional contacts in a potential field of interest. You will be able to demonstrate work setting accomplishments in your resume.
Q5. Which one is better summer schools or internships?
Summer training is a well-structured and organized training of skill sets required in the industries. They make the students ready for the industrial work. They are basically classroom courses which includes both theoretical and practical hands-on sessions for the complete training of the particular skill/technology.
On the other hand, Internship includes working on real life projects. You will be required to convert your current knowledge into actions. You will be basically a full time employee for 2 months (if you are looking for summer internship).
Q6. What is the role of hard/ technical skills in getting internships? Hard skills are specific, teachable abilities that can be defined and measured, such as typing, writing, math, reading and the ability to use software programs. Hard skills are essential to get internships. however, you are not expected to be an expert at these things . Companies basically look for the people who posses at least the elementary levels of these skills. People with basic knowledge of MS Excel, degrees or certificates , foreign language knowledge , programming , mathematics etc are preferred over others.