Written by Aniket Singh – author of “Intern Abroad This Summer”
The first step towards getting your internship is deciding whom you wish to intern with. While companies such as Microsoft, Google, LinkedIn, Intel, Qualcomm, Facebook are all popular options, you would have to figure out if they are offering positions which match your skill sets and align with your career goals. You can also check up on websites which list the best companies to intern with. Forbes has compiled the following list of 20 most prestigious internships for 2018:
Here are some other factors that can help you decide:
- Your objective: The main factor that you have to decide on before you start the application process is what your objective is. What do you expect to gain from your internship – is it specific skill sets pertaining to your field of education, or just an overall experience in working with an organization? Decide on what it is you are looking for in the long run, and apply accordingly. Beware, some organizations may also expect you to do nothing more than stack and file papers or bring coffee.
- Company size: Different companies will give you different experiences, and there are both pros and cons in interning with a big or a small company. While big companies may offer more generic roles, which you may have to share with many other interns, smaller companies may offer you more specific roles, and you may be working with a much smaller team. Hence, the responsibility and learning would be much more at a smaller company. However, smaller companies generally don’t sponsor visas for internships to foreign students – this could put you in a fix if you do not already have your finances settled. On the other hand, a larger company would add on more brand value to your resume, and most big companies provide hosted internships where they take care of your visa, travel, stay and even pay a stipend. A smaller company may not add much weightage to your resume, but you can always elaborate more about your experiences and role when you meet your interviewer.
- Paid or unpaid: While most big organizations such as Google and Microsoft offer paid internships, and also help finance your travel and stay, some may not. It is always best to be clear so that you do not end up in trouble later on.
- Skill sets: You will have to gauge if the company you wish to intern with will help you gain those specific skill sets that you are looking for your future. Apart from the regular work, will you be able to learn more, and is the company flexible with their interns in terms of providing a bigger learning field?
- Where do you see yourself in the future: If you are already sure about which company or specific field you are looking to make your career in, then narrow down on it and go bag the internship with that particular company, or others which are in the same field of work. Chances of companies that you intern with giving you jobs later on are high, provided you excel during your internship.
About the author:
Aniket Singh works for Apple Inc. in California, United States. He is also the author of “Intern Abroad This Summer”.
Aniket holds a BTech degree in Electrical Engineering from the IIT, Madras, Chennai, and a Master’s degree in Wireless Systems from Politecnico Di Torino in Torino, Italy. He has interned at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom and Ecole Polytechnic Federale de Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland during this studies.
Visit him at www.aniketsingh.com
Check out his book at www.internabroadthissummer.com
