Most university students are not enthusiastic about their internship opportunities. The experience is notorious for being a thankless and exhausting role where duties are often reduced to menial tasks, leaving many interns wondering what exactly is the point of wasting their valuable time on an internship. While it is understandably difficult to see the immediate value in undertaking an internship, there are hidden costs associated with not interning. Before you decide to pass on that internship, consider the downsides for turning one down first and then really think if it’s the best decision for you and your future goals.
Graduates entering the job pool without internship experience will find themselves at a severe disadvantage when compared to their peers who have had some exposure to working with a professional company. Hiring managers are now looking more and more towards entry-level candidates with some work experience under their belt. This sought-after experience is something that internships can provide. With 75% of university graduates in 2014 going into their job searches with internship experience, can you really afford to be part of a diminishing minority without any professional exposure?
Internships may be looked upon lightly, but one undeniable benefit of taking on an internship is to get your foot in the door of a potential future job. In a recent study released in 2015, it was reported that 51.7% of student internships led to full-time job offers. Even if your responsibilities at an internship are minimal, it offers you the chance to impress staff with your personality, skills, professionalism, and work ethic. Make a good impression and they are likely to extend a full-time offer when a position opens up. Skip the internship and you’ll be left out in the cold while other interns have a direct in for future job openings.
If you forego an internship, you lack any real-world professional experience. With no experience, you have no leverage to negotiate your salary when discussing the terms of your employment for a new job. Hiring managers are often willing to increase the starting salary for new hires who can prove that they are worth the extra expense, Unfortunately, you’re going to need some incredible credentials to push for a salary increase if you don’t already have corporate experience on your resume.
As unfair as it may be, job opportunities tend to come down to knowing the right people, or at the very least, knowing people who know the right people. By taking part in an internship, you grow your network and extend it tenfold through the connects and relationships you cultivate through the experience. Even if your internship doesn’t lead directly to a full-time job offer with the company you interned for, you may end up knowing someone who can help point you in the right direction about job opportunities that you may not otherwise hear about.
Internships certainly have a bad reputation for being meaningless jobs, but considering the advantages that one may be able to grant you a job after graduation, why would you even consider passing up on the opportunity to better secure your future for success?
