Participating in internships during college open tons of doors for students trying to gain real world work experience in their chosen field, including the chance to develop solid networking opportunities that could come in handy after graduation. However, the idea of doing an internship after graduating might cause some people to raise eyebrows.
Graduates and soon-to-be-grads toying with the idea of looking into internship programs once they’ve earned their degree have a lot of pros and cons to consider. There are certain situations where an internship after college makes sense. Below are just a few scenarios where this option could wind up being the most suitable for graduates.
Exhausting the Job Search
The whole point–for most students–of doing an internship during college is to set up the stepping stones towards a potential job opening after finishing school. Of course the job market hasn’t exactly been the most stable in recent years and graduates these days are never quite sure what challenges they’ll face when it comes to the job search.
College grads should only consider another internship if they have currently exhausted all of their job searches. If resumes and cover letters have been sent out, interviews been attended and there are still no takers after a few months, then it could work in a graduate’s favor to try another approach by interning at a different company that is within their discipline. Being an intern in this situation could lead to inside job openings that might not have been posted publicly.
Not Able to Intern During College
Unfortunately, not all students that attend college get the chance to do an internship. Whether they never made an attempt or failed to get accepted into the internship program they wanted, submitting to these opportunities after finishing school could beef up their resumes and position themselves to be better candidates on job applications. While interning at such a late time could delay when a person could seek employment, graduates that don’t have very strong resumes to being with will find it worth the time and effort to gain the experienced necessary for them to then really use their degree to the fullest extent.
Still Unsure Which Profession to Pursue
There is a large number of college graduates that still don’t feel 100% secure as to what type of career they want to pursue once they have their degree in hand. This is especially true when it comes to broad industries like Business, Finance, Communications and Marketing.
Sometimes students that participate in internships during college don’t always come away feeling confident that the position they worked in/shadowed would be the right fit for them. However, having this second chance of sorts–even after graduation–could end up being a blessing in disguise for grads that might be conflicted as to what path to choose.
Want to Add More Experience
There’s nothing wrong with being an overachiever, even for internships. Some college grads would prefer to continue receiving education and training before applying for certain jobs. As long as there is solid evidence that such a move would get a person closer to their career goals, they have the green light.
