8 Kinds of Internships That Even First Year Students Can Apply To!
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in March 2016 and has been updated to make it more comprehensive and up-to-date.
Vivek is a first-year engineering student who’s looking for an internship to acquire new skills and build on to his CV to help his career later on. Many of his friends and seniors had told him that first-year students don’t get internships due to the lack of technical skills and expertise. Vivek, however, doesn’t stop trying and eventually gets two internships within the first year.
If you also wonder whether any internships are available for 1st-year students, the answer is- Plenty! There are a lot of internships available in non-technical fields and slowly many students, like Vivek, are exploiting these opportunities. Many internships are also work-from-home aka virtual internships, and you can intern even during your semesters and not only during the summer break! Some of the prominent areas wherein you can find internships are:
1. Sales & Marketing:
Loved the movie RocketSingh – Salesman of the year? If you have good communication skills and like to meet and interact with new people, a sales/marketing internship is your ticket to get a first-hand experience of the business world. It doesn’t hurt that it improves your chances of claiming the title of Sponsorship Head during your college fest. In addition, this is also the best way of honing your soft skills and preparing yourself if you decide to do an MBA later on.
Cut your teeth on the corporate world; apply to some amazing marketing internships here.
2. Content Writing
Like writing stories (not just in exams)? Were the Editor of your school magazine or own a blog or a Facebook page? A content writing internship provides you the chance to hone your writing skills and even get paid for it! From Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to infographics, you learn a lot of new skills and are introduced to a diverse range of fields. It can also help you to become the Editor-in-chief of your college magazine or even the media head!
Have your way with words; apply to some cool content writing internships here.
If you want to brush up on your writing skills before applying to internships, you can check out Internshala’s Creative Writing training.
3. Social Media Marketing
Do you spend so much time on Instagram or Twitter that it feels like your second home now? Is your mind always brewing with ideas for reels? Have you mastered the art of sending memes? Then, a social media internship might be perfect for you! As a social media intern, you get to be creative every day, learn how to write compelling copies, work with marketing teams to promote campaigns, hang out with creative minds from design teams to create videos, run social media campaigns, and follow the news to come up with relatable content. You also get to flaunt that you are paid to do all of this.
Slay the social media marketing game; apply to internships here.
4. Graphic Designing
Love doodling or sketching? Know a bit of Photoshop? Keep comparing different logos or website designs thinking about how you could have made them better? If you think you have a good design sense, there are a plethora of opportunities available for you to explore a dormant passion! Graphic design is a hot career field, and you might even discover a new career possibility.
Photoshop your way through the first year; apply to the latest designing internships here.
Want to get a firm grasp of the basics before starting your internship search? Check out Internshala’s Graphic Design training.
5. Programming
Have a knack for coding? Love the world of computers? There are a number of stream independent internships in Web and Mobile App development which you can apply to. You can learn and master a major skill while working in the real world environment.
Start coding and stay ahead of the pack; check out the latest programming internships here.
6. Human Resources
Are you a people person? Do your friends count on you for planning a trip or a party? Can you diffuse difficult situations fairly? What if we told you that you can get paid for this through an internship in human resources? Not only that, but you will also learn how to post jobs, conduct interviews, and onboard new members.
Experience the other side of hiring; apply to internships in human resources here.
7. Teaching
Are you the godsend friend who can teach the entire syllabus before an exam? Have you ever been nicknamed Rancho because of how good you are at simplifying difficult subjects? Do you often get compliments about how patient you are? These could be signs that you are meant to be a teacher! So why not give it a go through an internship? Since many of these internships require a school-level knowledge of a subject, you can start in the first year itself.
Teach and see your students grow; check out these teaching internships.
8. Translation
Does your Netflix watchlist include shows from different parts of the world? Are you fluent in two or more languages? Do you like working with different languages? A translation internship can provide you the opportunity to tap into this side. As a translation intern, your day can consist of translating documents from one language to another, doing voice overs, and talking to clients in the target language.
Save companies from the horrors of Google Translate; apply to translation internships.
Tips for getting an internship in the first year
Now that you know you can indeed score an internship in the first year of college, let’s discuss a few tips to help you land these internships.
1. While seeing all these opportunities is great, you might not have much to write about in your resume (after all, isn’t that the whole point of applying for internships?). But just because you don’t have experience doesn’t mean that you don’t have skills or interests. When you’re applying for your first internship, no one expects you to be an expert in the skills required. So you can list your basic skills and relevant hobbies. For example, if you’re applying for a content writing position, mention editing your school magazine, participating in writing competitions, or reading blogs as a hobby. Once you have crafted your resume, ask a friend or family member to review it so that it’s error free.
Need more help? Read this guide on making a resume.
2. Don’t copy answers to common questions from the internet. An original answer can help the recruiter understand what makes you different from the other candidates and why you are the right fit for the organization. Also, remember to write customised answers for each internship. Mention why you want to work for that company, show your interest in the field you are applying for, and how you can help the company.
Once you land an interview, you can check out these common interview questions and answers to help you ace it.
3. What’s better than having the right skills for an internship? Showing that you have put them into use! Do some side projects to show your skills in action. For instance, if you are applying to a graphic design internship, you can create a portfolio with graphics such as banners, logos, magazine covers, and so on.
4. You can try doing short-term online training to learn a new skill or improve an existing skill with the help of quizzes, assignments, and projects.
5. If you are rejected for the first internship, don’t let it bring you down! Having worked as interns ourselves, we can assure you that heartbreaking rejections are a normal part of the process. Therefore, apply to as many internships as possible to increase your chances of getting hired.
6. Let your network (friends, family, and LinkedIn connections) know that you are looking for internships. Or, you can simply register on Internshala and set your internship preferences, and we will send you internship recommendations to your inbox every week!
For more tips, read What is an internship and how to get one. To learn the dos and don’ts of applying to an internship on Internshala, read 8 things to take care of while applying for internships and jobs on Internshala.
Now that you know there are many options available for you and even know some tips, what are you waiting for? Start applying for these internships brought exclusively for first-year students and stand apart from the crowd! Not to forget, all the internships come with certificates and cool stipends!
Image source: giphy.com
