I live in a tier-2 city. Here’s how I kick started my career within first year of college through virtual internships.
About the Author: Abhipsa Mohanty is pursuing B.A. in English Literature from BJB College, Bhubaneswar. She shares how she got three virtual internships in her first year of college and started her content writing career.
After learning from a cousin the importance of internships for a college student, I started searching on the internet for internships, and every web page that I visited suggested Internshala as one of the best websites for linking students with desired internships. The New Indian Express that comes to my house suggested the same. So, without wasting much time, I registered on Internshala and applied to a few of the internships. Being an English Literature student, I chose the field of content writing.
As I live in a tier-two city with hardly any in-office internships, I was not sure what to do in the beginning. And with my studies and exams, I could not venture out of my city. However, after reading about the virtual internships, I thought of applying for the same. In the beginning, I was rejected by the companies that I had applied to, but I kept receiving emails from Internshala about how important it was to keep on trying and how difficult getting selected was due to intense competition (which, I feel, every newbie who applies for internships should remember). Those emails really motivated me a lot and I asked for the Internshala resume guide and worked on my resume. I also read some articles on their blog for a suitable answer to the question “Why should you be hired?” that appears while applying for every internship, and which ultimately decides your fate at the desk of the employer.
After correcting the mistakes that I was making, in my resume and answers to be precise, happiness reverberated in my ears in the form of two beeps from my phone; I found that the texts I had received from Internshala were to notify me that I had been selected for two internships – at Word-o-net Writing Studio (popularly known as Hunterest) and Storieo. I couldn’t believe it at first; getting selected for two internships simultaneously was a Herculean coincidence. And excited as I was, I took up both of them. The selection for Hunterest was through a simple telephonic interview in which they asked about my educational background and why I was interested in that internship. It was my first interview and I was a bit nervous, but the nervousness turned to happiness when I was told that I could start working from the very next day. Storieo required its interns to have a special interest and skills in creative writing, and my resume must have provided that bit of information as I had included all relevant details, and I was directly selected.
For Hunterest, I had to write 2-5 articles regularly on various topics like lifestyle, tech, food, health, travel etc. Additionally, I was also writing content for Oyo Rooms in various cities through one of their projects. Storieo, on the other hand, is a website which publishes short stories and book reviews. There were no deadlines and no regular submissions. I could submit a short-story at my leisure and could extend the internship after every two months if I wished until I completed twenty stories, which was the allotted target.
Internship at Hunterest got over in a month and the employer was prompt enough to bless my bank account with my first stipend, but she sadly didn’t show the same punctuality in sending me the certificate. I emailed and waited but her response was extremely vague. And I thought I had lost it and was starting to feel miserable when I read in one of the e-mails from Internshala that I could contact the admin anytime if I was facing any complications. With some hopes that arose in my mind, I mailed my problem and just after two days, I received my certificate. And from that very day, I never needed to follow what websites or newspapers said regarding Internshala, it was the best and shall remain the best for me.
Soon, I got my third internship through Internshala at Trekteller. After a short telephonic interview in which I was asked about my previous internship experiences, I was asked to submit two sample articles on the topics provided by them. They liked my articles and I was selected. During the internship, I had to write three blogs every day on the assigned topics after doing research on the internet. The organization works internationally and I was required to cover cities like Paris and a few Australian cities for good hotels, spas, shopping centers, restaurants etc. that could help travelers on their visit to those cities.
So, I have worked as an intern for three different organizations now in a span of only seven months. I’ve learned about the inverted cone structure for writing good articles for websites and e-commerce platforms from my mentor at Hunterest. She was patient and cooperative enough to answer all my queries and guide me through the internship. All this knowledge helped me when I worked for Trekteller for creating regular good quality blogs. And during the time I spent at Storieo, I unearthed the hidden short-story writer in myself. Before that having being published only once, I had never thought much about this aspect, but Storieo helped me publish twenty of my stories, and I’m proud of having discovered this talent. All of these experiences have brought out a confidence in me, a confidence that helps me handle the interviews better, which constantly pushes me towards the frontiers of growth and self- development, and inspires me to achieve all my goals in life.
I can proudly say that Internshala has helped me in making the most of my first year at college. I’ve learned invaluable lessons from these experiences and now I’ve understood that the virtual internships can also be really helpful for one’s career. And the saga continues, with the quest for new opportunities and challenges, always to be mentored by Internshala.
Inspired by Abhipsa’s relentlessness? Apply to these virtual internships and kick start your career without worrying about the constraints of your location.
