How to Land An Internship Position Fast

Searching for jobs in Nigeria or getting jobs in Nigeria can really be a hectic one in Nigeria as there are various hurdles that are required for job seekers in Nigeria who are majorly youths in the nation.

This is because there’s a little job opportunity to measure up to the numerous numbers of unemployed youths in the nation. It’s already an established fact that within the Nigerian realities there’s strong advocacy for youths and other unemployed individuals to look into other ways to add value to themselves, getting themselves the necessary skillset and qualifications coupled with decent years of experience to help them secure jobs in Nigeria.

This is because recruiting firms in Nigeria employ stern measures and interview processes on Nigeria to pick their preferred or chosen candidates during the job recruiting process. This might actually prove a herculean task for the fresh graduates in the nation. This is because most recruiting firms require years of experience which they do not have because they are fresh graduates.

The irony here is that while most graduates in Nigeria are denied chances of getting or securing jobs in Nigeria due to their lack of job experience, but then there is no way they can get this experience without having a job.

This is why graduates in Nigeria must ensure that they add value to themselves, they must ensure that they leverage on any viable opportunity given to them to not only add value, harness their skills but also get a decent level of experience in their chosen business or preferred career part.

This is why it’s important for many undergraduates and young school leavers to ensure that they use or leverage on the place of internship to acquire these much-needed requirements.

By definition, an internship can be defined as an official program that is offered by an employer to potential employees. The modern concept of an internship has evolved from the medieval apprenticeship, where a skilled laborer, often a craftsman, would take on and teach a young person their trade. In exchange for being taught a trade, the apprentice would agree to work for the craftsman for a specified length of time.

Think of an apprenticeship as an on-ramp to a career. It prepares an individual by training them to do a specific job and lasts for at least a year. Apprentices are full-time, paid employees who participate in both on-the-job training and classroom learning. Apprenticeships are geared toward highly-skilled technical jobs such as an electrician, plumber or cybersecurity administrator.

At the end of an apprenticeship, the apprentices receive a certification to work in their trade and typically accept a full-time offer from the company or organization they apprenticed for.

However it’s pertinent for us not to confuse Internship with Apprenticeship, as both concepts are different from one another, apprenticeship is a pair for the learning process in which individuals undergo for a specific period of time

Think of internships like taste-testing a job or industry. An intern gets the chance to work in a trade or at a company for a limited period of time, for example, a summer.

They may be offered full-time employment after internship completion. Internships are also more generalized positions and usually designed to expose a person to a specific industry rather than to one particular job. Interns also may work part-time or be unpaid, while apprentices are almost always full-time and paid.

#1: Gain valuable work experience

One of the numerous advantages of serving or working as an intern is that it affords to Young individuals with no viable job or working experience to garner the much-needed experience needed in doing a particular job or as a worker. There are many jobs which in the process of application by its various recruiting officers or firms always require that they have some years of experience as stipulated by the recruiters or recruiting firms in Nigeria.

For most young and fresh graduates in Nigeria, this might prove impossible has they might have never done any real work before, this is why it’s important for them to engage themselves in any internship roles or opening around them. Sourcing for this is no herculean task as this will be visited in the latter part of the article.

#2: Explore a career path

This is another benefit attached to working as an intern, For many people out there a planned career path, working as an intern not only give them the experience or introduce them to their preferred career path, it also goes a long way in helping them explore this career path which in the long run gives them some sort of insight into the technicalities and peculiarities of the job or career.

For example for an individual who wants to develop a career in Estate Management, working as an intern in an Estate Management will introduce you and get you acquainted with the uniqueness of the job. It will help you explore the various opportunities that come with the job as well as the various challenges that come with the job. As you explore you begin to gather the right knowledge, understand the job well as well build a network that will be useful later on.

#3: Give yourself an edge in the job market

This is also another advantage that comes with working as an intern. This is because it goes a long way in complementing one’s curriculum vitae. Writing curriculum vitae in Nigeria for a young school leave or fresh graduate in Nigeria might be quite nervy as they have no prior job experience which will go a long way in boosting their chances of getting employed.

When you are engaged or have a good internship experience it gives you an edge over others. Also, it avails young job seekers in Nigeria to have practical knowledge and understanding of their chosen career path. The classroom only teaches theoretically why when you take the further step to work as an intern you have practical knowledge and understanding of the said or stated work

#4: Develop and refine skills.

Talents and passion for a particular job without experience can be said or likened to a raw material that can only be useful when harnessed and processed. This is one of the benefits that come along with working as an intern. The presence of people with a wealth of experience, the luxury of learning as you work which is a lot better than learning theoretically is of great and diverse advantage: and it no doubt helps in the long run to harness your potential, developing your skills as well as refining it for better future use

#5: Receive financial compensation

The conventional orientation and mentality that all internship works or roles are always without pay. I am happy to correct that. There are diverse and various forms that pay their interns well. When you secure an internship position in some forms it not only gives you the opportunity to learn but also to make money

#6: Network with professionals in the field

Working as an intern affords you the opportunity of working with seasoned and experience people who upon good engagement you get to learn one or two things from. There are various benefits that come with networking especially in the 21st century, and this is why you should not undermine the importance of working as an intern. The people who you imagine you might never get to see or work with, internship roles and positions goes a long way in bridging that gap. While you are just starting out the journey on your career path, you need every help you can get in as much as it is legal. Working as an intern is a good place to start.

#7: Gain confidence.

An internship affords you the opportunity and chance of being assigned to various projects based on the discretion of your boss. The benefit here is that as you work you not only get the experience, you also get the confidence which is boosted with more works and responsibilities meeting new people in the process of your networking with them also goes a long way in boosting ones confident.

#8: Transition into a job

For jobs that you have no prior experience or knowledge of, applying as an intern in these set roles or jobs will also in many ways help you move or change from one job to another.

7 Best Tips to Secure an Internship

1: Narrow down the field

Depending on the subject matter you’re interested in, everything else will change. While searching for internship roles or positions it is important that you do not just search haphazardly. Do well to set down and have a better understanding of what you want and your career path. One good way you can establish this is by having an objective self-evaluation and critique. What is your driving force, your passion, consider natural skills and talents. Do well to leverage on these by streamlining your search within the confines of the gathered results from this task. Use to narrow your search. When this is done it reduces the stress of searching for internship roles or positions that do not interest you or serve you any purpose.

2: Know when you are going to be recruited

Once you know what field you want to get into, you should find out when will be your busiest recruiting season. While some fields recruit all year round, like social work, others are more rigid. Tech internships are known for being on a rigid recruiting schedule.

3: Have a resume and cover letter ready to go

It is also important that you have a well-written resume and cover letter as you prepare to secure an internship position or role. Do not just think that you can write one yourself without taking note of the very important factors which employers or recruiting firms look forward to whenever they are looking to get new interns writing a resume or writing a cover letter can be simple and easy to put together if you follow the required details or requirement which are always looked at or examined by your recruiting officers

4: Apply everywhere

Once you have streamlined your search or create a search niche that is narrow down the type of internship job or role that you are looking for. Do not restrict yourself to just picking a few firms or applying in a few firms, except there are cogent reasons for doing that and if there’s not. Do not restrict yourself. Apply everywhere and give yourself the luxury of having an alternative and choices to pick from.

5: Do your research

Do not just jump at any offered internship position. In as much as we advise you that you apply everywhere. Do well to ensure that you make a thorough finding and research to the firm you are planning to work with. It’s become a common trend for employers to abuse the system by exploiting and taking undue advantage of interns to do works that they are not supposed to do. Do not just apply or accept an intern position, be sure about the working conditions and all other factors involved

6: Be yourself

A process of the internship is a journey of self-discovery and career talent discovery and harnessing for proper individual growth. This is why it is important for individuals to be true to themselves while also ensuring that they live their lives being true to themselves and their identity as a person.

7: Do not (or try not to) take unpaid work.

Most firms are now quite used to bringing in interns with no aim to pay them for their jobs. In your search for internship roles, do well to explore and search for the ones that come with pay. Most recruiting firms now always try to get cheap labor sources by bringing in interns.

Conclusion

Inexperience should not be a factor limiting or preventing young graduates from getting jobs in Nigeria. One of the most viable ways to solving this menace by leveraging on the benefits that come with working as an intern, one which will definitely prove handy later.

Marcus Amudipe