Its that time of year where summer internships and placements are well underway for many university students.
Internships, whether over summer or longer placements over the course of a few months, give invaluable experiences or students looking to build your skillset in a certain field of work.
But as we all know too well, the chances of landing work at big name companies seem impossible to reach, especially when the LinkedIn post highlights over 100 people have already applied.
However, someone must land these roles – and why can’t it be you?
We spoke to some students who landed experience at big name companies about internship tips – think BBC, ITV, The Times, etc, to give you an insight to how its done!
It might sound cliche, but be yourself
“It might be common knowledge, but its one of the most important things you can do,” says Isabella, after she landed an internship with the Daily Express.
“Authenticity allows you to stand out from the crowd so don’t be afraid to highlight your achievements and try to pick one or two key standout moments.”
Being yourself, especially in journalism where newspapers get hundreds of applicants, being straight to the point and precise is essential.
Searching and messaging on LinkedIn
After searching and messaging various editors in his area, University of Edinburgh student Jamie said “One editor got me in touch with a sub and I got in from there!”, landing him an internship at The Times’ Scotland branch.
One of the most tried and tested student internship tips is being tenacious. Sending messages showing passion and drive is, most of the time, more important than showing experience, especially as on LinkedIn experience is already shown on your profile.
A lot of employers are happy to “support someone in a way they would have wanted to be supported earlier in their career,” so don’t feel awkward in asking!
Internships are definitely in their own wild lane
And different compared to landing big name grad schemes. Third year Liverpool student Michaela, after completing The Tab’s summer internship programme, said: “It takes a lot of determination to put yourself out there and apply for things that might not be the perfect fit for your plans after university – but all experience is good experience at the end of the day!”
‘I’ve spent a lot of time working voluntarily for different publications and magazines’
Unfortunately, free work is seen as a norm in this field but Michaela says: “If you truly love what you do, and you’ve got the time around your university studies to commit to a smaller scale company or independent local team, it can really boost your chances of securing an internship whilst still learning on the job, even if you aren’t getting paid.
“Some incredible opportunities can arise from these kind of roles, and there’s no harm in asking if they’d take you on as an intern over the summer. It’s not as cheeky as you might think!”
Don’t underestimate your LinkedIn profile
Keeping it up to date with your achievements is vital, so employers can see everything you’ve done.
“I’ve had people reach out to me with opportunities, and people on your timeline are always sharing tips and new job openings. Employers will always eat up a portfolio if you’re on it with keeping it fresh, trust me.”
Applying to lots of roles, than limiting yourself to a few
Ben, a final year Durham University student said: “Applying to loads of things can be really helpful, you’ve got to spread your bets a bit and get comfortable with rejection.”
He continued, explaining how “reaching out to professional journalists is also a really useful strategy – they were in the same position and once, and a lot of young ones will always give you opportunities (where possible) if they can see you’ve got potential.”
Be consistent, expand your network, and be versatile!
One of the biggest student internship tips is to not give up.
Ben added: “If you can prove that you’re good at investigations, getting exclusives and able to write news in a standard way it’s helpful bc that’s where most of the newsroom jobs are.
“Being versatile is also great, if you can cover a range of sections I think it gives you an edge over other people.”
Don’t be disappointed when you get rejected
Unfortunately, rejections are part of the process – many students are turned down time after time before landing a great role elsewhere. “Instead of being upset, see this as a learning curve to identify where your application perhaps may have been weaker.”
Featured image via Canva
