Internship application advice from an expert: three top tips to help you reach your work experience goals
How do you convince someone to hire you for an internship or a summer job? Positivity, and the ability to put yourself in an employer’s shoes, are key
If you're hoping to apply for a summer job, we've got some professional advice from a headhunter. So before you send off your applications and CVs, here’s what career doctor Alison Chang said you need to know.
“A lot of the time, [students] themselves don’t buy into the fact that they want or need a summer job,” the veteran headhunter said. This might be because they’re only doing it because people around them expect them to – but this mindset is not helpful.
“If you don’t take [a summer job] seriously, you won’t be able to learn anything from it, or show how it’s valuable to a future employer,” she said. Instead, young people should take some time to think about why they want a summer job before applying for one.
“Ask yourself what you’d like to achieve by the end of it, and set your goals accordingly. You shouldn’t do anything without a focus or a reason.”
Put yourself in their shoes
Once you’ve set your goals, you should put yourself in an employer’s shoes to improve your chances of being hired. One easy way to figure out what an employer needs is to imagine yourself as a delivery person, and the employer as your customer.
