How to Turn Internships into Full-Time Job Offers

In a competitive graduate job market, internships can be an ideal way to develop relevant experience and get ahead of the competition. While internships often include menial, repetitive tasks and responsibilities, they do offer exposure to the world of work and the chance to gain valuable skills that can set you up for your first full-time job.

But how do you turn internships into full-time job offers? In this article, experts from jobseeker offer insights into how you can make the most of your internships and showcase them in your applications to maximize your chances of success.

Making the Most of Your Internships

There are several things you can do to make the most of your internships while you’re working in them. While the work can sometimes be repetitive and you might not feel you’re gaining worthy experience, being proactive and intentional about your approach can yield plenty of positive outcomes. Here are a few things you can do to ensure your internships help your career in the long term:

• Build Your Network

Working an internship is an ideal opportunity to make connections that might pay off further down the line in your career journey. Make sure you establish good working relationships with your colleagues and superiors during your internship, as these relationships can help you in various ways.

You might want an internship supervisor to provide you with a reference to support a full-time job application, or to provide mentoring for your career development. Statistics also indicate that many internships lead directly to full-time employment. In the US, companies offer 72% of their interns full-time jobs, with four out of five interns accepting those offers. The potential benefits of using your internship to establish strong relationships and build your network are significant.

• Develop Your Skills

While internships may sometimes involve relatively menial work, it’s often possible to seek opportunities to learn new skills and gain relevant experience. Take advantage of every opportunity presented to you and if possible, ask to be involved in a range of different activities and tasks. The more proactive you are in seeking opportunities to develop your skills, the better your internships will serve when you apply for full-time, permanent positions.

• Request Feedback from Employers

Use your internships as an opportunity to gain feedback on your performance and development, and identify areas to work on. Try to schedule regular catchups with your manager or supervisor to assess your performance, and plan your workload so you can maximize your opportunities to gain valuable knowledge and learn new skills.

You may also wish to schedule a review at the end of your internship, to discuss the progress you’ve made and start planning your next steps. Any feedback you can receive from your manager or any other colleagues can help you to understand what you need to do if you want to progress to the next stage on your career journey and earn a full-time job.

Mentioning Internships in Your Job Applications

Internships can also be a useful asset when it comes to applying for full-time jobs. Whether mentioning it on your resume or discussing it in a job interview, be prepared to highlight the benefits of your internship and discuss how it has prepared you for a permanent position. Take a look at these tips for maximizing the impact of your internships on your job applications:

• Showcase Internships on Your Resume

Internships are a valuable experience to add to your resume. This is especially true if you’re a junior candidate taking your first steps in a new career. Any time spent as an intern in a relevant sector or organization can enhance your chances of successfully gaining a full-time job.

There are several places you could mention your internships on your resume. If you lack a relevant employment history, you could mention your internships in your work experience section. However, suppose you have some other useful real-world work experience. In that case, you might mention your internships in their own section towards the end of your resume, along with optional sections such as volunteer work, hobbies, interests, and certifications.

Whether mentioning internships in your work experience or their own separate section, format the entry like any other job. Add your job title (i.e. ‘Intern’), the organization you worked for, its location, and the dates you worked there. Underneath, add several bullet points explaining your responsibilities and achievements in the role, ensuring they reflect the skills and experience outlined in the job description. If you’ve just completed your internship, you may also wish to reference it in your resume objective or summary.

• Discuss Internships in Job Interviews

Your internships can be a key talking point in job interviews, so be prepared to discuss them in detail with prospective future employers. Interviewers are likely to ask about what you did during your internship. Be ready to explain your responsibilities and draw particular attention to any impact you made, or any work you did that was beyond the typical scope of an intern.

Before your interview, think about how your internships have prepared you for your future career, and any valuable lessons you learned. The interviewer might ask you what you achieved during your internship, what you’re most proud of, or what you learned. As such, it’s a good idea to know how you’ll respond to these questions and have the basis of an answer prepared for these scenarios.

Even if the interviewer doesn’t ask you directly about your experiences during your internship, be ready to use it as an example in answering other, more general interview questions. If you’re just starting out in your career, an internship may be one of your most significant life experiences to date. As such, you’ll want to make the most of it when it comes to discussing your credentials with employers.

Conclusion

Turning your internship into full-time job offers depends on how you treat your internship while you’re doing it, and how you use it in subsequent applications. Make the most of the opportunities presented to you and be proactive about seeking new experiences as an intern. When applying for jobs, highlight skills and achievements from your internship that match the job description and show your credentials. If you approach them wisely, internships can be a significant first step on the career ladder.