Choosing the right internship can be difficult.

There’s rarely going to be one that meets

your exact requirements, so you’re going to need to make a decision between multiple
opportunities which may seem quite similar.

Picking an internship at random may be tempting, but don’t forget that choosing the
right internship has the potential to affect your future career trajectory. You should try
and find one that you would both enjoy and looks great on your CV for future job
applications. We’ve narrowed down some of the keys questions you should ask yourself
when choosing what to apply for, and if you have multiple offers, what to accept.

1. Which sector?

You might not have any idea which sector you want to work in yet, and that’s perfectly
fine. Do some research into different sectors and see what appeals to you.
The Employment Sectors section of our website should give you a great head start in
choosing what sector you would like to start off with, and hopefully help you make an
informed decision of where to apply.

2. What will be your specific responsibilities?

Make sure you read the job description and responsibilities that you’ll hold carefully.
What you’ll be doing in this internship is what you’ll be putting on your CV for graduate
roles, so try and choose something that reflects what you’d like to be doing after you
graduate.

3. What will you get paid?

Some internship vacancies don’t state how much they’re going to pay on their initial
advertisement. Your internship should comply with the national minimum wage
legislation. Hours are normally full time, although some opportunities to work part time
during term time may arise.

If you’re not sure how much the internship pays then you can ask at the interview stage.
If you do plan to ask about the pay, don’t do it straight away. Try and get a feel for how
the interview has gone, and then politely ask near the end if appropriate.
 

4. Where is it?

This is something you should consider on a couple of levels. First, taking an internship
can give you the opportunity to work somewhere completely new, whether it’s a new city
or new country. You can find international internship opportunities on Going Global,
which current students have access to through LSE.

Secondly, make sure you know where it is in terms of how long your commute is going
to be, what transport you’ll need to take, and the cost of the journey so that you can
identify whether getting there will be feasible every day.

5. What’s the environment like?

It can be easy to forget just how important the environment of where you’ll be working
can be. You’ll potentially be there five days a week for most of your day, so make sure
that the company seems to have the right atmosphere for you.

Check out their website and try and find if they offer extra opportunities for growth to
their interns. You can also get a good impression of the people you’ll be working with at
the interview stage, so make sure that the environment feels right for you.

6. Will you get the opportunity to network?

This is linked to checking what your responsibilities will be. Will you be working mainly
on your own, will you be limited to just the single office, or will you get the opportunity to
meet people from around the business? It’s always good to meet as many people in the
company as possible, as if you make a good impression on them it could help for
getting a full-time job there in the long term.

7. What skills will you learn?

When looking at the responsibilities you’ll have, make sure you know what kind of skills
that these will translate to so that you’ll be able to make the most of them when they’re
on your CV. Will these skills help you find the job you’re hoping for in the long-run and, if
so, how are you going to communicate this on your future applications?

8. What are your qualifications?

It’s not just whether the internship is right for you, but if you’re right for the internship.
There’s no point spending hours on an application if you’re a final year student and
they’re only looking to hire those in their penultimate year. If you are suitably qualified,
make sure that this is obvious in your application so that the recruiters don’t have to
question what you’re trying to tell them.

9. How are the online ratings?

One of the best ways to find out if an internship is right for you is by seeing exactly what
previous students have experienced when doing the same one. Sites like Rate My
Placement have reviews from previous interns, so you’ll get a great idea of what you’ll
learn during the internship. Have a look at their social media accounts and hashtags
too, as if someone has had a particularly good or bad experience there then they will
often post about it online.

According to the National Association of Colleges and

Employers, “61%  percent of [2014] graduating seniors had an
internship or co-op experience” and “52% percent of those graduates
receiving job offers before graduation held internships.” Completing an
internship is extremely important, but when striving towards future
career goals, choosing the right internship is just as important as
completing one. Before accepting your next internship, use the criteria
below to determine if it’s right for you.

Sector

What is your target sector after graduation? Private? Public? Non-

Profit? Your goal should be to pursue an internship that will provide
you with experience and insight into your future sector. Will you thrive
in the competitiveness of the private sector? Is the federal government
fast paced enough for you, and is it different from working at the state
or local level? Are you truly able to enact global change in a small
non-profit or only a large international one?

Location

Do you want to be in a big city after graduation, or do you want to be

in a small town closer to home? By pursuing an internship in your
target location, you will become familiar with the cost of living, pace,
and livability of the city. For example, you may want to work for a
senator in Washington DC, but through your internship, you learn that
the big city is not for you.

Experience Gained

Are you hoping to launch your own company after graduation and
experience working with clients and learning the business side of a
company? Or do you have research experience, but lack non-
technical writing skills? Will your internship provide you with the
experience that you desire?

Stipend

Are you able to accept an unpaid internship that only provides course
credit, or do you need to earn at least $10 per hour to pay for summer
housing? Do you hope to intern in San Francisco, DC, or New York
City? If so, an unpaid internship will not suffice. Including the amount
of your stipend in your criteria is encouraged, especially if you hope to
intern in an expensive city.

Networking Potential

Last, but definitely not least, what is the networking potential at the
internship? The opportunity to meet and interact with professionals is
extremely valuable. By networking, you not only have the chance to
learn skills needed to advance, valuable career advice, and potential
 career paths, but the professionals may become a reference for you.
Many organizations have established internship programs that provide
interns with a mentor or allow the intern to work in many different
departments. For example, the North Carolina Clean Energy
Technology Center holds Lunch-n-Learns where each week a
representative from different departments discuss their experience
and allows interns to ask targeted career questions.

Determine which of the above criteria are most important to you, and
which are flexible. Once you have weighed the criteria against the
potential internship, you will be able to make a better career decision.
 Tags:
 Internship,

 Before college students graduate, they often need complete an internship program.
Internships are a great way to prepare students for their future career. It gives them a
deeper understanding of the path they want to take, and puts them in a situation in which
they can learn firsthand what it feels like to work in their chosen profession.
 Choosing an internship is as important as your first job. You want to be in the right
situation to learn as much as you can about the career. You need to evaluate which
internship is best for you. To help you choose, here are some factors that you should
consider.
 Career relevance – The most important factor in choosing an internship is how it will
affect you when the time comes to start applying for jobs. You want to be in an
internship that will help you to gain valuable experience that you can use on your first
job interview. Don’t accept an internship just for the sake of accepting it. It might not
be easy to find a program, but your efforts will be well worth the effort.
 Location – While an important factor, this is something that you can easily deal with,
especially when an opportunity is too good to pass up. However, you also need to
consider your financial situation. You want to be in an internship in which the location
won’t be much of a burden to you.
 Networking – The whole point of an internship is to immerse yourself in
opportunities. You want an internship that will introduce you to various people who
can be your ticket to a job later on—not something that will keep you sequestered,
filing documents all day.
 Scheduling flexibility – Most college students already have work and school in their
busy schedules. You want an internship in which they can understand that there will
be times when you need to attend to other things in your schedule. Don’t let the
internship be a roadblock; instead, make it the springboard to a wonderful career.
 Mentors – Through the course of your internship, you want to have someone whom
you know you can go to. This person will be responsible for helping you and giving
 you the best possible experience in your internship. You want someone who can
give you invaluable knowledge and who will guide you through the whole
experience.
 Working environment – Just like with a job, the environment in your internship largely
affects how your experience will be. Therefore, you want to be in a place where your
personality fits with the company.
 Your internship is an important milestone on the path to your career. Weigh your
options carefully, as this will put you in an excellent position to get that first job.