Editorial
internships
how to get and make the
most of an internship
By David Williams
They let you apply what you’re learning, find out about yourself, give you access to whole
new networks and can even get you a job. david Williams finds out what’s so great about
internships from the student’s point of view.
nternships are essential,” says No is as good as yes meet with your objectives or your values, is in
“I
Leon Richards, manager of In terms of self-development, finding out that itself a legitimate finding.”
recruiter relationships at you are not suited to an organisation, a role or
Warwick Business School. even a whole sector should also be seen as a Imperfect is good too
“Getting live-fire experience good result. For many people coming onto an Internships that appear unrelated to your career
in a new environment, industry or role really MBA program, a classic dilemma is whether to goals can also create possibilities.
prepares you for getting the right job pursue a career in consultancy or investment “It doesn’t have to be perfect,” argues Jim
afterwards.” banking. Having a negative internship Clayton, director of the W. P. Carey MBA
“We certainly promote every MBA student to experience in one of these options can help by Career Management Center at Arizona State
take an internship,” says Jurek Sikorski, removing it as a career choice. University. “The typical career path doesn’t
associate director of global industry for the Ed Enzor is the business development manager exist anymore. You might not find the ideal
careers service at London Business School, at Cass Business School: “Internships can internship but, if the company is right, it is
“not only for the experience, but to gain an sometimes show students exactly how sometimes better to take the opportunity and
insight into those companies they would like demanding a role can be,” he says. “I set up a find a way to get where you want to be from
to work for. Students emerge enriched by the program with a global financial services where you are.”
networks and the knowledge and can see the company this summer in which students were “During an MBA you are going to be
opportunities there bombarded with
may be for getting a new ideas and new
permanent possibilities,” adds
position.”
“Internships are essential. Getting live-fire
Leon Richards.
A c c o r d i n g t o
Sikorski, a key
experience in a new environment, industry
“The internship
g i v e s y o u a n
recruitment trend
is for companies to
or role really prepares you for getting the
opportunity to try
something new,
use the internship
right job afterwards.”
particularly if you
as a way to hire are aiming to use the
talent into
Leon Richards, Warrick Business School
MBA to leap across
permanent industries or
p o s i t i o n s . specializations. An
Recruiters can have internship in an
a close look at how people perform over working fifteen-hour days at the highest level. unrelated field might help you discover a
weeks or months and so make a decision They certainly came back amazed at the hard passion you never knew about.”
based on real-world evidence rather than by work that was expected of them. It helped some
having to rely on interviews and assessment of them realise that working in mergers and How to get the right internship
centres. acquisitions was not for them.” An internship is an opportunity to develop in
However, although the ideal might be to find “A number of students do come back and say various ways, so how do you go about getting
an internship that segues smoothly into that the experience made them see the one that works for you? Ironically, one of the
employment, this is not the be all and end all opportunity didn’t suit them,” agrees Sikorski. key messages coming out of business school
of internships. “Finding out that a role or organization doesn’t careers services is to avoid relying on business
70 TopMBA CAreer Guide
www.topmba.com
TopMBA CAreer Guide
www.topmba.com 71
MBA_SPR09_pp_052-155.indd 70 17/2/09 15:18:35
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