English 
Vietnamese Are you fresh out of college and wonder what type of career will be the most suitable for you? Or are you about to graduate soon and want to have a taste of the corporate world?
Getting an internship can significantly benefit your professional growth. Students with intern experiences stand out in the competitive job market as they require less training and are ready to take on real responsibilities.
If you are still wondering how an internship can help you to build your profile, let's look at the following benefits of being an intern.
Benefits of an internship
The infographic summarises all benefits a well-designed internship program can bring. Please read on for a more detailed explanation.
1. Gain work-related experiences
Who hasn’t experienced this catch-22 situation when they first joined the job market? You need the experience to get a job. But how can you gain experience until you get the first job that gives you experience?
Including non-professional experiences like volunteer work, extracurricular activities, and even side jobs in your CV can certainly help. But nothing beats real work-related experience. And this is why undertaking an internship provides so much value to students.
Read more: The 5 soft skills recruiters look for in candidates
2. Grow your professional network
In the corporate world, who you know is as important as what you do. As an intern, you should not only aim for high grades or good references but also build connections with professionals in your field of expertise. In a few years, no recruiter is going to ask you what you achieved during your internship, but the connections created then may last for a very long time.
These people may be your industry peers in the future. So, spend time to connect with your fellow interns, your supervisors, and members from other teams; and stay in touch with them even after the internship ends.
3. Learn new and practical skills
If you think what you learn in college even remotely resemble what you will actually do in the workplace, you are in for a big surprise! How to collaborate with your co-workers using enterprise social media tools, how to work in a diverse environment, how to show your professionalism, etc. Those are things that you have to learn through hands-on experiences.
Furthermore, never underestimate the power of observation. By paying attention, you can assess what the company culture is, the business processes, and even each individual’s behaviours. Getting an inside scoop on the industry through observation is something you cannot learn in the classroom.
Read more: Professionalism in the workplace – Do’s and Don’ts
4. Secure the first job
The importance of your first job cannot be overstated. Some may even argue that it is the most crucial one you’ll ever have. As such, what can possibly be better than doing an internship at your dream company before becoming a full-time employee at that company?
It is not uncommon for businesses to use internships to complement their recruitment effort. They can sometimes extend a job offer to an intern who makes a favourable impression.
Nevertheless, you should not take an internship with the expectation of a full-time job later on unless the company explicitly said so. If transition into a role is your top priority, what you need is a management trainee programme.
A management trainee (MT) programme would last much longer than a typical internship. An internship usually takes a semester or a summer to complete, but some MT programs can last for years and require a full-time commitment. Trainees are expected to learn about every aspect of their daily operations. After a designated timeframe, they are rotated to a different function and continue their process of training.
Furthermore, a trainee will get paid during the MT program based on their level. On the other hand, an internship tends to be unpaid or very minimal pay.
5. Broaden your horizon
The pace of change is relentless, and it will only get faster. Furthermore, the workforce is becoming more diverse. As a result, an increasing number of students are taking international internships to expose themselves to various cultures and backgrounds.
Whether you choose to complete your internship abroad or in your home country, it is still a great way to gain a deeper understanding of your strengths and weaknesses.
You will be able to develop and refine both hard and soft skills, such as honing your communication skills. Drafting emails, answering phone calls, and handling customer inquiries in a business context is very different from how you communicate with your professors.
6. Explore your career path and gain feedback
Some of us ended up with a career that is entirely different from our major in college. An internship allows you to work in the field that you are interested in and test the water before deciding on your career path.
During your internship, there will be a supervisor in charge of guiding you and oversee your work. You can take advantage of this chance and ask for their feedback on your performance.
Asking for feedback can be intimidating, but it is crucial for improvements, and your supervisor is there to support you. By the time of graduation, you will be more confident in the career path you should head towards.
TRG International can provide you with the much-needed hands-on experience to help you to stand out in today’s competitive market. From software development to marketing, accounting, human resources, and customer services, our teams need talented individuals like you.
TRG harbours a collaborative and life-long learning culture where we work together to reach a common goal. Explore the many perks and benefits as well as what our previous interns experienced during their times at TRG by visiting our career page.
So, why wait? Shape your future with us today!
