What is an Internship and How You Can Avail One

An internship provides students with a valuable opportunity to gain practical work experience in their chosen field of study or career interest. Hence it is often a gateway for acquiring a job.

According to the 2023 Internship and Co-op report by NACE, over half (57.6%) of interns were hired as full-time employees in 2022. Yet so many students are still confused about what is an internship, how it can benefit them, and how to find internship opportunities.

Table of Contents

What Does Internship Mean?

An internship is a temporary opportunity provided by companies and organizations for individuals, typically students, to gain introductory experience in a specific industry or area of work. Applying for an internship also needs a cover letter and to learn to write one effectively, you have to check out some successful internship essay examples. Don’t worry and keep on reading as all your doubts about what is an internship will wipe away very soon.

The Advantages of Internship

Now that you know what is an internship, it’s time that you are aware of the several benefits it brings to students. Here are some of the benefits of an internship.

Opportunity to gain experience in real-world scenarios.
An internship is also a great way to work on enhancing job-specific skills.
Provides you an opportunity to work on forming a professional network.
Gives you access to mentors who can guide you well.

The Challenges of Finding an Internship for Students

What is an internship and how to find one are some of the common students’ queries. Here are some challenges students face while looking for an internship.

Challenge	Explanation
Competition	A lot of students apply for limited positions available.
Lacking Minimum Experience	Students with less or no practical experience during college times are not that attractive to employers.
No Networks	Students might lack proper networks to find them good internship opportunities.
Geographical Restrictions	Some students may not be able to avail an internship opportunity due to limited availability in their area.

Different Internship Opportunities for Students in the US

After students understand the true meaning of an internship, the next thing that concerns them is how to find an internship. Here are some awesome internship opportunities available in the US right now.

All you need is to check out an internship application essay example below and understand how to craft a cover letter for such following all conventions in writing to the core.

And if you are still confused about what is an internship, then just keep on reading, please!

Position	Requirements	Learning Potential
Administrative Intern – Part-time	High School Diploma and Interest in the Media Industry.	Excellent Learning and Networking Opportunity.
Business Development Intern	A Student Has to Enroll in School Majoring in Business, Finance, and Marketing.	Great Networking Opportunity.
Process Engineer Intern	A Student Has to Be Motivated and Must Follow Instructions Closely.	Excellent Learning and Skill-building Opportunity.
Field Engineer Intern	A Student Must Be Pursuing a Civil Engineering or a Related Degree.	Opportunity for Learning, Skill, and Network Building.
AI Marketing Intern	Proficiency in Adobe Suites.	Excellent Opportunity to Build Futuristic Skills.

Internship Essay Example

Now to ensure that you are selected as an intern, you must be able to write an impressive internship application essay. Of course, going through some internship essay examples is a great way to learn how to write well. Here you go with the one:

Content of the Internship Essay

The internship essay is comprised of:

A killer Intro Para

Here you will introduce yourself, tell about your likes and dislikes and then show keen interest in the internship position the company is offering.

Body paragraphs

Your internship essay might have 2 or three body paragraphs. Each of the paragraph must be focused on conveying one skill or qualification.

Concluding Para

You have to shortly sum up your abilities and express great interest in the internship opportunity.

Closure

Thank the reader for their time and politely tell them that you’ll be waiting for their response.

Length of the Essay

The length of internship essay may vary but it should be around 500 to 1000 words longs.

Example of A Short Internship Essay (Fresher)

Dear Sir or Madam,

My name is Karl Davidson. I am a resident of New York and have studied software development at Brooklyn College. I have loved IT since I was introduced to it in school and have won so many awards at that level. Therefore, I am fully confident that I will take my passion to the real world. Speaking of which, I am getting ready to enroll in an IT firm like yours as an intern to acquire more skills and get better at doing things.

I have read that you have been offering an internship opportunity for Android developers recently. It is something which has been sparking my interest for long. The experience gained here will also be helpful for me to use as a case study in my thesis.

I have heard a lot of stories about the reputation of your IT company and I believe I could contribute a lot to it with my passion and learning. I would be grateful for this opportunity to work with true professionals in this field.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Karl Davidson

So that’s a short sample of an internship essay. You can customize it to suit your field and interests well. Most students also rely on a professional coursework writing service to craft an essay or cover letter.

Cover Letter for Internship (Entry Level Graduate)

Here’s an example for the internship cover letter. You can customize it to match your skills.

Today’s Date

Company Address

Company City

Dear Mr,/Mrs. (Manager Name),

I am reaching out to discuss the finance associate internship position that became available recently. After seeing the job description on LinkedIn, I was pleased to see that my academic achievements align with the qualifications needed for the role. I am in search of a challenging and fulfilling internship, which is why I am interested in this opportunity.

I have developed skills in journaling, bookkeeping, audit, and taxation as a finance student at the University of California. With a 3.6 GPA, I have consistently made the Dean’s list each semester. My coursework has been concentrated in specific areas as follows:

Financial Analytics
Bookkeeping
Tax and Business Laws

I would be delighted to have an opportunity to personally interview with you. Please accept the enclosed resume and feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience. I appreciate your time and consideration.

Yours Sincerely,

(Your Name)

5 Hot Internship Interview Tips From the Experts

The next big query after what is an internship is how to prepare for an internship interview. Matthew Warzel, a certified professional resume writer and ex-Fortune 500 recruiter, provides his top internship interview tips.

Research about the company, its mission, value, culture, competitors, and more.
Prepare well for the full day of the interview. Must follow the dress code provided by employers and also prepare some questions you can ask the employer.
Before you appear for the internship interview, ensure you have prepared a list of your achievements that you can showcase to the potential employer.
The interviewer may also test your problem-solving skills with behavioral questions. So make sure you prepare for them as well. There’s also a short course available on Coursera for that.
Stay positive during the interview with the employer. You must show a keen interest in the company.
Confidence will convey your adaptability to the new work environment. So make sure you look and sound confident during the internship interview.

Here are some famous HR coaches on Linkedln that you can count on for interview tips and preparations:

Shay H.s is skilled in both interview preparations and resume building.
Certified career coach Nic Karczewski is also a trusted individual for interview preparations.
A job search mentor, Lori Morefield is also a trusted coach for interview preparations and tips.

I remember my high school time when I applied for an internship opportunity at a renowned IT company. Luckily, I don’t have to research a lot on how to find an internship as most students would do.

Anyway, I wrote them an internship application letter by learning some tips and tricks from working internship essay sample. At first, I never thought I would hear back from them because of the number of applications they receive every day. But I was lucky enough to have an interview call very soon.

The next challenging part was preparation for an interview scheduled in a week. I was pressured and had no idea how to prepare for it. Very soon I realized that panicking wouldn’t help so I had to cool myself down and gave me an opportunity with this interview.

So, I began researching the company and its key personnel. Then I move to understanding its business operations and more. Within 2 or three days of looking into things of that IT company, I had a good idea about it.

Plus, I would watch and read a lot of internship interview tips to understand how things can go in my favor. Finally, it was a good interview session, the panel was nice and I landed an internship at my favorite IT company.

Final Thoughts

An Internship is important for students to acquire practical skills before they step into the real world. For some degrees, students must have a short internship of 6 months or more and hence what is an internship and how to find a good one is often a headache for students.

Every student would want to enroll in a reputed company as an intern and for that, they have to work on their internship essay or cover letter. Plus, they must also take a good look at the expert tips before they appear in the interview.

If you are still having trouble preparing for an internship interview, don’t ever hesitate to count on our experts for that.