Supersize Your Internship

For most students and recent grads, the old Catch-22 of  not being considered for a job as you have no relevant experience and not being able to get experience until you get a job is one of the toughest hurdles to face when you first enter the jobs market.

There is, however, one strategy that can help break this vicious circle and give your career a springboard: the internship. Most internships will start from June onwards and at this time of year applications for the good ones are filling up fast, so it's not too early to start searching.

Don’t be surprised if you see many unpaid internships or ones that don’t pay very much. Plus, these jobs often involve most of the menial taks that no one else wants to do at the firm. What you should see this opportunity as is what you can put on your CV - experience in a professional office setting. You could supersize your placement by not only making yourself indispensable but also networking with your supervisors to see if you can extend your summer work into a full- or part-time paid position. Here’s a few tip son how to stand out;

Don't be complacent - There is probably a queue of other people waiting for you to trip up and snatch your job so remember this law of the jungle! Once you have learnt the basics of your job seek extra challenges to prove your worth and impress the boss - far better to take these risks as an intern than fully paid up employee. Just ask, "What can I work on when you're busy and I have nothing specific to do?"

Be friendly to everyone - As an intern you have face to face access to other professionals you wouldn’t normally be able to meet so use the opportunity to say hi over the water cooler or on a coffee break and see what happens! NB.Make a bee line for the HR manager as they will be able to reveal more about their hiring plans.

Ask for references – Politely ask your boss for a written reference before you leave. Remind them about the specific projects you worked on and achievements you have made during your internship. Presenting this at future interviews with other firms shows you are organised and saves them the time chasing your previous employer.

Stay in touch – Don’t waste the relationships you have started and let them dissipate but rather stay in touch with your manager and co-workers via e-mail, LinkedIn, Twitter or other social media.

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