Many people who are pursuing higher education are looking for an internship to develop in practice what was seen in the classroom.
There are also cases of people who want to work in areas different from their training and see the internship as a way to take the first step towards a career transition.
Whatever your goal, finding the ideal internship is not an easy task. There are many doubts about how this process works and, mainly, how to get an internship in the area you want.
But don't worry, today we're going to teach you how to do this search in the best way possible. Let's go?
How to get an internship?
1. Make an updated resume
If you've never worked, don't worry! Although some companies value professional experience, this should not be required, much less expected of someone looking for an internship.
So, in your resume, focus on showing experiences that can help you play your role within the company, even if they are not necessarily professional experiences.
Highlight projects that you participated in at school or college, mention courses that gave you important knowledge, workshops, lectures, volunteer work and even informal work that allowed you to learn something new.
This is the time to look at your life trajectory and show everything you have already learned and are willing to learn, and how this knowledge acquired so far can help you chart a successful professional career.
For more details on how to prepare a CV to start your career, see our article on Young Apprentice.
2. Know which area you want to work in
Before you start looking for an internship, do some research into your areas of interest and find out what first steps you want to take in your career.
If you are taking a higher education course, there are more chances that you will get an internship in areas related to your college. If you want to work in an area different from your training, it will be a little more work, but it is also possible. There are companies that are open to people with different degrees, regardless of the area you intend to work in.
The most important thing here is that you know where you want to start and which area you want to learn more about, after all, an internship is the ideal time to gain experience, develop technical skills and learn more about the job market.
3. Discover the skills needed to perform the role
There is generally no need to develop any technical skills before starting the internship, as it is precisely there that you will learn these skills, but do a brief research on what you will need to develop to work in a certain role.
Furthermore, identify behavioral skills that will help you work on these skills.
For example, imagine that you want to work in an administrative role. Even if you don't know how the documentation processes, issuing invoices and other specific activities in the area work, research what behavioral skills would be necessary to carry out such activities.
In the example above, skills such as: organization, teamwork and good communication can be observed during dynamics and interviews, as they indicate who would be able to perform the day-to-day tasks of the role well and develop technical skills more easily.
Therefore, know how to identify which behaviors are important and related to your future profession, as they can be evaluated during the selection processes.
Remember to always be transparent and not fake behavior that is not typical of you, because the people who are recruiting are trained to notice these types of things and can find out.
This can not only help you in more technical or problem-solving dynamics and interviews, but also show the hiring person that you are someone who is really interested in developing in that area.
4. Start your job search
Once you identify which area you want to work in and what skills you need, start researching job opportunities in job sites.
Filter by the type of vacancy — which in this case would be an internship — and area of interest. It is also important to research the specific nomenclatures used by your area of interest, as sometimes there may be technical names that you are not familiar with, but which are related to what you are looking for.
5. Study the company culture
Every company has an organizational culture which, in short, is the set of values that the organization preaches and values in its employees.
For example, in a company that has a very strong value of teamwork, it is more likely that people who know how to work well in groups will stand out in the selection process.
Furthermore, there are companies that may give greater weight to the cultural profile than to the technical profile, in other words, it is very important that the person has beliefs and values that are in line with what the company believes.
So, in addition to paying attention to the technical requirements of a vacancy, it is important that you study the values of the company you are applying for. This is important not only to do well in the selection processes, but to analyze whether that company really suits you and whether it is in line with your principles.
To discover the company's organizational culture, simply search for its name on the internet and find the organization's official website. Inside it, look for a page with names such as: our values, our culture, about the company, etc.
Using this information, you can now assess whether the company matches your profile or not.
6. Search for companies that suit you
After you have researched the organizational culture of the companies you are interested in working for, select the ones that you believe best suit you.
See if your beliefs, values and ways of working align with what you believe and hope for in your professional life. To do this, research not only the organizational culture, but also other information to better understand what these companies do, what their history is, what they aim for, etc.
7. Prepare for interviews
Although companies are not always understanding regarding the level of technical skill of candidates, many understand that the majority have not yet had any type of contact with the job market, so do not worry about specific knowledge about the area.
It is very important that you prepare very well for the interview. If you do all the steps above, you will be more prepared than most people.
In addition to what has already been mentioned above, it is also essential that you plan in advance, so that on the day you can just rest and remain calm during the interview.
At this moment, remain calm and answer whatever the recruiter is asking you, without being too direct or taking too long to speak, seek objectivity, but in a way that contextualizes what the person wants to know.
Keep in mind different examples of situations in which you faced difficulties — even if they are personal examples — and how you managed to overcome them. Also demonstrate self-knowledge and personal improvement, highlighting your strengths and areas for development.
In general, study a lot about the company, the career you want to pursue and yourself, to be able to draw up a narrative that makes sense and fits these 3 points.
8. Get organized
Looking for an internship can be extremely exhausting and stressful, as there are many steps, vacancies applied for, interviews and a lot of apprehension about the companies' response.
With this in mind, be careful not to become disorganized with so much information and end up missing deadlines and contacts with companies.
Keep your email up to date and have other ways to organize and monitor the progress of selection processes. For example, you can use a spreadsheet to record activities and dates, or paste sticky notes in easily visible places, or even have calendar applications that can remind you about each of the steps.
The important thing at this point is not to miss any deadline and take the time to complete each step calmly. In other words, planning and organization are essential to your success in this search.
9. Know how to tell your story
Finally, the most important thing when getting an internship is knowing how to tell your story! Of course, training, courses and volunteer work can help you, but if you haven't had the opportunity to do any of these things, don't despair.
Many companies are looking for people who are passionate about their purpose, who are motivated, creative and who want to learn and develop.
Learn how to tell your story so that you can charm the hiring person so much that they want to hire you. You can do all this by the way you speak and your behavior.
Speak enthusiastically about yourself and the company, and know how to tell your story in the best way possible, so that it is charming and connects with the organization's objective.
Internship vacancies
How about starting your internship search?
Find internship vacancies in the biggest companies in Brazil on Gupy Job Portal and use these tips to do well in the selection processes!
The most important thing of everything we've seen so far is knowing how to show who you are to companies, find organizations that suit you, organize yourself and remain calm during the stages of these processes. Good luck and we're rooting for you!
