Real-world projects have real-world impact in your story

And your real story begins as soon as you start working in a corporate environment.

Before you even start your career, being a part of real-world projects in companies, widely known as internships, can have an enormous impact.

And this is not only in finding the right jobs, but also shaping your skills and career for years to come.

1. Internships can help you avoiding the dreaded ‘underemployment trap’ 

What’s worse than being unemployed, you ask? It is being ‘underemployed.’

The top reason students and parents value university education is to get a good job.

Yet, according to a Gallup survey, among bachelor degree graduates from 2002-2016, only 27% had a good job waiting for them upon graduation.

This issue is called the underemployment trap.

That means it is not just important to get any job, but the right job.

A key strategy to minimise the risk of underemployment, also recommended by researchers, is to “accrue meaningful and relevant work experiences before graduation”.

Internships and other work experience programs before you graduate can provide an opportunity to build skills. Get in the game before you start playing.

You can acquire endless amounts of education in your life, however, that knowledge may not always translate into real world experience.

An internship exposes you to new people in a more controlled and stable environment.

College graduates who intern can reduce their risk of underemployment if they have experience in Strategy, Operations or Marketing, for example.

Plus, a successful internships can prepare you to learn the skills that employers value before you start working

According to a Gallup survey, 42% of graduates with relevant internship as an undergraduate had a good job waiting for them upon graduation, compared with just 20% of those who did not have any internship experience on their CV.

That one internship you do over summer could be the difference between winning a job opportunity and losing it.

2. Internships provide you an opportunity to learn more about yourself

The experiences we go through is what shapes us.

Your internship will not only encourage personal development, but also give you a greater understanding of your personality

Finding this level of clarity is difficult, but sometimes this is all it takes to try something new, out of your comfort zone.

Besides, “getting into the workplace helps students figure out what they do and don’t like, and how it relates to what they are studying,” says C. Bryan Kempton, the director of career services at Maryland’s School of Public Policy.

3. Internships prevent your CV from going to the trash

If you are asking yourself how to get the first interview call, the answer lies in the experience section of your resume.

Most hiring managers look at that section closely when sifting through dozens of profiles.

Internships are the perfect way to enhance your resume through relevant experience before you get out there.

When an employer sees that you’ve completed an internship over the summer, or even abroad, it will go a long way in convincing them that you are an asset to their company.

And yes, don’t just mention the experience, make it count!

It is not enough to simply show you’ve spent some time as an intern. List the tasks you’ve done and projects you’ve participated in to demonstrate your value. During your internship, you can acquire new skills and abilities which can improve yourself as a young professional, and furthermore enhance your resume.

The High Bridge Answer

A lot of companies might offer you an internship, but few let you do the real work while you are there.

The problem is that most students get discouraged when they don’t get proper attention, mentoring and exciting tasks when they go to their first internship program.

And that’s where we come in.

We too, have been in the frustrated intern shoes, so we decided to do what is needed to fix this.

Our internship program is highly focused on your development. With us by your side, you ca be assured of finding a place where your work will be always meaningful, and contribute to the end results of the company.