Should you take the unpaid internship?

None of us want to spend at least eight hours in a company that is not willing to pay us, let alone pay for transportation and lunch.

What should you do? We look at the potential benefits of free internships.

Build your profile.

Many students and graduates complain that employers ask for at least one year of work experience when applying for an entry-level position. Well, you can achieve this by taking an unpaid internship.

Depending on how much you make, you may have four to 12 months of work experience to write on your resume.

The size of the company does not matter. Here’s what you learn and how you can show it on your CV to convince a potential employer to at least invite you for an interview.

A summary of your work.

Some students choose careers without any meaningful information about them. Maybe it sounds good to take a science class or a humanities class. Maybe your parents forced you to enroll in the class. Whatever made you choose your career, you need to know what it is.

That’s where training comes in. It will challenge you to take off the rose colored glasses and see your work for what it is.

If you don’t like the requirements that come with it, you have time to make a change. If you like it, perfect, then you know what to expect.

A way to get full time employment.

Some of the people who are now working as part-time workers started as graduates. They may have been taken on by the first company they joined or went elsewhere and eventually landed a contract.

You should remember that some companies use their training programs as a recruitment tool and therefore working for them for three months for free can be beneficial in the long run. After all, you know their work environment and house rules.

Networking opportunities.

I know you can do it in many other ways, especially in the age of social media. That said, working with experienced professionals opens you up to more than just the job at hand.

You can have a few minutes to chat with someone you’re interested in, and most importantly, you have the opportunity to build relationships with people in your industry.

Direct messaging someone you’re interested in is completely different from being in front of them. You are more likely to be in leadership, especially if you make a good impression.

Coping with the academic environment.

Many students are not well prepared for the business world. It takes time for us to get used to many things, from clothing to the speed of work.

You can deal with these problems by doing training, because you will have to respect certain rules, so that when you are looking for a full-time job, you will not be shocked by the company culture. You will just gel like a well-oiled machine.

All in all, whether you choose to intern for free is entirely up to you. We recognize the difficulty involved, so if you have any offers or are considering applying, we hope this article will help you make the right decision.