It’s true that internships are very competitive, especially if you are after those offered by big companies. If you are after some professional experience but haven’t been offered an internship, here are some of the things you can still do for your career!
Most universities offer a broad range of societies. The options range from Harry Potter society to comedy society. You can get involved with these societies and help them run events, marketing and even help them keep their finances in order to gain professional skills you are after. After all, these societies would love to have someone to help them out!
You can easily apply to be part of the society committee for these societies and they will not be looking for a very experienced candidate as well. This is a great way of gaining professional skills because chances are you are more likely to gain more career experience by working with the society over the year than you would have been a summer intern at a big company.
Going for a careers meeting can be a great way of helping you discover all the possible career paths. Career advisors are experienced and they will give you valuable advice in terms of application, CV checks and offer you any support you might need.
Simply contact your career service at your university of college to schedule for a one to one appointment. This would help you gain a better idea as to what you want to do in the future as well as opportunities that you might want to look out for.
Just like university societies, you can easily gain valuable career skills by volunteering at your local charities. Unlike internships, you are most likely to be given the chance to work with them.
Charities are always happy to have an extra pair of hands and chances are you will be able to gain a lot of key skills that will make you stand out. Many charities need people to help them in terms of marketing, graphic design and accounting.
We are living in the golden age of digital information, meaning that we can do most things online these days. Enrolling in online courses can seriously benefit your career as it allows you to gain skills that you might not be able to in your academic studies.
Online courses are a great way to help you gain professional knowledge and skills. It is also a great indicator to demonstrate your willingness to learn new things and accept new challenges. Most online courses are flexible and affordable, meaning you will be able to learn alongside your other commitments, making it a great way to boost your career too.
This is also another way to gain experience rather than getting a professional internship. If you are an aspiring interior designer, you might want to set up a social media account to show off your portfolio to gain some following and attention in the professional world. If you are looking to work in the editorial industry, start a blog and practice your writing skills! Passionate about politics? Set up a social media account to share your political views! Are you looking to get into business and marketing? Simply start a little business on your own so you can put the word ‘entrepreneur’ on your CV!
Starting a little something on your own would 100% help you gain more professional skills than interning for companies. You will learn to do all sorts of things and gain various skills for your career. This will definitely make you stand out among other candidates.
This is an unusual way to boost your career but setting up a twitter account and following people who work for your dream companies or even companies you would like work for can seriously boost your commercial awareness for your dream career. This is highly beneficial for you as little things would make you stand out and increase your chance of getting your dream job!
Having a twitter account also allows you to have an opportunity to contact people who are working in your dream companies and ask them about their experience, making it invaluable.
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