So your summer internship has flown by faster than Granny Ina when she’s late for her Pilates class.
Well, now it’s time to concentrate on bagging a full-time gig.
Yes, it’s time to start translating the skills and experience you’ve gained during the summer into job interviews … and hot offers. Here’s what to do next.
Letters of support
If you didn’t talk to your boss and colleagues about references or recommendations before you left, don’t worry. Simply drop them a thank you note, stressing how much you valued the experience – then ask if they’d be willing to act as a referee should you be offered another job.
Time for reflection
Think about what you’ve learned. Hopefully much more than tea making. With any luck it should be a combination of both industry-specific skills, such as writing press releases, successful approaches to the media, social media monitoring, and soft skills like learning how to work as part of a team, self-reliance and versatility.
Once identified, it’s easier to put these on your CV.
It seems obvious but one of the best things about completing an internship is being able to put that on your CV too – and at the top so it’s the first thing recruiters see. Highlight the projects you undertook and what contributions you made to the business.
Compile a professional showcase
Having completed an internship means you now have something tangible to show for your efforts, not just that fantastic CV.
Prospective employers also love to see evidence of work you’ve done so keep copies of press releases you’ve written, successfully placed articles, results of photo shoots, PDFs of designs you’ve created or screenshots of social media campaigns.
Stay in touch
In addition to new skills you should be leaving your internship with a new set of high-value connections: your boss, colleagues, clients, and fellow interns. Keep in contact with them – they could be crucial to alerting you to future job opportunities.
Begin looking for jobs
Of course, there’s no better place to look than s1jobs. Our PR and Marketing sector is always bulging with new opportunities, from communications officer to social content writer, website co-ordinator to digital content editor.
Sign up for email alerts with s1jobs for potential vacancies, and, above all, be proactive – don’t wait for opportunities to fall in your lap – be bold and go get ’em!