Monday, October 5, 2009

Bridging Your Contribution: internships & volunteering to research careers in a global age

Internships provide an opportunity to represent you, expand your skills and career portfolio and learn new things. It also allows you to be seen as a viable candidate for a business career that you may not otherwise be qualified for. Internships and volunteering is especially helpful if you are aiming to move from one industry to another, shift from local to national or international work or have been removed from and out of the work force for a while. Employers are looking for ways to evaluate candidates and choose the best person for the position. The challenge you encounter in traditional paper based career mechanisms (resume, cover letter, portfolios) is that your accomplishments and results can only tell part of the story. It doesn’t provide the comprehensive perspective that working with someone does. A thorough and direct approach to marketing yourself is in real time, by doing work that is similar or complimentary to what you are aiming for and the best way to demonstrate that is by work experience. An internship can bridge a gap from your past jobs and careers to your goal of doing socially responsible work. The benefit is to work along side people and learn on the job skills. Demonstrating your professional skills by solving and producing results with others is a tangible, useful and expected way to receive recognition and move closer to your career goals.

There are many reasons to consider creating or applying for an internship. One key reason is that it provides for you a place to apply and demonstrate yourself. You’ll be able to ask questions, demonstrate your skills, network and build professional relationships with people who can contribute to and add to your success. By doing this new path opens to gain references, and add specific accomplishments in the field you are moving towards. In this international world and with the tools available to us you can work from your home or apartment in one country and contribute to and be an intern for a company 3,000 miles away. A global trend, which has emerged, is the outsourcing and delegation of work to off site locations all around the world in many different time zones, allowing for a virtual, 24 hour we never sleep business. This mind set can provide a springboard for you to benefit as a career candidate gaining valuable work experience

For those in a career change you may need the opportunity to bridge your former job responsibilities and tasks to your new expanded goals. In this case being able to work along side people further along and towards where you want to be will be helpful. The transition from one career path to another will be made easier by being able to conduct informational interviews, be part of a team as an intern and build your career portfolio and increase your confidence Additionally, you also provide a valuable service to the organization because you come to work on specific projects and assist the work load of a company or department. Internships when set up with the intention of a win/win for all parties produces a successful and powerful way to bridge your career path into socially responsible careers.


Share and Enjoy:
Digg del.icio.us Technorati Stumbleupon Blinklist Reddit Furl Yahoo Spurl Simpy

No comments:

Post a Comment