How To Get An Internship With No Experience

Internships are an invaluable experience for students and individuals with little to no work experience. An internship offers a practical, hands-on experience that allows you to learn more about an industry. Internship programs are also a positive approach to grow professional connections!

Not to mention, many university degree programs require students to complete an internship to graduate.

That said, more often than not, high achieving internship positions require previous internship experience. This can be disparaging news for newly minted students. However, with the appropriate knowledge landing your first internship with no experience—and gaining access to higher-level positions—is a reasonable accomplishment.

Study these tips on how to get an internship with no experience to learn about the value of internships and how to find one.

How to Get an Internship With No Experience

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Internships are a positive milestone for inexperienced college students. Students apply classroom lessons to working environments to contextualize textbook concepts. Even more, employers can scout students for potential job offers!

The National Association of Colleges and Employers estimates that 70% of internships offered by employers are designed to convert interns into full-time employees. Accordingly, 56% of students that complete an internship receive at least one job offer. Interestingly, in comparison, only 37% of students that do not complete an internship receive at least one job offer.

With this in mind, it's easy to see why the importance of internships is stressed amongst college-aged students. Continue reading to learn how and where you can find an internship.

Learn Where to Find Internships

To begin, let's discuss where to find internships. Internship opportunities are everywhere if you know where to look! Nevertheless, if this is your first internship, it may be confusing to know where to find internships. Here are a few places to start finding internships:

Go to career fairs
Check out the career center
Search your school's job board
Meet with an internship advisor

Browse jobs boards
Ask your friends
Research specific companies

The above examples are just a few places that you can start searching for internships. However, keep in mind that without the right approach, your efforts may be fruitless. In the next section, we'll discuss how to impress the internship coordinator.

Impress with an Eloquent Cover Letter

Often, candidates focus on constructing a well-written resume that highlights their extensive work experience, education, and accolades. Consequently, university students with minimal work experience probably won't have an equally influential resume. For this reason, it is in college student's best interest to focus on the cover letter. By no means does this mean not to submit an eloquent resume. However, it does mean that an inexperienced candidate can make a strong case for themselves in the cover letter.

Cover letters are an impact statement on the candidate's behalf. The document explains to the internship coordinator why they are the best candidate for the position. In this case, a cover letter for an internship with no experience can delve into the candidate's soft skills and career aspirations.

Apply To a Wide Variety of Internships

Don't sell yourself short—apply to a wide variety of internships to increase your chances of landing an internship with no experience! Ultimately, internships are a tool to grow a professional network, apply textbook concepts, experience different work environments, and try job positions. To make informed career decisions—and your coursework—it is beneficial to participate in a variety of internships.

In addition, you increase your likelihood of earning an internship when applying to multiple internships. As you gain more experience, you should narrow your focus to a particular field or occupation.

Whether you're looking for your first internship or searching for a job post-grad, Best Companies AZ is a reliable source for job seekers alike. Find job interview questions for fresh graduates, networking tips for college students, and internship advice from recent graduates.