5 things to do before applying for your first internship or job

5 things to do before applying for your first internship or job

Finding a job has become challenging during times of coronavirus as a lot of people are unemployed and vacancies are less. The crisis led to layoffs, salary deductions, pay cuts, insubstantial or no appraisals, employee transfers to different locations, and self-employed business owners dealing with huge losses. As the situation is gradually changing, thousands of people are applying to jobs every day hoping for a better future and good pay. As most of the people are working from home globally, the hiring process is also being conducted virtually. While many people might be habitual to professional emailing, attending video interviews, and virtual group discussions, freshers might find these things difficult. If you are also in a similar situation, here are a few things that can help you in your first virtual internship or job application.

1. Understand and analyse the job description -

Job descriptions let you know the company’s expectations, job title and purpose, responsibilities of the role, required qualifications (for example, education, experience, skills, and abilities), work environment (for instance, leave details, location, working hours, and travel needs), and compensation breakdown.

It is important to read, understand, and analyse the job description as it helps you understand your own capabilities for the job. You will know the skills you have and the ones you will need to polish, what your everyday tasks and your daily routine will look like, your eligibility for the role, and what unique skills or experience you would be able to offer which other candidates won’t. You must also read job descriptions posted for the same role by competitor organisations, and before choosing the most suitable role for you, ask yourself questions like - which role is more interesting? Where do you see better growth opportunities? Is there a PPO option (in case of internships)? and whose values or culture do you most relate to? 

2. Research about the organisation -

An organisation’s expectations and requirements from an employee is directly proportional to its mission and vision. To be a valuable asset to the organisation, it is necessary that you research in advance about the company. Find out the history, how the company started, background and professional details of the CEO, work-culture and values, recent news and events of the company, their products, services, and clients, and some of their major competitors.

You don’t have to mug up everything and remember the exact dates, figures, or timelines, but researching about the company on its official website, reputed news platforms, LinkedIn, and social media would make you capable of answering every question and would highlight your sincerity, dedication, and willingness towards the job and work with the company.

3. Enrol in an online placement preparation training -

Beginner-friendly online placement preparation training helps freshers like you, to prepare professionally for your first internship or job. The training is usually divided into multiple modules where you learn to hunt jobs through on-campus and off-campus placements and polish your most valuable skills. You also get complete expert assistance required to build a professional resume, a cover letter, your portfolio, and social media presence.

The training also features a step-by-step guide that helps you design your own resume and cover letter with the help of examples. You also get an understanding of the hiring process and prepare for pre-interview, telephonic or video interview, group discussion round, HR questions, puzzles, and guesstimates through the training. Topics such as essential interview etiquette and questions to ask the employers are also covered in the training. In addition to all this, the training also bundles practical projects where you design your own resume, find and write answers to the most commonly asked HR questions, and choose a role that you like in a reputed organisation and prepare yourself for the entire placement process.

4. Set up space for your virtual interview -

Make sure that you create a separate, private, and quiet space in your home where nobody would interrupt you. Choose a space with ample natural and artificial lighting, clear up the background, set up a comfortable table or desk and a chair, grab a pen and notebook if you get some quick assignments, keep earphones handy, set up and charge your computer/laptop and have an electricity board/ extension board near you.

Also, keep a printed copy of your resume and work samples with you and recall your work experiences again, test and check your internet connection beforehand, log-in before the recruiters and join the interview 15-20 minutes before to see if your camera and microphone work fine. Setting up a comfortable interview space will boost your confidence, reduce nervousness, let the interviewer know that you are fully prepared, and help in a smooth uninterrupted interview.

5. Follow up with the interviewer -

After completing the interview process, you should follow up with the interviewer and send them a thank you message for giving you the opportunity. A follow-up email or letter gives you another chance to highlight the qualifications that make you the right fit for the role and showcase your willingness and enthusiasm for the post. There are times when an interviewer might consider two or more candidates for the same role, sending a thank you note lets the recruiter know about your sincerity towards the internship/job and it might give you an edge over your competitors.

While writing the follow-up email, make sure that you use the same email ID that was used initially for all professional communications between you and the recruiter. Try to subtly promote your candidature once again in the email, explain why you think you are rightly qualified for the role, add anything relevant that you forgot to mention, discuss, or ask about during your interview, clear up interview mistakes if you made any and clarify what you actually wanted to say, and finally, don’t forget to add your contact number in the email as multiple contact options make it easier for the recruiter to revert.

Courtesy: Internshala Trainings (training.internshala.com) - e-learning platform to learn new-age skills from Internshala.