Apart from a college degree, real life experience is the key to succeed in today's job market.

Your experience will always provide a competitive advantage in building your career and contacts. Employers look for individuals who can provide evidence that they possess the transferable qualities and skills needed to perform well in the working world. But you may be asking yourself how you can gain this "real life experience"-the answer is simple: internships! An internship is a pre-professional work experience that provides students, recent graduates, and those seeking to change careers with the opportunity to gain experience in a particular career field. For students, internships also supplement academic classes and, in some cases, earn college credit. For recent graduates and individuals considering a career change an internship is a way to try a new job without making a permanent commitment. An internship is a way to test the waters in a variety of career fields, to gain "real-life" experience, and a way to decide on - or opt out - of a certain vocation. Internships help you gain knowledge about general work functions and learn more about industries and fields that may be of interest to you. Many times an internship will allow you to explore and create work experiences tailored to your specific interests and goals. You'll make contacts with people who can help you answer questions about potential careers and even help you find that important first full-time position after graduation. An internship also helps you build vital career-related skills such as organizational, written and interpersonal communication skills, and internship experience is fast becoming a "must have" for obtaining a full-time position after graduation. A strong academic background is always great, but it is not enough to indicate whether or not a candidate would be good in a specific work environment. Employers expect a strong candidate to possess confidence, good communication and problem-solving skills, and the ability to work well with others. Most importantly, perhaps, an internship gives you something to talk about during job interviews and provides a way to prove your value to an employer! The ability to talk about a "real life" business experience and showcase your skills during a job interview is extremely valuable. Internships can be paid or unpaid. It is important to check with the company before you take the position to determine if there is a salary, a stipend or no compensation. Academic credit is a possibility for much internship. However, the internship will need to be approved for credit by your college and you may need a faculty sponsor. The internship sponsor must also agree to supervise and evaluate the internship experience. In many, cases there are school deadlines for applying for credit, so check soon with the appropriate department in your institution. It makes good sense to have a clear idea of what's expected from you and what you expect from the employer before you start the internship. Discuss the details and the logistics with the internship sponsor before you start, so the internship will be a positive experience for both you and the company. Important steps in obtaining a meaningful internship and getting the most out of it: 1. Set your internship goals:

How will your internship help you develop career-related experiences? How will your internship assist you in developing valuable knowledge related to your field? o What do you want to gain from your internship? o How do you want to be enriched by your experience? o Beyond enhancing your resume with career-related experiences and building contacts for a future job search, are there any other valuable goals your internship can help you attain? 2. Identify what you can do for them (What do you have to offer?) o Technical skills- basic knowledge of personal or mainframe computers, word processing or spreadsheet software, html, power point, publisher, etc. o Communication skills- writing, public speaking, instructing. o Artistic skills- designing flyers, posters, logos. o Organizational skills- coordinating, managing, administering. o Foreign language skills. o Positive attitude--this is assessed at all phases of the job campaign (cover letter, resume, interview), along with enthusiasm, willingness to tackle a task, eagerness to learn. o Good work behavior- punctuality, ability to meet deadlines, careful attention to details. o Research and data analysis. o Problem solving, asking thoughtful questions, ability to assess situations and people. o Leadership- influence/persuasion. o Relationship-building and teamwork experience- group projects, committees, service projects. o Motivation and demonstrated work ethic- part-time jobs, summer work, volunteering, internships. o Demonstrated time and project management- resume reflecting multiple responsibilities, commitments. o Demonstrated adaptability and versatility- range of experiences, skills, and coursework areas. 3. Getting it together o Prepare your resume; contact your Career Services Office to have a professional counselor/consultant critique it. o Make contact with employers: In some cases, your initial contact with employers will be made by a professor, an internship coordinator, on-campus recruiting or another individual. In most cases, however, you will be responsible for making the contact yourself by either calling a prospective internship site or sending your resume with an accompanying cover letter. o Prepare for the internship interview- indicate clear career goals, research the organization, review interview questions, prepare some samples of your work to share and prepare questions to ask your interviewer. Follow up your interview with a thank you letter to show your appreciation for the interviewer's time and reiterate your interest in the position. Practice mock interviewing with a counselor with your Career Services Office.

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4. Making the most out of your internship o Ask yourself what typical emotional responses do interns have and how can you best handle your feelings? o Inquire about how you get started. Find out about their expectations and what you will be doing. o Reflect on how you will be communicating with your supervisor. How would you ask for feedback? How do you ask for a more challenging assignment? How do you ask for clarification or help? Can you turn down a request? o Think about how you will react to negative feedback or handle errors. o Consider how to make your supervisor and coworkers members of your network. 5. Exiting your internship o Evaluate whether or not you met your learning objectives. o Determine what your most important contribution was. o Assess in what ways your internship disappointed you. o Review what new skills you developed or honed. o Analyze how your relationship with your supervisor either helped or hindered you in meeting your goals. o Determine what the highlights of your internship were. o List tips for future interns who select this internship. 6. Some websites of the companies offering Internships o www.indianinternship.com o www.engineering-internships.com o www.iopportune.com Dr.E.Sreenivasa Reddy Vice Principal, ANU College of Engg & Technology, Achrya Nagarjuna University.