New research revealed that four in ten graduate jobs go to those that have done internships.
With tuition fees reaching well over £9,000 per year, students are sometimes thinking about their career path before even stepping foot into their first college class.
One HR expert explained that just a decade ago many recruitment companies focused their efforts on students that were in the last six months of their three-year degree course. Now, however, the recruitment process begins much earlier.
With that said, competition has become much more fierce. Applicants these days aren’t just required to submit a CV, but they have to undertake critical reasoning tests, practical exercises, multiple interviews and evidence of existing relevant work experiences…all before they even step foot into their university.
Human resource experts also revealed that there is what seems like an underground internship bucket system of what are called “pipeline” interns and “referral” interns.
Pipeline interns are recruited via programmes that aim to attract the best future employees. Whereas referral interns are often found through unpaid schemes and word of mouth.
Referral interns have a reputation of being at the right place at the right time or just plain knowing the right person. Time and time again, the same old story is told of someone entering the workplace because they are so-and-so’s son or daughter. While this is not always true, some companies have set rules against this type of procedure, outlawing it for the sake of workplace morale.
Regardless of the type of intern, experts warn that even interns sometimes need to put their foot down. Companies with interns can be infamous for exploiting them to run errands that have nothing to do with the type of work they are there to do. It is reported that this type of exploitation is seen the most in jobs focused in the media, advertising and marketing sectors. It appears that it happens in these types of companies the most because there are so few openings and so many candidates vying for positions.
If an intern feels exploited, experts say that it is okay to voice that opinion as long as it is done respectfully.
