A professional internship allows students to develop communication skills, relationships, confidence, and gain valuable experiences they can utilize later in life. Students can test their strengths and weaknesses in real-time to improve their perspectives and understanding. Although internships are short-term, they establish a foundation for growth and provide constructive feedback that can be applied to future careers. By engaging in an internship, individuals can learn beneficial skills that they can take with them to apply to their future employment opportunities.

Communication Skills

Holding an internship position involves working closely with a diverse group of people as a team. In a professional environment, individuals often collaborate with colleagues of different ages, cultures, and various skill sets and experiences. Therefore, effective communication is essential to accomplish tasks and achieve success.

Interns learn to:

• Reach out for clarification
• Learn from constructive feedback
• Communicate ideas clearly
• Understand one another to collaborate effectively

Learning to communicate clearly not only helps the intern grow, but helps the company grow as well. For example, when working on a project, everyone must know their objectives so that the entire team is on the same page. Miscommunication can cause projects to take longer to complete if tasks are done incorrectly or if multiple people believe they must complete the same task. This can lead to a ripple effect that impacts productivity. In fact, A SHRM study found that miscommunication costs companies up to $37 billion annually in the US and UK (SHRM 2016).

Interpersonal Skills  

Clear communication not only improves productivity but also enhances interpersonal abilities, such as:

• Teamwork
• Empathy
• Collaboration
• Conflict resolution

These skills also help in building and maintaining relationships, which are important for both professional and personal life.

Networking

Additionally, internships allow students to form connections with individuals in their field of interest. These connections help foster networking for interns to utilize for recommendations, feedback, and new perspectives. Interns gain insight and build valuable relationships that contribute to developing confidence and new ideals in the professional work environment.

Bella Amico, a Marketing and Events Specialist at Workplace Options states, “As my internship progressed, I created valuable and beneficial relationships I could rely on for recommendations as well as advice for future work assignments. I gained close relationships with my co-workers as they mentored and guided me throughout the process, which will help me build upon in my future career.”

Research conducted by Jack Flynn at Zippia concludes that 79 percent of employees believe that networking is essential for their career advancement (Zippia 2023). Interns can refer to the connections they developed on LinkedIn and in real-time to keep in touch and learn further about career advancements. Many employees hear about job openings or alternative employment prospects due to networking with former co-workers. Maintaining connections and relationships that students form during their internship is important to help them ask for feedback on projects and recommendations for future employment.

Moreover, networking also allows for better engagement, proficiency, and overall performance. Students enhance their skills while discovering new strengths and expertise through collaboration with colleagues in the company. Employees are known to be more focused and have better mental stability when they have formed professional relationships with co-workers. Having a familiar face to report to or work with on tasks permits a healthier and more enjoyable work setting for all parties involved. It is also beneficial for companies in decreasing the likelihood of absenteeism and mental health issues.

Time Management Skills

Working on real projects with deadlines forces interns to improve their time management skills. Unlike classroom experiences, missing a project deadline during an internship affects the company, not just one’s grade. Internships provide the opportunity to work on projects that must be completed within a specific timeframe. For example, Kaitlyn Ivory, a Public Relations Specialist at Workplace Options says, “If I needed to create a press release or social media post about the company’s new product, it was crucial to complete it on time for the product rollout. Timeliness is extremely important, especially in the media field.”

Missing deadlines can slow down a company’s progress and impact the success of time-sensitive projects. When employees do not manage their time well, productivity decreases, and stress increases, which consequently causes burnout. Burnout not only negatively impacts one’s personal life but their professional life as well. A report by Gallup and Work Human discovered turnover and lost productivity due to employee burnout cost businesses around $322 billion globally (Workhuman 2022).

Through this experience, interns learn to break big projects into smaller tasks, estimate time requirements, and understand their own work pace. This self-awareness helps them allocate time effectively and meet deadlines, which is crucial for professional success and productivity. Mastering time management boosts focus, reduces procrastination, and lowers the risk of burnout.

Improving Resumes and Portfolios

Not only do internships provide people with the chance to build up valuable skills, but they also give students a chance to enhance their resumes and portfolios. Ivory said “By working on real-life projects such as press releases, social media posts and campaigns, students can add practical experiences that employers want. “

Practical experiences give interns tangible products and projects that improve credibility and their chances of finding a job post-graduation. According to NACE, “paid interns are about twice as likely to land a job after graduation compared to non-interns” (Nace 2022). This is due to having experiences, skills, and work that demonstrates their abilities to future employers.

Confidence

Internships offer valuable skills, experiences, and projects but also help build the confidence needed to thrive in a professional environment. According to a study from the Strada Education Network, “holding internships can increase confidence in career-planning decisions, employability, and career satisfaction” (Strada 2022).

Gaining hands-on experience allows individuals to:

• Learn on the job
• Make mistakes
• Receive feedback

This allows interns to enhance both their abilities and self-assurance for future projects. Amico adds, “As a college student contemplating my future career, I have noticed while navigating my internship that they offer a valuable preview of what to expect, helping me understand my strengths, weaknesses, preferences as well as clarifying what I enjoy most or dislike.”

Overall, internships are composed of beneficial tools for students to learn essential and practical skills that go beyond what is taught in the classroom. A professional internship enables students to develop communication skills, relationships, confidence and gain valuable experiences they can utilize later in life. With the knowledge and understanding that individuals gain from their internships, they can then apply it to their future careers and open new doors for employment opportunities.

Internships provide an excellent opportunity for students to demonstrate their abilities and can give them a competitive edge in their future trajectories. The experiences and skills gained from internships set individuals apart and significantly enhance their readiness for future professional prospects.