Why an internship is beneficial alongside University study

Will is interning with The Candidate during his final year of study at Manchester Metropolitan University, he is studying Business/Marketing and is ready to divulge into the marketing world. Read his thoughts on why it's beneficial to intern in the industry you want to work in.

Getting a job once you have graduated is harder than ever before With more students gaining 2:1's or 1st's and then the sheer number of students increasing year on year, it is becoming increasingly important to outshine the competition, so it is vital you make yourself stand out. Getting a top grade is obviously essential to this however is there anything else you can do to set yourself apart from other candidates?

I have just started my internship here at The Candidate and I am also in my third and final year at Manchester Metropolitan University. You may think this this will put too much pressure on my studies juggling all my assignments, then my dissertation and now an internship. But for me this acts as a release, throwing yourself into something else that isn't uni work, whilst gaining some vital experience. 

Internships give you valuable experience you can't get in the classroom or off your lecture slides. It really gives you a chance to put all that theory you spend hours and hours learning into practice, in the real world.

Something else I can't emphasise enough is the contacts and the opportunities having an internship can open up for you; you never know the company you are interning for now, could be your future employers or an excellent reference for your job applications. This is especially important nowadays with all the different social media platforms we use to apply for potential positions. Linkedin is a perfect example, a shining reference from your company in which you interned at will really help to set you apart from other students.

Internships don't just help your CV however they can also help your University studies. I would recommend taking up an internship during your second year of your studies; as this can then be the topic of your research project in your final year, getting valuable industry knowledge from your colleagues who have years of experience.  Just make sure you find a placement that is relevant to your course and what you actually want to do with you future.

All in all I would say that if you get an opportunity to undertake an internship go for it and don't look back! Getting a job these days is tough and doing whatever you can to differentiate yourself from everybody else is worth it. The benefits might not be immediate and it may be hard work juggling all of your Uni work and having an internship on top but you will be grateful when you land your first job and realise all your hard work has paid off.