Jobhop Jobhop's blog : Perhaps A Virtual Internship Is The Answer

Are you one of the many who desperately want to get some work experience in your dream profession, but find it harder than it sounds. You could just get any job for the sake of any work experience or some money, but you want more, you want a career.

You could be an intern, shadowing great employees at your dream company, getting the training you require to go on and pursue your dream career, but there’s a couple of snags. The companies you want to work at are miles away and you don’t drive or they’re in a city on the other side of the country, which would be such an upheaval for three - six months, plus you’re not financially able to relocate.

The answer could be a virtual intern, it makes sense, technology could enable you to do a virtual internship and gain the experience you require.

Instead of going to the office everyday a virtual intern would work remotely, all the while interacting with the company they’re interning for via skype, email, G+ Hangouts or other social media daily.

A virtual internship may not suit everybody, you’ll have to be self disciplined and even though there are people for you via Skype it’s not the same as sitting with them in an office. A virtual internship lacks the whole real life, in the thick of it, working experience but it could be a step closer to being part of the real working world.

The positives of a virtual internship are:

Gaining new connections in the business world

Gaining new skills

Gaining experience

Flexibility

No commuting

No relocating

Expanded opportunities

If your ideal job is in social media, digital, journalism, design or software development you’ll probably find it easier to get internships than in other areas. Eventually virtual internships will be more available as more businesses work out ways to offer them.

If reporting to work via Skype is your thing then perhaps you should look at being a virtual intern. However there are some boxes that any internship must tick:

Reputable

It may sound like your dream company but have you researched it thoroughly? Check their profiles on social media, check reviews and testimonials, ask around and do some digging.

Remember you are doing an internship to get the experience, if you do an internship at a well known, reputable company it will help you when you go for future jobs.

Training

Even if it’s your dream company they must provide you with the right training for you to progress. Training can be done online via video, usually the videos will be on a private platform for you to watch. Training can also be done via skype, podcast, webinar or even via emails & pdf guides.

Communication

You need to know what communication channels you can use and that there’s support when you need it. Under no circumstances should the company ever forget you, there should always be regular communication.

Make sure you know who the main point of call is and if that person goes on holiday you know who the second point of call is.

If you know that the company is reputable, can offer you good training & communicates with you well, then you need to decide if you are disciplined enough to remotely follow their instructions, carry out the work required and complete the training needed.

If it’s a big fat yes to each one then you should consider a virtual internship.

JOIN Jobhop and spread the word.

Julie Bishop Jobhop.co.uk

Pic credit Britt-nee

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