Does it Matter What Company You Intern At?

If you're just starting to look for an internship, so many questions will pop up in your mind about your potential programs. One of such questions is whether you really need an internship (yes, it’s a valuable opportunity!). Another is whether the company you choose to intern at matters. 

Here’s the truth: internships offer invaluable experiences that help you gain the skills you need to continue your education and help you grow professionally. If you have time to take an internship while in school, college counselors highly recommend them. 

The only problem is that as a high schooler, may not be exactly sure what you want to do for a career. If that rings true, you're probably wondering whether to just intern anywhere or take the time to carefully choose a few. This article will answer some essential questions you have about internships for high school students. Let's start with the most common question…

The main motivation for the development of internships is to allow students to gain real-world experience, practice school theories, and learn if they fit into a particular job or industry. 

Internships are not only designed to build up your experiences. They also offer you the right situations to learn about company culture and what it's like working in an organization. For all these reasons, internships are also critical in the context of college applications. Such internships provide great material to write for your college essays and interviews, and therefore boost your chances of getting admitted into college. 

To make a long story short: yes, the company you intern with matters in many ways, and that's why you'll be advised to choose the company you intern with carefully. Although you'll gain valuable experience regardless of the company you choose, it's always better to choose a company related to your dream job or career field. Even if it's a research internship for high school students, choose a company that'll add value to your intellectual goals. 

The general rule is to pursue internships with top companies in your field. Interning with the best-known companies sends a strong message to your future employer and distinguishes you from other candidates. 

However, that doesn't make internships with smaller companies useless. There's still so much experience you can gain from such internships! In the end, it’s up to you to make the most of your position.

Since we're already clear that your choice of company matters during your internship, you're probably wondering which company is right for you. Here's a list of tips to help you find the best companies to intern with. Remember, empowerly.com offers you guidance to help you through college. With that clear, the best tips to help you make the right choice for internships are as follows: 

When searching for an internship, you may not be sure which sector you'll work in, and that's fine. However, you're expected to do your research into different sectors to see how they perform and which will be best for you. The partnerships section of our website helps Empowerly connect with a wide network of sectors so you can reap the benefits. 

Whether it's summer internships for students or any other kind of short-term internship position, you'd want to know what you'll be doing before taking on the internship role. Read job descriptions and responsibilities that'll be assigned to you before starting. Remember that your roles and responsibilities will go to your curriculum vitae (or CV), so you want to pick something that'll add value to your CV. 

If an internship role possting doesn't state how much the company is willing to pay, please ask. The company's pay should comply with the national minimum wage. You'll need money for your transportation and other needs, so you want to be sure that the pay you expect is worth it. However, be polite when asking for pay structure and always keep the question until the end of the interview. Keep in mind that some companies do not pay interns as a policy. It’s up to you to decide whether you can commit to an unpaid internship. 

One of the reasons for an internship is to meet and know many people in the industry. So, before starting, you want to check to be sure about the networking opportunities. Will you be working alone in an office, or will you have the opportunity to meet people from around the business? It's better to choose where you'll meet and know people in the industry. While on the job, be sure to take every chance you can to connect with your coworkers and mentors.

While looking at responsibilities, you'll want to also ensure that you know the skills that the responsibilities translate to so that you can make the most of them when preparing your CV. These skills can potentially stand you out in the employment market. So, we recommend opting for an internship role that allows you to learn new and valuable skills for the future.

Are internships good for college students? Does it matter which company you intern at? These are among the questions we regularly receive from students and parents. Yes, the company you choose to intern for matters, even if you're looking for internships for high school students. Today, we've reviewed a few tips to help you choose the right company to intern with within this article. You can also visit the consult section of our website to book a session with a counselor for detailed advice and other recommendations.