Our final internship interview is with one of our members, Danielle, who is studying mathematics.
How did you hear about your internship?
"I luckily had contacts in the company Npower, that allowed me to get in touch with some managers that had a vacancy this summer."
What advice would you give to people looking for one?
"Using your network and being persistent are the key attributes to success in securing a place whether it’s an internship, graduate scheme etc. If you have contacts that will be able to get you in, use them! If not when applying to companies make sure to only apply to a select few that you think you’ll really enjoy; that way you can spend a lot of time working on the application. Half heartedly applying to lots of places never works!"
How did you find the application process?
"I was lucky enough to know some of the managers so that they were happy to take me on without an application process, we just had a casual interview on the phone!"
What did you get out of it?
"I got a great insight of how companies really work, and getting used to a 9-5 day; being a student you are really sheltered in seeing what working life is actually like. More importantly it has given me so many transferable skills that I’ll be able to apply when working after I graduate. I’ve understood how to network effectively with colleagues, and really apply myself to new situations. Being able to understand the skills you’ve learnt at University and somehow apply them in a work place is hard, and sometimes you are blind to some skills you’ve actually picked up. My work didn’t involve direct mathematics, but using problem solving techniques really helped, which is fundamentally what my degree is all about."
Would you recommend others to do one?
"Absolutely! Getting an insight into your potential future career is invaluable. Even if the internship wasn’t right for you, you’re on the road to finding what you do want to do."
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