If you are a student currently pursuing MBA or an aspirant to enter an MBA program, you will find that an important aspect of the entire course is an MBA internship. Learn more about how an internship adds value to your degree and defines the career path you choose after completing the MBA program.
An MBA internship is a brief, learning-oriented work experience with a company that is completed between the first and second year of the MBA program. Summer internships are compulsory for most business schools today. Essentially, an internship as an MBA student will allow you to apply the skills and lessons learned in a classroom in the real world of business. The 2014 year-end poll conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council on 201 recruiters reveals a strong outlook for internship among employers. In 2014, 68 percent of employers said that they had recruited MBA students as interns in 2013.
Here’s how an MBA internship may add value to your MBA degree and career ahead:
MBA internships are an opportunity for you to work in your area of interest and organizations that allow you to pursue your career goals. An internship gives a preview of the roles, responsibilities and the nature of work that you would be undertaking once you graduate from a business school.
A summer internship with a large firm will give you practical work experience in your field of interest. An internship with a good firm will add great value to your resume and will give you an edge at the time job placement. This is of even greater significance if you do not hold any prior work experience in the field you have chosen to pursue.
Also read:Â How to convert your internship into a job offer
Your MBA internship will help you to get practical knowledge of your chosen field. MBA internships include many assignments and projects and you will be given a chance to do meaningful work that impacts the company. In return, it is your opportunity to develop skills in the particular field and experience first-hand if the work profile is to your liking and whether you would pursue it as your career path or not.
Consider an MBA internship as a crash course to what your job will be like if you decide to pursue it later.
Many companies use internships to recruit talent that fits their culture. You are exposed to a network of professionals and hiring decision makers in that organization who will judge your performance during the tenure of internship. For most employers, interns are an economical way of “trying before buying.” If you live up to their performance expectations, you would be hired easily.
It is a win-win for both you and the company to offer you a job or a pre-placement interview offer at the end of your graduation.