Should You Consider A Virtual Internship?

The pandemic has caused most businesses to work from home, and virtual internships are now becoming the norm but do they really add value?

Students have always been encouraged to pursue internship opportunities to get their foot in the door and enhance their professional skills in their chosen field. However, the pandemic has seen a drop in advertised opportunities on LinkedIn by almost 60%, and the rest of the internship opportunities are now becoming virtual internship opportunities.

Courtesy: LinkedIn

What you can expect out of a virtual internship?

Essentially, a virtual internship will allow you to attend virtual meetings and network with co-workers, as well as use their chosen online platform to produce quality work that is expected from your role.

Unlike common belief, virtual internships is not an idea that has been concocted in the light of the pandemic. Virtual internships have been a type of internships major corporations have offered to provide opportunities for students from all around the world.

How do they add value?

It definitely is, virtual internships are a great opportunity for international students to test the waters in Australia’s job market and, opens up opportunities for domestic students to explore possible international opportunities that are proven to be valued on your resumes.

Virtual internships also allow you to focus on meaningful tasks, and also means that you are given responsibilities which could get lost in a physical office between water-cooler conversations and administrative tasks. It will also allow you to have more dedicated 1:1 time with superiors who can help with career guidance and mentoring.

Additionally, the great part about virtual internships is the flexibility it offers, which realistically makes it easier to handle once your university work starts to pile up. Many times students don’t pursue internships because they are short on time or because their coursework demands too much, the flexibility of virtual internships will help you boost your resume and showcase a diverse set of skills.

Also, the virtual part of the role will make you online savvy with professional tools and platforms, as well as with digital communication. Internet literacy is crucial in any line of work, especially with many companies considering remote working long-term.

The current necessity of working from home has brought to light the many benefits that virtual internships hold, and are now as highly valued as regular internships. So start looking, and make the most out of the rest of this year.