Maddy Diment has written us a blog this month all about how to get an internship opportunity in the sustainability field, and how to make the most out of it.
At University there existed an overwhelming chatter around finding and securing an internship. It seemed like everyone around me had it all together, with their spring-break schemes, summer internship plans, and law firm open-day invites. In my 2nd year, this chatter took on a new, almost-messianic dimension: find an internship, and your career will be saved. I gave into the hype and found myself applying to internships at companies I didn’t really think much of, just so that I could feel validated amongst my peers. I was unsuccessful in every application, but this made sense. After all, if my heart wasn’t in it, why would any company give me a shot?
I took time to evaluate my approach and recalibrate. I realised that if I wanted to get an internship, I would need to be creative. This blog contains my reflections on that process and my advice for getting an internship that will be valuable for your personal and professional development.
Begin by answering the following questions:
– What even is an ‘internship’? What’s the purpose of them? Why would a company offer them, and why do I want to do one?
– What would an ‘ideal’ internship actually look like for me? Where would it be based, how long would it be, and do I have any specific requirements?
– What skills do I want to learn/develop? What industry do I want to gain an insight on?
– What are my values? How might these values be incorporated into an internship?
Answering these questions will give you greater clarity and precision in your internship-hunt. When you are ready, start by tapping into Google and LinkedIn your broad key search terms, e.g. ‘Sustainability Summer Internship’, and see if anything immediately catches your eye. Hold off from making any applications at this stage (unless the deadline is looming!) – for now, you are data-collecting so that you can make informed, and strategic, application decisions later on. I’d also recommend tapping up your University’s Careers Service/Department and ask them for their recommendations on internship schemes, and see what other people with your background/experience have gone on to do.
The benefits of doing an advertised internship are obvious: they tend to be well-structured, they can have great benefits, and they may even lead to a full-time position in the company. However, because of their great qualities, they are also very competitive. I also found that most of them did not involve working on sustainability-related projects -which may be a deal-breaker for you.
Enter: the speculative internship opportunity
The sustainability industry is relatively nascent, meaning that there may not be many – if any – sustainability-related internships advertised in your area. This doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the road for you in finding a sustainability internship. I would highly recommend contacting the organisation/company that you are interested in interning with directly, and see what they might have to offer. Nothing can be guaranteed, however, if you prepare well on the following points, you will be in a better position to convince them of what you can offer:
1. Why are you interested in working for them, as opposed to their competitors/other companies? What makes them special and meaningful to you? The more specific you can be, the better.
2. What can you offer them? Have you identified a need in their company that you can fulfil? Where is your evidence for the skills you claim to have?
3. What do you expect the internship to look like? Fully remote? In an office? Full time? Part time? 2 weeks? 4 weeks? 8 weeks? Write down your essential requirements (including pay), and your ‘nice-to-have’ list ahead of contacting them, so you can be prepared for any negotiations.
Once you have answered those questions, you will be ready to draft and send off your ‘speculative internship’ emails. Make sure to attach your tailored CV and Cover Letter also, as this will demonstrate that you are committed, professional, and ready to make a difference in their company.
If you don’t get a response, try and not take it personally – some businesses (particularly small ones) may not have the capacity to respond to every email they receive, let alone be in a position to offer you an internship. That said, if you are really set on gaining work experience at that specific company, don’t be afraid of chasing them up via email, or better, giving them a phone call.
How to make the most out of your internship?
Doing an internship can be a really informative and pivotal experience in your early career. Take ownership of this opportunity, and try to make the most out of it by doing the following:
1. Set goals for the internship – before starting the internship, write down a list of goals that you want to achieve during your time there. For example, perhaps you want to learn a specific skill, understand the industry better, or practice public speaking. These goals will help to keep you focused and grounded.
2. Keep an internship diary – you will be learning a lot during your internship – about yourself, about the company, about the industry – and so, it is important to keep a record of your findings. Creating a diary will also be extremely helpful for writing future CVs and Cover Letters, as well as answering behavioural/situational questions during interviews. Your future self will be grateful for this – trust me!
3. Build relationships for life – life is all about building and maintaining relationships, and an internship is no different. During your internship, be sure to ask as many questions as you can to those around you, and make an effort to get to know direct and indirect colleagues. You never know where your connections could lead you.
These tips helped me secure three unadvertised internships – one in academia, one in a small business, and one in luxury retail. For two of the organisations, I did not know anyone who currently works, or historically worked, there. For the other one, I had a friend who interned there in a summer prior, so I was able to ask her questions on how she found it, etc.
I hope that my tips will be of great value to you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach me on LinkedIn, or by email at: maddydiment@hotmail.com
Addressing a few common misconceptions about internships
“Internships are all unpaid, right?” By law, there are only three situations where a person can do unpaid work:
1. If the internship is classed as a student placement. For example, some engineering courses require students to complete a placement year at an engineering firm. By law, the firm is not required to pay the student for their work, as it a mandatory part of their university course.
2. If the internship is in a charity, voluntary organisation, associated fund raising body or statutory body, it will be classed as ‘volunteering’, and therefore, the person completing the work will not be paid. For example, doing an internship at a food bank will not typically be paid, as you are considered to be a volunteer (though you may get your expenses paid for – e.g. travel, food, etc.)
3. If your internship exclusively involves ‘work shadowing’, meaning you only observe the work taking place, rather than contributing to the work directly. Work shadowing placements should only benefit you, not the company you are shadowing.
Any internship that is outside of these three situations must be paid at least the UK’s minimum wage for your age.
“I don’t live in London, so I can’t do an internship”
Many companies have their head offices in London, and so, naturally, many of their internship opportunities will also be based there. However, opportunities do exist outside of London, and it is possible that some opportunities will continue to be remote because of the Covid-19 pandemic. If London is a total non-starter for you, I would recommend that you include location preferences when you search for internships online, so that you can be sure you are applying for an appropriate role. Alternatively, you could contact the hiring managers directly to see if they can be flexible on location. It is a real shame how London-centric opportunities can be, however, there are plenty of great internships and work experience opportunities across the UK- it may just take a little more work to find them.
“Getting an internship is all about who you know”
It is an uncomfortable truth that many individuals gain internship opportunities through nepotism. However, there has been a huge legislative and societal push to make opportunities for young people more accessible and inclusive, and not subject to the ‘old boys’ network’. These changes have resulted in greater standardisation and transparency in application processes and more resources available to help give historically-disadvantaged candidates a fairer chance.
“I didn’t get an internship… my career is ruined”
Fear not. While this blog post has focused on the value of internships, there are a number of other ways you can invest in your career. Perhaps you can write blogs/articles on interesting industry trends through the summer, do some volunteering that will enable you to develop your skillset, or complete online courses to further your skills/knowledge? Be creative and open-minded in how you can invest in your career – these approaches, alone, will stand you in good stead for your career ahead.
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