Last Updated on April 22, 2024 by Saira Farman
Analyzing your possibilities, the choice between an internship with a major firm or a startup looks clear-cut. It’s not just you; the majority of students gravitate toward large corporations with thousands of staff. Who wouldn’t want the names Google, Procter, or Apple on their resume?
Nevertheless, a startup internship provides many more advantages than you may have anticipated. Working at smaller firms, especially startups, might provide you additional learning and growth chances as you start your career. For the Virtual Internship you can attend the Virtual Internship program.
What is a Startup?
Encompassing anything from solo founders with no workers to some of the world’s largest software corporations – the concept of ‘startup’ is rather broad.
However, we may define a startup as a firm that:
Is at the seed stage/early stage of business growth
Has fewer than three founders and is primarily self-funded or seeks venture funding from banks or investors
In addition, startups function differently than other well-established businesses. Startups endeavour to introduce something novel to the market. Multinational companies (MNCs), on the other hand, are established with the goal of being entrepreneurial and responding to local need.
Companies like Grammarly, Airtable, and LinkedIn (the list goes on) originated as modest entrepreneurs that dared to think differently. Virtual Internships is also a new firm. Holon IQ named us as one of Europe’s top 100 Edtech startups in 2020.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s discuss the top seven reasons why thousands of students choose startup internships each year.
Develop an Entrepreneurial Spirit
Most businesses are created to achieve something genuinely innovative. Therefore, giving even a small amount to the path of an innovative organisation may provide you with the most useful experience of your career.
Furthermore, when you start the quest for your employment, you’ll find many job descriptions and advertising commonly indicating a preference for individuals with “experience working in a high-growth company environment,” meaning startups.
When you work directly with the founders on projects (as 70% of our interns do), you develop essential entrepreneurial skills such as measured risk-taking, critical thinking, optimism, leadership, team management, and the determination to make things happen.
A Genuine Learning Experience
Unlike multinational corporations, startups have flatter structures and smaller teams. This facilitates mentors’ ability to provide individual attention to each intern and enhance their learning experience.
Moreover, although interns at large businesses are sometimes assigned mundane jobs like as coffee runs and data input (a sad truth), startup interns work on critical initiatives from idea to implementation.
If you are experienced enough or perform effectively, you can even have the chance to oversee or train a group of other interns.
Let’s You Try on Multiple Hats
If you are undecided which job would be the greatest match for you, startup internships could be the way to go. As a part of a small team, you will continuously be exposed to many facets of the business. This may involve devising a marketing strategy, conducting research, producing business strategies, or assisting in the development of a website.
Most startups aggressively guarantee that all the team members, workers, and interns alike, stay in the loop (something highly unusual in bigger firms) (something extremely rare in larger organizations).
Consequently, interning at a startup will provide you with the necessary cross-team experience to get insight into several career pathways.
It is simpler to ascend the ranks
According to a poll done by CoffeMug.ai, 74% of senior professionals would rather work for a startup than a huge corporation. The majority of responders cite compensation, rate of growth, and the potential to ascend the corporate ladder with relative ease.
The same is true for startup interns. At the conclusion of their virtual internship, one in four interns receives a job offer, and seventy percent of our host organisations are startups. Therefore, the likelihood of our interns securing a full-time position at a business with rapid development is quite high.
Create a Powerful Network
One excellent perk of working at a company with fewer workers is that you’ll have the chance to know everyone personally. These connections might become a terrific professional network that helps you launch your career.
In addition, when the business expands into a large corporation, you will have access to people who may serve as your mentor or assist you in landing better positions.
Even if the startup you intern for doesn’t flourish, you’ll still have a network of outstanding employers that will be invaluable when searching for your next internship or career after graduation.
Master Critical Soft Skills
In addition to our earlier point, interning at a startup is an excellent opportunity to develop your professional abilities while contributing to the growth of the firm.
True, it requires a lot of work: Startups often lack keenly-mapped-out duties for interns that huge organisations may give. However, the beauty is that every team member puts in hard work towards the same goal.
In addition, the majority of startup workers are urged to be inventive and problem-solving in order to provide the greatest potential outcome. Therefore, if you put in the effort, a startup may help you work and polish critical soft and hard skills that will help you get better full-time employment after graduation.
Get Better Feedback
Getting rapid and meaningful feedback from your peers and executives is significantly simpler in startups than in bigger companies. This is because you’ll work closely with your team and create deeper ties with your seniors.
When working in a small team, everyone is aware of your strengths and weaknesses. However, the input you receive during your internship at startups might help you avoid makings the same mistakes.
While one team member’s work may not significantly affect the overall organisation while working for a huge firm, your role counts with startups. Every action has a direct impact on the success of the business, and everyone’s performance matters.
Where Do You Find Startup Internships?
In conclusion, startup internships are now worthy of the hype. Now, the major issue is: how can you secure an internship with a startup?
Obtaining an internship that adds value to your CV and enhances your employability skills is difficult due to the increasing competition. Worry not; we’ve got your back!
Virtual Internships offers guaranteed remote internships by connecting intern candidates like you with innovative organisations in over 150 countries.
70% of our virtual interns work directly with our company’s founders or CEOs. Plus, you may even land a full-time position after your internship if you perform well.
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