Should I use internships mainly to test careers rather than to improve my résumé?
Internships are generally best used not just to decorate your résumé, but to find out whether particular work and workplace conditions suit you and to gain useful learning. If you can later explain what you actually did and learned, the experience can also strengthen your résumé. Try fields that interest you, then reflect on your fit and what you want to learn next.
Key points
- Use the experience to understand the work and workplace and to consider your interests and strengths.
- Organize the skills and insights you gain so you can describe them specifically in applications or interviews.
- Choose opportunities for their learning value and relevance to your goals, rather than mainly for name recognition or the number of placements.
Things to check
- A single short internship may not be enough to judge whether a career suits you, so consider it alongside other information and experiences.