Something that is drilled into university students right from the get go is how important an accounting internship is for their future job opportunities. If you want to get your foot in the door, chances are you will have to work for free or peanuts for a little bit. While it’s all well and good to know you need to find one of these programs, do you know the first step in actually looking for one?
It can be quite hard to find a good accounting internship especially if you don’t even know where to start. Below we are going to explore some tips for finding an accounting internship.
Understanding their importance
With all the work and effort that goes into finding one of these programs you may ask yourself several times is this really worth it? Firsthand experience with a role trumps every kind of book smart out there. While you may know the theory behind something, if you haven’t done it yourself it could take you a while to grasp the concept.
For many big firms, they exclusively look at previous interns for their entry level roles. When there is an abundance of students with good grades, you want to be sure to distinguish yourself from the crowd and an accounting internship is the way to do that.
Where you should be looking
To get a sense of who is actually offering these services , you should go out and ask:
- Local firms
- Major firms
- Industry specialists
- Non-profit organisations
- Government services
At the end of the day, the program that you choose to go with should align with what speciality you what to favour in the long run. Where you would ultimately like to work is also another bonus when you are looking for places that offer accounting internships.
Due to these positions being so competitive it is important that you have the appropriate developmental skills to truly shine in this type of program.
Refining your professional skills
If you want to work at a major firm or a local firm, the underlying skills that you have should be the same. Developing your professional skills is very important when it comes to these programs which are why we have a list of the following factors.
Your resume and cover letter
These short but sweet documents are the paper first impression of you and will often be the deciding factor whether you should be considered any further. You should look to include your relevant experience along with key words and phrases that are relevant to the role.
Cover letters are also very important as they show that you have taken the extra time to talk more about yourself and why you are suited for the role. Even if an application doesn’t specifically ask for one, you chances of success are higher if you do attach one.
Practice your interview
One of the worst things you can do when you are applying for your accounting internship is to go in and wing the interview. You should be doing your research about the company along with the common interview questions that they may ask. Additionally you should also make a list of questions you want to ask them as well.
Networking
Networking is a very helpful and important tool when it comes to finding an accounting internship. You should be going to as many job fairs as you can so that you can start to get to know the people in the industry. Update your LinkedIn and ask people questions at the relevant firms that you could see yourself working at.
