{"id":19905,"date":"2022-12-22T08:55:47","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T07:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.munich-business-school.de\/insights\/?p=19905"},"modified":"2023-07-06T14:19:27","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T12:19:27","slug":"mandatory-internships-while-studying-finding-a-position-and-writing-an-application","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.munich-business-school.de\/insights\/en\/2022\/mandatory-internships-while-studying-finding-a-position-and-writing-an-application\/","title":{"rendered":"(Mandatory) Internships While Studying: Finding a Position and Writing an Application"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Completing internships to gain practical experience during your studies is strongly recommended. But how can you find a suitable placement? And how do you write a convincing application for an internship? If you\u2019ve ever pondered these questions, this is the perfect article for you! We\u2019ll provide a whole host of useful tips and advice, all focusing on one key question: \u201cWhat\u2019s the best way to apply for an internship?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Internships \u2013 a crucial way to open doors and launch a career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Completing internships while studying at university is an excellent way to shape your future career path and gain practical experience. When it comes to securing a job after graduation, it is clear that practical experience is a decisive factor in whether an application is successful or not. It is vital to refine your profile and gain professional experience \u2013 especially when it comes to business, a discipline that attracts high student numbers and offers numerous career opportunities<\/a>. In addition to providing experience, internships also enable you to make valuable contacts in the world of work. Ultimately, internships and the practical experience they offer have a positive influence on graduate salaries after studying business<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can therefore see that internships during university have an important role to play. With this in mind, a growing number universities are integrating internships as fixed components of study programs. Munich Business School<\/a> is no exception. For example, students on our International Business bachelor\u2019s program<\/a> must complete three mandatory internships of 10 weeks each.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many internships should I do while studying?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is no hard-and-fast rule for how many internships students should complete while at university. Two to three internships is a good average figure and gives you the opportunity to gain insights into different fields and sectors. If you have already settled on a firm direction for your career by the time you start your studies, it would make sense to find a part-time job, a working student position<\/a> or an internship in that specific field, rather than completing a random string of internships in different areas. By contrast, if you have completed four internships and still feel you have not found the right field for you, it might be worth finding a fifth, potentially more interesting internship. It is important to ensure that your internships do not prolong your studies too much. Ultimately, there is no correlation between the number of internships a student completes and how successful they are in their post-graduation job search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, given the importance of completing internships while studying, you will probably still have two key questions: How can I find a suitable internship? And how do I write an effective application for an internship?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can I secure an internship?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like \u201creal\u201d job vacancies, internship placements are advertised on jobs portals like LinkedIn, StepStone and Monster. There are also dedicated internship platforms, which in Germany include praktikumsstellen.de<\/a> and meinpraktikum.de<\/a>. As a student, you also benefit from your university\u2019s careers office and corporate partners. At Munich Business School<\/a>, for example, students have access to our university\u2019s internal recruitment platform, which companies exclusively use to advertise internship placements and entry-level jobs.

If you are hoping to complete an internship at a specific company, you could register for their careers newsletter, which many larger firms routinely send out. This way, you can avoid actively searching for a position and instead apply directly for advertised positions. This is exactly how MBS student Julia Church secured her internship at Allianz Global Investors<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt was through LinkedIn that I discovered that Allianz offers many opportunities for students. So, I decided to register directly on the Allianz career portal in order to be notified of positions that could be of interest to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another option is submitting a speculative application. In this case, your application has not been solicited and you are not applying for a specific position. It is important to prepare very carefully when submitting this type of application. This preparation includes familiarizing yourself with the company and its corporate culture, identifying a suitable contact in the HR department, and writing a cover letter to set out what has motivated you to send a speculative application and exactly why you want to complete an internship in that specific company. It is also advisable to draft a potential outline for your envisaged internship (and make sure you meet the requirements in terms of both expertise and personal skills).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find an advertisement for an internship placement and decide to apply, you should invest sufficient time in preparing your application to maximize your chances of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing an application for an internship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a few points you should bear in mind when writing an application for an internship. These relate to the content of your application, its structure and other formal aspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Documents: What should you include in an internship application?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At its heart, an application for an internship is not all that different to an application for a job. Documents traditionally submitted as part of an application include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n