Gaining some experience in your chosen career is always a good idea before starting your first real job. It prepares you for the real world and show’s you what to expect in the working world. An accounting internship is a great way to gain some hands on experience and develop your skills so that you’re job-ready at graduation. Work experience can help to improve your marketability as an employee, boost your confidence and teach you valuable interview skills. It can also improve your salary expectations upon leaving.
So if you’re looking at gaining some experience, what can you expect from accounting internships?
Application process
Most programs targeted at university students and graduates have fairly comprehensive application processes nowadays. There is after all a lot of competition on the job market.
Resume and cover letter
You should expect to send a resume and cover letter as an applicant. If you’re resume writing skills aren’t up to scratch it’s a good idea to do a class or hire someone to polish yours up. This is your first interaction with the company so it’s very important to put your best foot forward and ensure that everything is grammatically correct and well presented, so that you can stand out from the crowd.
During this phase many programs will have detailed online pages with short answer or multiple answer questions intended for initial screening of applicant suitability. Applying can be quite a long process!
Social media
You should not forget that your social media and online presence matters and will be checked. Before sending of your documents, make sure you have updated your Linkedin profile and removed any posts that might jeopardize your chance to be considered for the position.
Testing and interviews
Once your chosen company has reviewed the applications there is often an additional testing round, to check your skills in your chosen field or they may move directly onto an interview. For accounting internships they are going to be looking closely at your knowledge and comprehension of the relevant skills for the role.
It is important to get your interview skills right. This will be a major deciding factor in getting you foot in the door.
Make sure you look well presented, dress for the job you want!
Financial expectations
Many accounting internships will compensate you will a small stipend for your time and work. Paid internships are usually the most valuable and are more likely to turn into a job later on down the road. Accounting internships are actually on average once of the most well compensated in Australia and the job only becomes more lucrative after graduation.
That being said, unpaid internships are not uncommon and can still be a valuable work opportunity although students should be careful that others do not take advantage of them.
Hour expectations and work periods
Many accounting internships will be offered over reduced days, such as two or three days of work or at reduced hours (for example 4 hours each day) to allow students the time to study or earn money outside of their work experience.
The average time for an accounting internships to run is usually over 3 months, although some will be shorter and others longer. Many will choose to run in the summer months when students are on break or graduating to allow them to properly focus on their work experience.
An Accounting internship is a great opportunity for students and graduates and a win-win for both them and their chosen company. It’s important to have clear expectations in mind however. Hopefully this article is helpful in preparing you for what to expect in your new role.