How can a student practice for a job they can’t get hired for just yet?
One word — internships. Internships provide exposure and practice for students in their future field of work. Educational institutions understand that there are things that can not be taught in the classroom setting. This is shown by some schools and courses requiring their students to put in a certain number of hours for their internships.
While internships provide exposure and an environment where practical application of theories can be done, it also requires a lot of time and effort. Knowledge is golden, but it doesn’t hurt to be paid for hard work, right? So how does a student land a paid internship in the Philippines?
Be clear about your goals and non-negotiables.

Align your steps and mindset to your goals.
Research about the companies.

Once you’ve got a list of companies you’re interested in, you can now dive into researching their background. Some important questions related to internships are:
- How many hours are their internships?
- What are their compensation packages for interns?
- What are the job opportunities in the company after graduation?
Customize your resume.

Now that you’ve done your research, the next step is to customize your resume to tailor-fit it to the internship role and company you chose. Impress the HR head with your assertiveness by highlighting the strengths you have that best fit the company. For example, for a data company, you can highlight your coding skills more and make it stand out.
Don’t sleep on smaller companies.

While they may not offer large compensations, they usually have shorter hours that you could sign up and complete ahead of time, giving you an additional edge when it comes to applying for larger businesses.
Learn how to negotiate.

Try negotiating for your stipend by highlighting the jobs your internship will cover. Alternatively, you could try negotiating for transport and food allowance, product and service discounts, and the like.
Getting internships can be very competitive. However, with the tips above, you might just land your dream internship with compensation to boot! Remember, it’s about going beyond what is offered. Research well, prepare well and negotiate to the best of your abilities. Everything is a learning process.
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