Everything You Need to Know About Internships
Many students will tell you that scoring an internship is highly challenging but we are here to tell you that it should not be so difficult, as long as you know how, when and who.
First things first, according to Telcowin’s People and Culture Manager, Hafiz Hamdan, there are many types of internships. In Malaysia, it is essentially a requirement for graduating. The purpose is to introduce students to the working world.
If you study abroad however, you may encounter summer internships, charity internships and even semester internships. These placements are not a must for graduating one’s course but they can contribute to one’s overall credit. Not to mention, offer invaluable experience.
Applying professionally is of utmost importance. Keep in mind that each organisation’s Human Resource department does not only revolve around internship placements. Their time is usually limited and in order for you, as a student, to stand out amongst the hundreds of applicants, you should be specific in your application.
Carry out your own research on the organisation that you are applying for so you are informed on whether or not the department you are seeking exists within that organisation. Next, specify the role you are looking to fill and list down your skills, knowledge and background.
It truly helps to have a proper cover letter so the HR department are able to see which departments are suitable for you. Incidentally, this also shows your professionalism.
Quoting Telcowin’s Legal Counsel, Nadia Zaini, in Malaysia, employments and attachments under two months are not covered under the Employement Act 1955. This unfortunately means that employers are not legally bound to compensate you for your internship.
That said, it is not impossible for many organisations do choose to pay their interns an allowance.
On this topic,you can also learn about the rights of interns and how Telcowin’s very own intern, Fahmin, went from having zero Salesforce knowledge to one of the most successful Solution Architects in Malaysia. Tune in to Telcowin’s Tech Talk podcast now via Spotify at this link podcasts.telcowin.com.