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26 Nov, 2018

How to Choose Internship Offers

Finding and applying for internship can be stressful. While it may feel like a reward when you get the internship offer, there’s a chance you’ll get two or even three offers if you apply in many companies. The stress, then, continues. You don’t want to keep anyone waiting, but you’d like to make sure you’re making the right decision.

The prospect of choosing one over the other can be daunting, especially if the positions are comparable but have different pros and cons.

Read some tips on how to choose internship offers below that will benefit you the most professionally while also taking your wants and needs.

Compare the Internship Offers

Start off by taking note of the differences between the internship offers. Some examples of things to look at are the length, timing, compensation, location, job duties. You don’t need to weigh these differences yet, but just make note of them as observations.

This is a good starting point when you’ve got a lot of thoughts swirling around and you feel overwhelmed. It may also make you realize you have questions about one or more of the positions, which is perfectly fine! Asking may help you make your decision.

Weigh the Differences

Now that you’ve made list of comparison between internship offers, look back at the differences between your offers. Which one will better give you what you want or need? There may be a clear answer to this, but there may not. The positions may be too comparable in terms of what they offer, or there may be extenuating complications that prohibit your decision from being so straightforward. If this is the case, keep reading for some other solutions.

Ask Your Career Adviser

This is a good situation in which to consult professionals. They may have more insight into the positions themselves, or they may see one or another as a better fit for you. At the very least, consulting with your adviser when you choose internship offers will give you an opportunity to talk everything through, which in and of itself may help you gain some clarity.

Request More Information

If you feel like you could use some more information about one or more of the positions in order to help you decide, it would likely be beneficial to formulate some questions and call or email whomever you’ve been corresponding with. Something they say might spark something you hadn’t thought of, or having more information may make your decision easier.

Talk to Someone Who’s Worked There Before

This is great if you know someone else who has worked at one of those companies before — especially if they had the same position you’re applying for. However, if you don’t know anyone who’s experienced that company culture, someone there may be able to give you the name of someone you can talk candidly with who isn’t trying to sell you on the position. That may just provide the insight you need to decide you’d like that company.

Go with Your Gut

If none of these other steps to choose internship offers worked and you’re still stuck, go with your gut. If you don’t have any strong feelings about one offer or the other, this may take a bit of introspection. However, try to go with whatever you just feel better or more excited about. The worst case is that you have a few months where you aren’t 100% happy, but you’ll still have the experience on your resume in the end.