Worry? More like ready! An informative feature article for future HROM interns.
Written by: Jim Cymer de Guzman
Pubmat by: Dinnah Mangotara
One of the final requirements of all students in their college years is internship or the On-Job Training (OJT). This requirement tests the student's readiness to pursue their desired professions after studies. Knowledge and skills are further enhanced as they immerse themselves in the actual workplace. Aside from that, insights are drawn to students on what are the standards with their field of study, as well as the workplace environment. This helps students to understand the job description and the culture in their work. Lastly, through their OJT is where students start to build professional relationships that possibly land their first job or career opportunities in the future. They can work alongside great professionals that can serve as their mentors.
Everything is fun and exciting as we tend to see ourselves working for the first time, that this is the work we aspire to as to why we choose this course we are taking. Based on our experience as 4th year students however, anxiety starts to creep in our nerves as we suddenly feel pressure and begin to worry. Questions like, "Am I going to find a company to start my OJT?" or "What are the things I should have that the company requires?" Luckily, we were able to find the answers right before we started our internship and most of us finished it during the time you read this article.
To my fellow HROM students, this article serves as a guide for your future internships. May it be to ease any worries that you may feel or to be ready for OJT. The following are the "essentials" that you may start early on to be ready for the internship.
Curriculum Vitae or Resume – A curriculum vitae (CV) is a comprehensive document that provides an in-depth history of a person’s accomplishments, academic and professional credentials. It does not have a specific length as its limit since it includes more information and much more detail to a person’s achievements. The CV is composed of an applicant’s name and contact information, a short summary of experiences, professional history, education, skills, as well as awards and publications. On the other hand, a resume is a concise document that includes the relevant professional experience, skills, and qualifications for the specific job position being applied to. It typically consists of one or two pages. It is composed of an applicant’s name and contact information, a summary or objective with regards to the job applied for, professional history with the most recent at the top, education, and skills. The descriptions only consist of the relevant skills and qualifications for the job position. Although both are used in job applications, a resume is typically used when applying for jobs, both in public and private sector while CV is used to apply for academic roles or teaching positions.
Endorsement Letter – An endorsement letter is a document that is submitted to the company upon the submission of the resume/CV. It is given by the internship advisor once the students are already chosen to be the interns for the specific company. Details of the endorsement letter consists of the name of the addressee, their position, their department, name of the company, and its address. Take note that students should carefully choose a company to start their internship since it should only be passed once. Once a student passes an endorsement letter to a company, they should pursue and start their internship there.
Printed and Digital ID Pictures – Having a copy of printed and digital ID pictures is a handy tip that students must know. It comes into use when looking for prospective companies, may it be digitally and most importantly personally. During personal search for companies, personnels ask for the resume/CV together with the ID pictures of applicants. It should be noted that the printed copies of the ID picture are updated. Best if these were taken recently or at most within three (3) months. Just make sure that the pictures look exactly the same as you personally.
Prospective Companies - Students can look for companies early on and send applications. The more companies the better so that they may have a glance at the workplace and to the environment that they have. Moreover, students look for prospective companies to weigh the advantages and disadvantages it may bring. Some may prioritize location; others may prioritize the reputation. Overall, what matters is the on-hand experience and growth that they will achieve throughout the internship. A huge benefit if the company provides allowance, so it would be an additional support financially for the student to cover the traveling or food expenses.
Notes or Documents for Journals – It is helpful for interns to easily track their experiences and duties done during the internship. A printed daily journal is an important requirement for the internship as it allows the student to reflect on their day during working hours. Having a notes app or Google Docs ready will give ease to students to easily input their experiences right away during their spare free time. It becomes less hassle to input and remember the tasks done during the internship, especially when the journals are compiled for a week or two.
Hours Rendered Tracker – Tracking the days rendered and days left before completion of hours lessens the worries of not being able to complete the internship before the given deadline. By setting up an Excel sheet that calculates the hours rendered, interns can easily input the hours they rendered during internship and see the hours accumulated as the months went by. Students can also use this tracker to make plans beforehand to compromise if there is a tight schedule for internship or sudden submission of requirements to the university that requires absences or half days.
Preparing for an internship is an important step for students during the last semester of their college as they immerse themselves into the actual duties of their pursued career, offering valuable insights into their chosen professions. With the guides explained above, it provides insights on the essential aspects of preparing for an internship such as creating and differentiating CVs or resumes, endorsement letters, securing ID pictures, searching prospective companies, maintaining journals, and tracking hours. Although this article serves as a benchmark for students to prepare for their future internships, it is important to take note that they can still improve the guides explained that best suit their working style. Moreover, it is important to keep their confidence during initial interviews to increase the chance of them landing the internship at the company that they desire to work for.
Written by: Jim Cymer de Guzman
Pubmat by: Dinnah Mangotara
