If the prospect of dressing up in corporate attire and commuting to an office just to do some filing, make coffee or photocopy some papers does not appeal to you, take heart.  Your internship need not be that boring or menial.

"When I started my practicum in an AM radio station ten years ago, I thought I would just be asked to transcribe interviews," shares Gel, now a marketing manager. "In my second week as an intern, one of the co-hosts of a commentary program couldn't make it and I was asked to go on air in his place.  I quickly grabbed newspapers and read up on current events so I was able to contribute to the discussion on the upcoming elections.  Whenever I cite that experience during job interviews, recruiters are able to see my resourcefulness and self-confidence."

Internships provide would-be college graduates a chance to test the waters in the working world. However, most students feel that on-the-job-training (OJT) - or practicums - are a waste of time, wherein, due to their inexperience, interns are assigned to do no-brainer tasks rather than really sink their teeth into the kind of work they are studying for.  Still, for those who are on the lookout for opportunities, an internship can provide a valuable trump card that can give your career a boost in the right direction.  Here's how:

First, be clear on what you want to get out of your internship.  Are you after hands-on experience in a particular facet of your field or a network of contacts, which can later help you get started in the industry?  Do you want to experience practical, real-world applications of your college course or you want references to put in your resume?

Second, you have to know where to look for good internship opportunities.  Your college's placement office might be a good place to start, but if you are just one in a batch of 1,000, internship opportunities may be scarce.  You may also make use of your existing networks - friends or relatives who are already working in a field you are looking into may clue you in on their company's internship program and even recommend you to their human resources division.  However, to cast a wider net and - hopefully - catch more internship opportunities, a safe bet would be to go online.  JobStreet.com, for example, already has a network of employers offering internships and OJT positions through its JobStreet CAMPUS program.  A list of available internship opportunities is posted everyday at www.jobstreet.com.

Third, once you land the internship, commit yourself to it.  Be ready for tasks that may require you to step outside your comfort zone like doing field research in a depressed area, or chasing after a resource person for a conference, or even presenting an idea to a team.  Remember, aside from giving valuable work experience, doing well in these tasks also demonstrates your strengths.

Lastly, be alert for opportunities arising from your internship.  Take note of the experiences you gain, the skills you develop and the people that you meet and know how to work them into your future job search.  When a job opportunity opens in the company where you are doing your internship, or you find a great opening in another company, you may demonstrate your familiarity with core business processes or cite your former internship supervisor as a reference.

In today's era of liberalization and economic growth, the job search process is becoming more and more competitive and intense. Our advice is that the sooner you start, the better. Sure, you can get a good job without doing an internship, but the experience that you will gain from an internship will ensure that you have an edge over others after you graduate and enter the real job market. Most importantly, remember that internships look great in the 'work experience' section of your Curriculum Vitae (CV). In other words, they add immense value to your resume. Future employers would be impressed if you would have done a couple of internships and if they happen to ask you anything about your experience, you will have enough to say and assure them of the fact that you are the right person for the job.

About JobStreet.com
JobStreet.com is the No. 1 Job Site in the Philippines. With its database of over 1.5 million jobseekers (as of December 2007) and an award winning suite of online recruitment solutions, more than 10,000 leading companies from various industries count on JobStreet.com to hire in the fastest, easiest and most cost-effective way. JobStreet.com runs the leading online recruitment website in Asia, www.jobstreet.com and operates in seven countries: Malaysia, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Japan and the Philippines.

In 2003, JobStreet.com launched JobStreet CAMPUS, a program that helps fresh graduates and interns find their dream jobs at the soonest possible time by providing fresh job on internship opportunities and advice on work-related issues. As of today, JobStreet CAMPUS has a total of of 472 Internship jobs available and has established partnerships with top companies in the country namely JP Morgan Chase Bank, IBM Solutions Delivery Inc., Union Bank, Megaworld, Eastern Telecom, GMA New Media, SPI Technologies, E-Telecare, Regal Multimedia Inc., Convergys, and HSBC to name a few.