What Do You Need to Prepare for an Internship? 10 Things to Grasp

Things to know about the internship

Before learning what you need to prepare for an internship, students need to clearly grasp the basic concepts and the regulations related to the internship. Correctly understanding the nature and meaning of the internship will help you have a suitable preparation orientation.

What is an internship?

An internship is the process where students come to enterprises and organisations to work for a certain period, usually from 1-6 months. This is a mandatory educational activity in the training programme of most universities and colleges in Vietnam. According to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, an internship is a mandatory condition for students to be considered for graduation.

The meaning and role of the internship

An internship helps students shorten the gap between theory and practice, while developing the soft skills necessary for their future work. Moreover, the internship also creates an opportunity for students to experience reality, better understand the profession they chose, and build a professional relationship network. This is also an opportunity for enterprises to evaluate and select suitable talent.

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When do you need to intern? How long is the duration?

Usually, students will intern in the final year of the course, after completing most of the specialised subjects. However, some schools encourage students to participate in short-term internships from year 2, year 3 to accumulate experience.

The internship duration depends on the requirements of each school and specialisation. A short-term internship can last from 1-2 months, while a graduation internship usually lasts from 2-6 months. According to the report “Vietnam Talent Trends 2024” by Anphabe – Vietnam’s leading HR research company, the ideal internship duration is 3-4 months for students to have enough time to get familiar and make a substantial contribution to the enterprise.

The organisation students choose to intern at

Students can choose to intern at private companies, state enterprises, non-governmental organisations or startups. When choosing, you need to consider factors such as suitability with the specialisation, the opportunity to learn and develop, the enterprise culture and the possibility of being recruited after the internship.

At HUFLIT, the school maintains and expands cooperation relationships with many enterprise units and large organisations at home and abroad, creating internship and job opportunities for students. The school is a strategic partner with more than 50 educational units, organisations and enterprises around the world such as Transcosmos technology Vietnam, MOMO, MISA, Ahamove, etc.

Discuss with the supervising lecturer to grasp the requirements

Before starting to search for internship opportunities, students should meet the supervising lecturer to clearly understand the school’s specific requirements. The information to grasp includes the evaluation criteria, the report form, the report submission time and the necessary documents. The supervising lecturer can also advise on choosing an internship unit suitable to the student’s capacity and orientation.

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The types of internships

There are many different types of internships that students need to distinguish. An orientation internship is a type that helps students get familiar with the enterprise environment, usually happening in a short time. A professional internship focuses on applying specialised knowledge to specific work. A graduation internship is a mandatory type, longer and with high requirements on the report.

The form of presenting the internship diary

The internship diary needs to be presented according to the school’s regulations, usually including sections on general information about the internship unit, the weekly work content, the knowledge and skills learned, and the evaluation and comments. Each school may have its own diary template, so students need to download and use the correct provided template.

What do you need to prepare for an internship?

After clearly grasping the basic information about the internship, the most important question each student needs to answer is what to prepare for an internship. Below are 10 important factors you need to prepare carefully.

Prepare documents

Documents are the first factor in the list of what to prepare for an internship. You need to prepare a personal CV, a copy of ID/Citizen ID, an introduction letter from the school and related certificates. According to the regulations of many enterprises, interns need to sign an information-confidentiality commitment and comply with the company rules. In addition, some units require a health check certificate, a student confirmation from the school and an internship contract.

The internship diary and internship report

According to the experience of many students who have interned successfully, recording fully and in detail right from the first days will help you have a rich source of materials when writing the end-of-term report. You should learn in advance about the internship-report structure to orient your note-taking. The content to record includes the assigned work, how to do it, the results achieved, the difficulties encountered and how to solve them, the new knowledge learned.

Carefully learn about the internship organisation

Before starting, carefully research the company such as its field of operation, products/services, enterprise culture and related information. According to VietnamWorks HR Insider, it advises candidates to learn about the company culture, organisational structure and job description to score points with employers.

Adjust your social media pages

In the digital age, employers usually research candidates through social media. Therefore, check and adjust your personal accounts to ensure a professional image. At the same time, delete unsuitable posts and images or set the private mode. In addition, seriously invest in your LinkedIn profile and proactively connect with industry experts.

Contact and build a good relationship with the supervisor

Right from the first days, proactively get acquainted and build a good relationship with the supervisor. This is the person who will evaluate your internship result and can become a job referrer later. Therefore, show respect, a learning spirit, regularly exchange work progress and be ready to receive feedback to develop yourself.

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Train patience

Internship is not always smooth, because you may be assigned small, repetitive tasks or have difficulty integrating. However, you need to keep patience and see the initial tasks as an opportunity to learn the work process. Over time, when you demonstrate effort and a sense of responsibility, the enterprise will trust and assign you more important work.

Necessary equipment for the work

Depending on the nature of the work, you need to prepare the necessary equipment. Specifically, you should bring a laptop, notebook, pen, USB and pre-install the specialised software. In addition, use a tidy bag or backpack, while preparing some additional personal items to be ready in every situation.

Pay attention to dress and manner

Professional attire is an important factor creating the first impression. Depending on the culture of each company, you can dress formally (shirt, trousers, formal shoes) or politely (shirt, khaki trousers, loafers). In addition, you need to pay attention to work manner such as coming to work on time, keeping the workspace tidy, limiting phone use, complying with the company’s regulations.

Don’t be arrogant

Even with good study achievements, you are still a newcomer in the enterprise environment so you need to keep a humble attitude and be ready to learn. Show confidence, respect colleagues’ opinions to create goodwill when working together. In addition, don’t compare what you learned at school with the reality at the company, because each environment has its own characteristics and practical experience is always very valuable.

Attitude demonstrates competence

A positive, enthusiastic and professional work attitude is the best way to demonstrate your competence. Therefore, complete work on time, proactively propose ideas and be ready to take on more responsibility when possible. When facing difficulty, first try to find a solution yourself to train independent thinking, while still boldly discussing when necessary to limit mistakes.

Internship salary

According to the report “Vietnam Recruitment Market 2024” by Navigos Group – the company owning Vietnam’s No. 1 job-search site VietnamWorks, the average internship salary ranges from 2-5 million VND/month, depending on the industry and company size. Some multinational companies may pay a higher internship salary, from 5-8 million VND/month.

However, don’t put too much emphasis on the internship-salary factor; the real value of the internship lies in the experience, knowledge and relationship network you build. Many students accept an unpaid internship at reputable companies to have the opportunity to learn and increase the possibility of being recruited later.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about what students need to prepare for an internship

What should you note when preparing to intern?

When preparing to intern, you need to note the following four important points:

• Carefully learn about the internship place: Research the field of operation, products/services, competitors and company culture. This helps you prepare better for the interview and demonstrate genuine interest in the company.
• Prepare the necessary documents: Including a professional CV, a copy of ID/Citizen ID, an introduction letter from the school, related certificates and the internship diary. You should prepare both a paper copy and an electronic copy for flexible use.
• Prepare an impressive CV: An intern’s CV should focus on skills, projects done and study achievements instead of work experience (which is still limited). The CV needs to be designed neatly, easy to read, no more than 1-2 pages.
• Clarify the work: Before starting, clearly discuss with the supervisor about the job description, specific responsibilities, goals to be achieved and evaluation criteria, avoiding misunderstandings and orienting the work correctly from the start.

What should you note during the internship?

During the internship, you need to note the following points to achieve the best effectiveness:

• Be proactive in work: Don’t wait to be assigned work but proactively ask, learn and propose ideas.
• Build relationships: Connect with colleagues, the supervisor and other departments in the company, which will be useful for your later career.
• Learn continuously: Observe how experienced people work, participate in internal training sessions and don’t hesitate to ask when unclear.
• Fully record the diary: Record what you learn each day to have materials for writing the report later and help you self-evaluate your development process.
• Keep a positive attitude: Even when facing difficulty or being assigned work not as expected, keep an optimistic spirit and try to complete it as best as possible.

Which reputable information channel to find a good internship?

The school introduction is the most reliable channel because the internship units have usually been appraised by the school on training quality and working environment. At HUFLIT, the Student Support & Enterprise Relations Centre regularly updates the list of reputable partner companies, creating a bridge between students and enterprises. At the same time the school also organises Internship Week, Career Fair and career activities to help students directly contact employers, improving internship opportunities suitable to their specialisation and career development.

In addition, you can make use of introductions from relatives and friends to directly approach employers, increasing the chance of being accepted. Furthermore, platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and reputable recruitment sites such as VietnamWorks, TopCV, CareerBuilder, Glints.

What you need to prepare for an internship not only stops at documents or professional knowledge but is also attitude, soft skills and psychological preparation. With the detailed guide above, hopefully you have a comprehensive picture of what to prepare for your upcoming internship. If you are looking for a quality training environment with a network of reputable partner enterprises, HUFLIT is always ready to accompany you on the journey to conquer your career dream.

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