10 Reasons Why Unpaid Internships Are Equally Important

10 Reasons Why Unpaid Internships Are Equally Important

In the toss-up between paid or unpaid relationships, paid internships usually win out for a number of reasons. One main reason is that not everyone can afford an unpaid internship. Another reason is that most people look at money as the only form of compensation. Here’s why unpaid internships are equally important and good.

1. Good Branding

An unpaid internship usually offers good branding, by showcasing you as a young professional, rather than as a per-hour intern. Looking good on paper helps boost your confidence and your ability to succeed.

2. Your Dedication Shows

When you take an unpaid internship, you’re pretty much declaring that you’re doing it for the training and the experience, and not for the money. Your employer gets to appreciate your dedication and attitude, which means doors open for you in terms of opportunities.

3. Unpaid Internships Are Actually Apprenticeships

You have the opportunity to become truly skilled in specific areas within your industry when you take up an unpaid internship. Since the company doesn’t pay you, by law it’s required to offer you more training hours and fewer work hours. You get to benefit in terms of training and experience.

4. Higher Chance Of Securing Good References

You can add some really good work experience to my resume, and also ask for good references when you leave. If you’ve done your job well, and demonstrated the right kind of professionalism, your superiors will have no issue writing letters of reference for you. It’s the least they can do.

5. There Are Plenty Of Valuable Perks To Be Had

Unpaid internships pay in kind, via connections, references, work experience and so on. Among tangible benefits, you can ask for transport allowance or use of company transport, college credit, housing assistance, library memberships, and access to important resources and so on.

6. You Can Ask For Flexible Schedules

Since they’re not paying you, they cannot ask you to do a 9 to 5 and 60 hours a week. Most unpaid internships offer flexible schedules. This allows you to deploy your time the way it works for you, and perhaps get a part time job on the side.

7. You Can Demand Substantial Work

They are not paying you, and you’re doing them a favor by working for free. So feel free to ask for substantial work, serious responsibilities and participation in good projects. As long as you can prove you’re capable, they shouldn’t refuse you.

8. You Have The Chance To Work On Serious Projects

Nonprofit organizations usually offer unpaid internships because they are strapped for resources. However, the plus side here is that at times they depend on interns to manage projects. Intern or employee, everyone is required to pitch in and do what they can. You will gain a lot of valuable, relevant experience this way.

9. You Will Get Greater Work Exposure

Companies that offer unpaid internships are usually non-profits and small businesses. These companies have diverse creative interests, as they are not limited by large-scale corporate policies. A single team will be working on multiple diverse projects, which means you can get a varied experience to add to your resume.

10. You Can Choose To Terminate Ahead Of Time

In a paid internship, you’ll have to toe the line for longer, because in most cases they’ll ask you to sign an offer for a fixed period. Unpaid internships are not entirely legal, and there will be no hold on you. This doesn’t mean you can come and go as you please. However, if you need to take a break to do another job, or perhaps want long leave to tend a sick parent, you can avail it.

Rabby works for Tictwo.com, a company that conducts orientation classes for interns in China, including mandarin coaching, training in cooking Chinese cuisine and exposure to Chinese culture.

Did you Lose Focus?

Did you lose focus last year?  Did you lose focus for the beginning of the year?  Have you not quite gotten the goals, resolutions, whatever it is you call them together?  Here’s how you get back on track with focus:  What I mean by losing focus is:  Have you lost focus on what you should be looking at in terms of your business?  Sometimes, we’re looking at small details and we’re not looking at the big picture.  We’ve lost focus and can’t make progress.  Sometimes, we’re looking at the big picture and never put actual action steps into place.  Again, we can’t make progress with losing focus in that way.  That’s what I mean by losing focus.  And you know if you’re losing focus if you’re losing steam and you’re not making progress.  Losing focus could be not focusing on who you should be focused on.  Sometimes, we have so many employee problems and issues; we’re no longer focused on our clients.  Sometimes, we’re so involved with clients and bad clients and client issues; we’re not focused enough on our employees to make it an environment where they can produce the best for us for what we’re paying.

It’s about where you focus.  Which areas of your business need the most improving?  It’s a lot of fun to work on the things that you’re really good at.  It’s not fun to work on the things that you’re not good at.  So, you’ve got to focus where focus needs to be put.  The things that you’re good at, you’re naturally doing.  You don’t have to focus harder on those.  You do need to make sure those other areas are covered and then what you could do is move forward in the areas that you’re good at because you can make fast acceleration in that area.

When?  The timing is important on what you’re doing.  You can’t just look at industry standards and say, “This is how I’m going to do it”.  What’s the timing for your tribe?  Your particular tribe may like to do things on Saturday’s.  That means that you’ve got to be there for them on Saturday’s.  Your particular tribe might like to do the things at a certain time of day.  You’ve got to make sure that you’re there a certain time of day.  If they check their e-mail on their lunch hour, then you want to be in the e-mail box during the lunch hour.  So timing is really, really important.

Did you lose focus on your why?  They always say “You’ve got to know your why in order to really create something big”.  And that’s true.  You do have to know your why, but for most of us, the why is, we’re doing this so we can make a living and make some money especially the recession.  That’s the recession why.  Just so we can make some money.  What you have to do is you really need to look at the why for your client.  That’s the focus I like to get.  Why would your client want to business?  What do you have that’s so special that they can’t get some place else?  If you’re a commodity and you’re going on low price, then they can buy what you do or sell anywhere, but if you’re something special and unique, then they know that they can only come to you.

So those are the places that, in 2013, you need to focus on.  Here’s your in-depth how-to do this:  Check out where your business is in terms of what, who, why, where and when.  Write it down.  Look at what’s weak.  Assess what’s strong.  Hire in the areas that you’re weak.  Bring someone in.  Bring a partner in.  Bring an employee in.  Bring someone in that can help booster your weak areas and then turbo charge the areas you’re already strong in.  That’s the go-big part.  The stuff that you’re good at, continue to show people that you are just kick-butt good at it and move forward.

Losing focus doesn’t have to go on forever and ever and ever and ever and it doesn’t take a psychological change.  It just means you need to focus a little bit more clearly on your business to get what you should get out of it, which is a thriving business that makes you money.

Your turn, comment below if you lost focus ( or not)

The 9 Core Competencies of Business for Active Duty, Veterans and Military Spouses

By Deanna Wharwood

Today’s post is about the 9 Core Competencies of Business.  The 9 Core Competencies of Business is what we teach in our Essentials of Entrepreneurship Program for Veterans and Military Spouses at Capital Business Consulting and Coaching.  So, please allow me to introduce to you these concepts:

Core Competency #1:   Entrepreneurial Thinking.

Entrepreneurial thinking is having the ability to see the opportunities in front of you.  For example, I was listening to my father consult with a young man in Illinois regarding starting gun range and small firearms customizing store.  My father explained how in light of the recent change in the laws in Illinois, the young man’s venture should be very profitable.  The young man couldn’t see why the venture would be profitable stating “the farmers just let everyone practice in their fields.”  My father reminded him of the new law, “permission to carry of a firearm concealed” and the fact that, historically, in states that pass this law, the purchase of firearms goes up and the need for qualified trainers increases exponentially.  Needless to say, the young man, a former Army sniper, has begun his business and has been profitable in less than 3 months.  However, at first, he couldn’t even see the opportunity.

Core Competency #2:  Business Visioning

Business Visioning is having the ability to accurately assess your business idea and what it will take to bring your product or service to the market that would be most willing to buy it.

Core Competency #3:  Business Planning

Business planning is formalizing and solidifying your concept on paper.  With the business plan we create the foundation and the framework for the business.

Core Competency #4:  Marketing Your Business

There is a ton of information about marketing on the Internet so; I won’t go into it “ad nauseum” here.  I’ll just say that marketing is merely figuring out how you are going to let your potential customers know that you are in business.

Core Competency #5:  Salesmanship

Oh, the dreaded “S” word!  We’re all in the sales business.  The old adage is true:   “Nothing happens in the world until a sale is made.”   Here at Capital Business Consulting and Coaching, we teach our customers how to “coach the sale.”  No one feels “slimy” if you use our process.

Core Competency #6:  Managing Your Operations

Managing your operations is essentially how you are going to produce and deliver your product or service and deliver it to your customer.  Finally, ensuring that the people you need to pay have been paid.    Operations can be as simple or as complex as you need them to be, however, most businesses try to streamline operations to maximize profit.

Core Competency #7:  Managing Your Mindset

We train our clients on a multitude of subjects to include:   time management, life management, wealth management, self- management and energy management strategies that catapult you to your personal best and your business to the top of the market.

Core Competency #8:  Managing Your Team

The term “self-made millionaire” is a misnomer.  There is no such a thing as a “self-made millionaire.”  It always takes a team.  How you choose to manage your team of independent contractors, employees and consultants is fundamental to your success.

Core Competency #9:  Shifting from Business Doer to Business Owner

This is the final section where we show you that your “baby” is really an asset, an appreciating asset that with a little skill, a little money and some sweat equity, you can turn this asset into cash and execute the exit strategy, either by growing the business, selling the business or entering the entrepreneurial lifestyle.

So, there they are, the 9 Core Competencies of Business.  As you can see, the concepts are super simple and we teach the actions that go along with these concepts to our clients.  From the Army to the Air Force, from the USPHS to NOAA, the staff at Capital Business Consulting and Coaching wishes all of our Military Family Members a Happy, Safe and Prosperous 2013.

http://deannawharwood.com/blog

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