More than 4,000 positions open to NUS students at Internship Day 2022
A palpable buzz filled the NUS Sports Hall on 14 September, as enthusiastic students from across the campus turned up for the NUS Internship Day 2022, organised by the NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG). With the fair held virtually for the past two years, this year marked the first time since 2019 that students were able to experience the excitement of a physical Internship Day, and engage with potential employers in person.
At this year’s Internship Day, an impressive 4,000 internship openings across diverse sectors and industries were made available to NUS students via NUS TalentConnect. The number of internships undertaken by NUS students continues to increase each year, underscoring the important role of internships in equipping students for their future careers. In Academic Year 2021/22, NUS-facilitated internships crossed 10,000 for the first time, marking an important milestone.
“Building documented work experience is a critical contributor to the success of our graduates in securing their first jobs before graduation, and therefore the importance of internships cannot be understated,” said Ms Joan Tay, Director of CFG.
“The strong support for Internship Day from employers, and the tremendous internship opportunities made available, demonstrate the confidence that employers have – not only in the growth trajectories of their businesses, but also in the talents and potential of NUS students,” she added.
As excited students thronged the booths to speak to company representatives, many shared that they found the in-person networking opportunities meaningful, and expressed their appreciation for the chance to find out more about different industry sectors and internship roles in one place.
“I think face-to-face interaction brings out the human touch. The diversity of companies is good, this helps me to explore more internship and future full-time career options,” said Keon Shum, a third-year College of Design and Engineering student.
Business Administration undergraduate Mavis Thia echoed his sentiments, adding that being able to speak to the company representatives in person enabled her to find out more about the suitability of internship roles, as well as practical information relating to application periods and procedures.
Mr Shawn Tan, APAC Early Careers representative from popular video hosting service TikTok, referred to the Internship Day experience as “refreshing”, as he recalled the NUS Career Fest held earlier in 2022 where he met many NUS students, albeit with COVID-19 restrictions still in place.
“At TikTok, we do offer many internship positions, and this is definitely a great opportunity for us to come to campus and interact with students face-to-face, and connect with them on a personal level to bridge them to the opportunities available,” he added.
One-stop career services for one and all
In addition to networking with potential employers at booths set up by more than 80 companies from various industries, including finance, information technology, media, pharmaceutical sciences, and the public sector, the fair also offered a plethora of other career-related activities.
CFG Career advisors shared practical tips and advice to help students perfect their elevator pitches, and how to prepare for an internship or interview. With global travel restrictions easing, student also checked out overseas internship opportunities at the #ReadytoGoGlobal gallery and scored a complimentary professional headshot at the #ReadytoSmile photo booth.
Since the launch of NUS Internship-As-A-Service (NUS IAAS) in January this year, students now have an additional option to explore internship opportunities outside of structured internship programmes. With NUS IAAS, students can continue to build and expand their skillsets through short-stint projects with employers any time during the academic year, and have these work experiences recognised as internships. This means that students are not only able to work on exciting projects with local and overseas companies, but can also complete multiple internships throughout their studies, thus enhancing their employability.
In the coming months, NUS students can look forward to more physical career fairs organised by CFG, with the Postgraduate Career Fair taking place on 12 October, and the College of Design and Engineering (CDE) Career Fair, jointly organised with CDE, taking place on 27 and 28 October.
More information on career resources and upcoming events is available here.
By NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates
