Doing an internship alongside or after an MBA is much more likely to land you a job offer, according to a new U.S study.
The poll by MBACareers.com found that almost nine out of 10 (88 per cent) of interns were offered a position following their internship and reported it also led to finding mentors and critical networking contacts that helped them in their future careers.
In the U.S MBA students tend to be younger than in the UK and Europe and, with less management experience under their belts, an internship can be a valuable and necessary addition to the CV or resume.
"Increasingly, an MBA internship has become the ticket to a job making an internship at the best firms and top corporations extremely competitive," said JillXan Donnelly, president of MBACareers.com.
"The survey is clear – get the internship, apply yourself and nine out of ten interns will get a job offer for a permanent position," she added.
The poll equally attracted women and men MBAs who offered different perspectives about the networking and mentoring relationships developed during their internship experience.
Of the 89 per cent who stated they created networking contacts that helped them in their career path, more than two-thirds were male.
More than three quarters of the women MBAs responded that they created a formal mentor relationship from their internship, whereas only 24 per cent of males secured mentors.
Even though many of the MBAs had previous solid business experience, an internship provided an opportunity to change industries, obtain relevant work experience and make connections in their post MBA industry of choice, the poll added.
The top ten essential career skills learned during the internship were: professionalism, getting the inside "scoop" about the firm, making networking contacts within the firm and industry, navigating company politics, learning how to make the best impact, learning which types of jobs were appealing, understanding which departments were most respected, making contact with other interns and recent hires and creating mentoring relationships.
