How to find a student job, an internship
or a company to write a thesis with
The idea of finding a relevant student job, an internship or a company to write a thesis with is often exciting, but certainly also challenging. Because how do you best deal with finding the right student job, the right internship or the right thesis collaboration that matches your qualifications and criteria? IDA’s career adviser, Sanne Mattebjerg, gives four suggestions.
Find the student job, internship or a thesis collaboration with a company on IDA Student Jobfinder – the job portal for STEM students – with selected postings that suit your expertise and needs.
1. Seek out the companies actively
Besides checking advertised positions, the first step in your search for a student job is to reach out to the companies, explains Sanne Mattebjerg and emphasizes the importance of active communication:
“Don’t just email the company and ask if there is an opening for you. Try calling them – practice beforehand if you are not used to calling. Tell them what you’re reading and why you want to work for them. Express your enthusiasm for what they do, and ask if they use student assistants in your subject area,” says Sanne Mattebjerg.
At the same time, it can also be easier to get a student job, as it is less costly for the company to hire a student assistant compared to, for example, a recent graduate.
“Companies are not as concerned if the collaboration does not work when they hire for a student job as when they hire for a full-time position, because with a student job there is a natural end after all. That way, it’s easier to get an in as a student, and then show what you can do,” explains Sanne Mattebjerg
She adds that it is important to remember that many student jobs are inherited. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep up to date on who’s doing what, and ask if they can tell you when they’re finished or when there’s an opening.
2. Be prepared to seize an opportunity when it arises
When an employer is looking for a student employee, they are often keen to fill the position as quickly as possible, explains Sanne Mattebjerg.
“Make it as easy as possible for the employer to see that you are an excellent candidate. Create a LinkedIn profile to have an online and accessible CV where your skills are clearly visible. It is important that you are not ‘snobbish’ about the skills you add,” she says and explains that if you have, for example, experience of overseeing a bar during happy hour or have a service-oriented background from a shop, then you should highlight it in both the application material and the interview.
3. Consider a student job and internship in the same company
As a student, you rarely have a broad overview of which companies exist within your area of interest. And at the same time, it can be difficult to get your foot in if you don’t know anyone from prospective companies. Therefore, it may be worth taking advantage of those you may already know.
“If you have a student job, but now need to do an internship or if you are an internship, but would like a student job when the internship is over, consider applying to the company you are already in,” advises Sanne Mattebjerg and continues; “It’s a great way to use everything you already know about the company to your advantage. But it requires you to take the first step, talk to your boss and say that you would like to continue and give an idea of what tasks you can solve. You can’t assume or wait for your boss to guess. The responsibility to set things in motion is yours.
4: Preparation is essential in relation to thesis collaboration
If you would like to write a thesis in collaboration with a company, the procedure is very similar to that for an internship. Identify topics or themes you’d like to explore and find out which companies match your interests. Something Sanne Mattebjerg recommends you prepare well for.
“Come up with one or two suggestions for collaboration opportunities and take responsibility. Say, ‘I’ve prepared thoroughly. I’d like to work on this topic, and here’s the benefit to you and what you can expect to get out of it. The more you have thought about it and can present your ideas, the better,” she says.
She emphasizes that it is also important to be open to the fact that the assignment may take an unexpected turn and this may mean that your thesis does not end that way well as you had hoped.
“Companies are not necessarily looking for those who succeed – and especially not those who succeed without knowing what the reason for the success is. They are actually looking for those who can recognize what they could have done differently in a not-quite-successful project. So instead of just letting the collaboration end when you hand in a thesis that failed to show the results you had hoped for, reflect on the matter. If you could go back and change it, what would you have done? What is the reason why you did not reach the goal? What have you become better prepared for the next time you have to do something similar. Because that is where you learn. It’s not a mistake, it’s experience.”
