#CareerBytes: How to apply for an internship at IIMs?
What's the story
The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are the most sought-after business schools in the country that provide quality management education at postgraduate, doctoral, and executive levels. The prestigious IIMs also offer internship opportunities for college students that can be a career-defining opportunity. These internships not only offer a good learning experience but can also enhance their resumes. Here's how to apply for IIM internships.
Step #1
First, decide what type of work you want to do
The internship application procedure remains the same for most IIMs. Before applying for internships, interested students must first decide what type of work they wish to do during their internship. They should also have a clear idea about which field they want to intern in. Next, they must shortlist some IIMs depending on the type of internships offered, facilities, campus functionality, location, etc.
Step #2
Visit the faculty page of the IIM of your choice
Next, students should visit the faculty pages of the IIMs of their choice to find or shortlist professors, under whom they want to intern. At IIMs, each department would have a number of faculty members. So, while shortlisting professors, students must keep their career/research interests in mind. The faculty members they shortlist should have areas of interest that overlap with the candidate's interests.
Step #3
It is essential to do proper research before shortlisting
Before shortlisting professors, one must do proper research to find out about their fields of interest, projects and publications, and what they are currently working on. They can also get in touch with students/interns working with the professors for more details. Students must send an application only if their idea of internship/work resonates with whatever the professor is working on.
Step #4
Next, send an internship application to the shortlisted professors
After shortlisting the IIM professors they want to work with, candidates should send their internship applications to them via email. They can find the email addresses of the professors on their respective IIM faculty pages. Students should send a cover letter, along with details about their areas of interest, expertise if any, their internship resume, and other details to the professors.
Step #5
Send internship applications to at least 2 or 3 professors
Students should send internship applications to 2-3 professors as there is no guarantee that their application will get selected in the first go. They should have some options even if their application is rejected by one professor. They will usually hear from the professor(s) if their application is selected; if they don't hear after 2-3 weeks, they can follow up with the concerned professor.