Voluntary internship or mandatory internship: what may sound like a daunting challenge to first‑year students usually proves to be a stroke of luck in retrospect.
Read on to learn why WHU attaches great importance to internships and how we help our students transform an obligation into a highlight.
Internship during your studies at WHU: Turning a requirement into an opportunity
What is an internship and why is it important?
An internship is intended to acquire or deepen professional knowledge. It helps you find your bearings and reassess your career goals.
- Formally, a distinction is made between voluntary and mandatory internships. Voluntary internships are often used to bridge waiting periods, for example, between graduating from school and starting university. A mandatory internship can be part of a degree program's admission requirements and complement the theoretical instruction of academic studies.
- By law, interns are defined as persons whose activity “serves the acquisition of professional skills, knowledge or experience, but does not constitute vocational training within the meaning of the German Vocational Training Act (BBiG).” Interns are, therefore, not employees in the traditional sense; they take on clearly defined tasks for a limited period and either work under the guidance of their supervisors or act independently, depending on the type of internship.
- Internships allow students to clarify their career direction, gain experience, build networks and specialize according to their abilities. In short, a professional internship can optimize your study experience and pave the way for a successful career.
- Companies also benefit from interns who bring fresh ideas, up‑to‑date expertise, and their own questions. For organizations that need well‑trained executives, offering internship positions is an ideal way to train and recruit young talent.
- Through the Handshake job database at WHU, students can find suitable internship offers, while companies can specifically search for promising junior staff.
At WHU, internships are integrated into the bachelor’s and master’s programs, making it easy to find the experience you need. Our Career Center supports you in finding one that matches your interests and goals.
Applying successfully for an internship
Cover letter and résumé
Writing a cover letter is often a special challenge: striking the right tone and arousing the recruiters’ interest.
- Outdated phrases such as “With reference to your advertisement of …” are quickly discarded, as is an over‑casual “Hi, I’d just like to check out my chances with you.”
- Instead, use concise, well‑structured language, and show that you are familiar with the company and its culture.
- Your résumé (or Curriculum Vitae) should also be coherent and clearly structured. Concentrate on relevant qualifications and experience that underline your suitability for the position.
Confident in the interview
Do you want to streamline your course of study, or are you facing your first mandatory internship?
- Through the WHU Career Service, job fairs, founder days, career events, and our internal database, you have many opportunities for targeted preparation,making the right contacts, or finding your dream company.
- The WHU Career Center offers our students hands‑on support, such as detailed feedback on your application documents, or tips on overcoming nerves before an interview.
Support from the WHU Career Center
Your cover letter, résumé, and supporting documents form the basis of your application. But content alone is not enough—layout and tone are equally decisive for success.
- WHU offers students targeted support in preparing professional applications and getting ready for interviews.
- We provide internship reports and best‑practice guides from previous graduates.
- We actively assist you in your search for an appropriate internship – through one‑to‑one counseling, tailored training, and a wealth of resources for orientation and research.
Find out more about what the WHU Career Service has to offer
Interested in gaining experience abroad?
Get valuable information here!
Get valuable information here!
Networking made easy: how to build contacts for life
An internship is not only a chance to advance your professional and personal development, it is also a powerful way to build a network. To ensure that these contacts last beyond the internship, it makes sense to familiarize yourself early with the benefits of intensive networking during your studies.
Opportunities to expand your network:
- WHU students are used to working in teams and networking actively. There are plenty of opportunities—at events, in seminars, in the alumni network, at career fairs, or forums.
- In addition, use online platforms to build professional contacts, form small groups to pursue common goals, or sign up for our training courses so that study and practical experience combine into your personal career springboard.
This will help you stay in touch after your internship:
Organizing your placement might cost you time and money. You can maximize the return on this investment by consciously using the internship to boost your career prospects after graduation.
- One option is to stay in touch with your mentors and colleagues even after the internship, e.g., via LinkedIn.
- WHU offers special training courses in which you learn how to create and maintain an effective LinkedIn profile.
Our Career Center is happy to support WHU students in developing their networking strategies and putting them into practice.
Career springboard internship: how to get the most out of it
Imagine you lead a successful company and need to fill a vacancy. You have to choose between two candidates with equally outstanding degrees. One has already gained practical experience relevant to your company through internships. Who would you choose?
The answer seems obvious. No one likes to risk entrusting an important position to a candidate without work experience. This also means every successfully completed internship can become a decisive advantage for your career—provided it is chosen and planned wisely.
Further development during the internship
Internships generally aim to develop and deepen professional, personal, and cultural skills.
But what personal goals do you associate with them? Which experiences, contacts, and skills can you expand by taking on a particular position? The earlier you build such questions into your choice of internship, the more benefit you will derive from it.
Remember: your commitment also determines how successful the internship will be. Ask yourself what you can do to achieve your goals, and seek honest feedback regularly so that you can learn and make the most of your internship.
Takeover opportunities and recommendations
Whether a bachelor’s, master’s or MBA, a successfully completed internship multiplies your career prospects.
If you apply for a job after obtaining your bachelor’s degree you can point to practical experience and document it with corresponding certificates and references.
If you write your master’s thesis in cooperation with a company, you may already have a job offer in prospect. Perhaps your dream company is already waiting in the WHU database?
Whether pre‑study placement, accompanying internship, or master’s internship,the close intertwining of theory and practice at WHU and the strong network of partners and supporters offer you ideal career prospects.
Experience reports and networks
Useful links
Useful links