Online Internships: Great opportunities in times of the pandemic

In times of the pandemic, it’s more important than ever to be empathetic and think about others. Countless organizations today are giving and donating as much as they can. What, or how can you donate if you are also experiencing some economic hardships? Well, there’s nothing better than to commit yourself and give your time (the most precious thing you possess!) towards helping others. Not only it will be very rewarding, but it will boost your career when the time comes for you to apply to your dream job. 

Volunteering offers the opportunity to develop career skills and to become more responsible for corporate life. Now, during the pandemic, it might be hard to accomplish your objective, especially if you wanted to volunteer abroad. But don’t let COVID-19 stop you: today, you can join an online volunteer program which can be carried out from the comfort of your home. 

Skills to survive online

Although the tasks to fulfill might seem the same as in face-to-face volunteer programs, in fact, there are some things to consider to succeed in the virtual world. Let’s take a look at some of them to make sure you survive (and enjoy!) your virtual volunteer program!

Be organized

One of the advantages of doing online internships or volunteer programs is that you don’t have to leave your home to participate. This is very comfortable (and safe, in times of the pandemic!) but it can also be very dangerous. It’’s quite easy to forget you are in your workplace and not only in your room (or even your bed!). You may end up getting up very late and struggling to achieve your deadlines, even compromising the quality of your work. 

So, be organized: 

• Look for a comfortable place to work from. 
• Set yourself a schedule so you don’t end up designing a logo at 2 AM. 
• Why not use one of the many tools available online that can make your professional life a lot easier? And this takes us to the next point… 

Learn Something New

Working online is all about learning new things. Now that you don’t have a physical office or place to go to work, you’ll need tools to carry out your tasks, namely: 

• Tools to communicate with your manager. Emails can be great but, at times, something urgent may occur that requires more effective communication (and Whatsapp is not very professional, is it?). Zoom, Skype, Blue Jeans... There are dozens of tools out there. Learn how to use them and adapt!
• Task management tools. Are you a content writer who gets his tasks assigned via email and makes a mess with his deadlines? That will not happen to you anymore if you use management tools like Trello, Airtable, or Asana. These platforms are very visual and have hundreds of functionalities so you never miss a thing of what’s going on with the company. 

All in all, enrolling in an online volunteer program is not just a way to enhance your CV and acquire new skills, but also a rewarding experience and a way to help others during this health crisis. An online internship will not take a lot of your time as they are very convenient (and rewarding!). Are you ready to get started with a new project that can transform your personal and professional life?