Internships can paint a good picture of a job before you commit, writes Jim Bright.

Matt is a computer programmer who wants to know whether he should work for free. He writes, "I have been working for four years in a developer role but am now looking to break into the niche field of computer forensics."

"I have had a few interviews and come close on a few occasions, getting to the second round, but the key factor seems to be my lack of experience in the forensics field."

"Aside from the general technical experience I have gained working in IT, the only relevant experience I have is a course in computer forensics I did at university, which is now four years old."

"I have been considering proposing to employers the possibility of hiring me in a short-term internship in order to get some experience and hopefully also to demonstrate some commitment to a career in forensics."

"Is it appropriate to contact a manager with such a proposition, even if they hadn't indicated such a role was available or an option for them? The last thing I want to do is put forward a poor or unprofessional image to potential employers."

The short answer is, yes, it is a good idea and, no, most employers will not interpret it as unprofessional. One of the best ways of making a career transition is to get some experience in your desired field before fully committing to it. This benefits Matt in that he gets the experience he has been told he lacks.

For others who may be less certain of the path they want to follow, it gives them a more in-depth appreciation of what it would be like to work in a chosen industry.

Either way, the result of doing a short internship has many positive outcomes.

It is ironic that Matt is concerned about looking unprofessional, because in just about every profession, people undertake unpaid, or lowly paid placements in order to get field experience, so what Matt is proposing is actually to do something quite normal for a professional.

Matt is in a lucky position (presumably) that he can afford a period without a regular income. This can be a barrier for many people considering using the internship approach and is another positive for him.

For internships like this to be successful, it is important that a clear time limit is placed on the experience. Leaving things open-ended is a recipe for exploitation of Matt, or difficulties for the sponsoring firm if he leaves in the middle of a project that he has become an integral part of.

Having a clear end-date is important for both parties. It is also good practice for Matt to suggest review points during the placement - early on, say after the first day or week, and then perhaps halfway.

The idea is to have established a mechanism whereby the sponsoring organisation has a clean and easy way to give feedback or to terminate the internship if it is not working out. It provides confidence for both parties that the whole thing can be managed properly.

When approaching potential employers, it is a good idea to be able to paint a picture of how the process will work and how you can fit in.

The more that Matt can provide this thinking and vision, the less the decision depends upon the employer spending time and using their imagination to work out what Matt could do. For many employers this is a big hurdle, because they feel they haven't the time to work out how to fit Matt in.

I am a big fan of internships and know from my own experience how often they can lead to jobs and how much employers ultimately like and benefit from them.

Jim Bright is professor of career education and development at ACU and a partner at Bright and Associates, a career management consultancy. Email marked clearly "FOR PUBLICATION" to brightside@jimbright.com.