HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR INTERNSHIP
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There are mainly two kinds of internships: one is the kind of internship where the intern hopes that it will turn into a permanent job, and there is the type of internship where the intern is there to help the organization and to get experience and strengthen his skill set. Approximately 75% of college students, at some point, do an internship. This familiarity can be extremely important, providing young workers the prospect of building skills for their resumes and meeting people who are working in their chosen industry. Increasingly, internships are the likeliest route to full-time employment and are even offered year-round rather than only during summer months. Nevertheless they can also be complicated adjustments for young people who have little to no experience in professional offices. It can be hard for someone to stand out and make the right impression during a three-month stint spent adapting to such a new environment. This article aims at providing interns with information about what they need to know, how to impress those they work for, and secure a job recommendation or full-time offer in such a brief period of time.
Start with relentless punctuality
The intern should show up on time or early in the morning, arrive for meetings before they begin, and complete tasks by their deadlines. Punctuality is consistently listed as a critical success factor. It is essential to always be on time. Summer internships are for a short, defined period of time, so interns should give it 100%. They should be willing to get to the office early and stay late. As an intern, he is both, a visitor in a new surrounding and a coworker on whom others must depend and must therefore; make sure that he respects those contemporaries by being on time.Complete each task with excellence
Whether an assignment is unexciting or striking, the intern should practice it with persistent force and the willpower to go beyond. If he is asked to make coffee, then he should make the best coffee his colleagues have ever had. If she is asked to make an Excel model, she should over-invest her time and effort in assuring that it is right, aesthetically appealing, and thorough. The intern should finish the assignment or project with excellence; anything else done is a bonus, but it is important to start with the assignment given. Even if the project seems small or unimportant, the intern should not give in to the temptation to complete it with anything less than their best, and should not decline a project just because it does not hold their interest. Repeated, enthusiastic, and excellent delivery of assigned tasks is the building block upon which everything else in the internship will rest.Take on more work — without being asked
The intern should take on new and important work, assignments others do not want to do, or projects that are required but not yet clearly defined. When the intern sees something they can do, then they should take an active interest in it and do it. The intern should deliver what no one is expecting; or what no one else is willing to do; and the intern will not only be appreciated, but also remembered.Be resourceful
Research a topic thoroughly before asking a full-time colleague or manager for help, and take the time to reflect and the intern should come up with their own insight or solution before consulting others when they uncover a problem. They should look for the resources they need on the internal websites or ask other interns before asking their coach. It is a mistake to ask too many questions that show that the intern didn’t even try to look for the answer their self. It is critical that the colleagues view the intern as someone who is resourceful and independent enough to bring something new to the table instead of just stopping every time there is a bump in the road.Ask questions — good ones
The hallmark of an intellectually curious, diligent colleague is the quality of his or her questions. Experts often recommend interns to spend some time formulating the right questions. Interns should think in advance of questions to ask. If the intern is meeting with a peer or superior, then he/she should think of thoughtful questions to ask which will then demonstrate that they have prepared for the meeting and respect their superiors’ time. If the intern is in a meeting with senior colleagues, he/she should think less about their answers to questions and more about what he/she see is missing; the questions no one else is asking. When they hear someone ask a great, conversation-altering question, the intern should write it down and reflect on what made it so special. And, as a rule of thumb, they should make sure to ask one or more authentic questions in every meeting they attend. Following this advice will hone their ability to ask questions that lead to real insight and will ingrain in them the essential habit of intellectual curiosity.Build professional relationships
Internships generally last only a few months, and in that perspective, it is easy to either focus exclusively on the work or to make acquaintances only with the other interns working around. Nevertheless forming expansive, profound relationships within the team and throughout the organization can help the intern handle his existing responsibilities while also boosting individual growth. He will also make himself more memorable to those around him and create a network of contacts to reach out to when he is ready to find his next job. The intern should invite colleagues to lunch, ask them questions in informational interviews, offer to help where he can, observe the great relationship-builders in the firm and learn from them. Internships are hard work. And doing only what’s expected isn’t enough to be noticed. The intern needs to go above and beyond, from arriving on time to doing exemplary work, and make the most of his time in the organization.Learn what kind of job will make you happy
Happiness is defined as the enjoyment of the pursuit of our potential. Having different experiences and learning from others allows people to find out what characteristics and values in are aligned with their personal happiness. In other words, an internship allows the intern to dip his toe in the water of an industry he thinks he wants to work in. He will find out if he really does love it before making a huge commitment.Increase your situational knowledge
Anytime we are able to have hands-on experience, understand and increase our situational knowledge, we should take advantage. Interns get to learn the innermost workings of an industry and see personally how things are done in the actuality of day-to-day business. An internship will give the intern a chance to pull back the curtain on his dream job and see how it all truly works.Add tools to your tool-belt
An intern should combine skills, information, and desire to create successful habits that make his achievements in his chosen industry. These skills and knowledge are attributed to hands-on experience. The intern does not just get to see what tools are needed to succeed, but actually, learn and develop his own “tool belt”.Expand your relationship capital
Personal relationships and building those bonds are opportunities to put their effort in the forefront. By being at service as an intern, he not only enhance a company but he also gets the opportunity to show just how impactful he can be.Dont pay the Dummy Tax
An intern is allowed to make mistakes or witness others’ mistakes and learn from them. At any company, there are mentors who will be willing to teach the intern about the dummy tax they’ve already paid. The intern should learn from other peoples mistakes and missteps to accelerate his pursuit of success in the professional world. He should ask important questions regarding the type of the internship; and ask himself that what he is expecting to gain from his internship. This is a very vital question to ask oneself before he goes in for the job.Get noticed – the right way
It’s crucial that to get noticed as an intern. At most, the intern will get a job offer. At least, the intern can walk out of there with a few referrals, a network and some letters of recommendation. That said, the intern should want to be observed for the correct reasons - being a hard worker, taking an initiative, completing tasks swiftly and proficiently.Ask for honest feedback
If the intern is not hired on for a full-time job and he anticipated that he would be, then he should not be afraid to ask for productive criticism. There are likely reasons why he failed to impress and it is important that to know these issues so that they can be improved upon. Even if the intern does get a job offer, it never hurts to ask if there are any areas that can improved upon. Before jumping head-first into the pool of critical warfare, he should make sure to prepare himself for some realistic pointers and analysis.Three takeaway tips to remember:
- If the intern is doing the type of internship where he expects to be hired by a global institution, then it is typical to wait until two weeks before the end of the placement to ask about a job. If they want the intern badly enough, they will make an offer, anyway.
- When looking for an internship, the intern should not be scared to cold-call companies. It is estimated that 70 percent of jobs are found through networking.
- The intern should not be pressured to sign a contract. Many larger companies will ask the intern to sign off on an offer within a week or two. If the intern does not feel that it is the natural fit, then he/she must not hesitate to shop around for a position that feels right.