avoid mistakes or costly delays in completing your tasks. As an intern, you are not expected to understand fully everything you are asked to do on the first try.

 

Here are some general Do's that, if followed, can significantly improve your chances for intern success.

 

Do be an enthusiastic and active learner. Try to make a learning experience out of even the most mundane jobs. Are you sorting and distributing mail? See if you can learn who the most frequent correspondents are, and what their interaction is with your organization. If you are doing a lot of photocopying, try to absorb the knowledge contained in the originals. Elena Mayberry, an intern coordinator at the Smithsonian and former intern herself, suggests that what distinguishes a great intern from a mediocre one is what she calls “intellectual sparkle.” This is “a desire to learn, a curiosity about a lot of things, and an enthusiasm for what you do.”

 

Do give your internship some time to develop before concluding there are problems. Students often feel unfulfilled on the job once the orientation or training is over, but before they have a chance to work up to more challenging tasks and projects. How you handle this lull is crucial to your overall internship experience. If you maintain an eagerness to do a good job with even the most mundane tasks, better work should follow.

 

Do seek out opportunities to create your own projects. As you complete the routine tasks look for where improvements can be made. Is the filing system a disaster? Are boxes of unrecorded data lying on the storage room floor? Instead of just coping with these problems, savvy interns take it upon themselves to fix them. Be sure to seek permission before you start. Such projects are also a good way to show that you are indispensable to the organization.

 

Do go the ‘extra mile' at times to demonstrate your willingness to pitch in and be a team player. Are there certain ‘crunch times' in your office? How you act during these periods is crucial. Instead of always dropping your work and leaving right at 5 p.m. , it may be better to finish that day's project or pitch in to help others finish theirs. Steve Selby, senior vice-president at a Washington political communications firm, looks for interns who can meet the challenges of working in a fast-paced office. According to Selby: “The kind of people we like to hire are those who show some initiative and extra hustle. When it comes to hiring those interns stand out in our minds.”

 

Do actively develop working relationships with supervisors and co-workers to maximize your chances of gaining a mentor. Having one or more “mentors” can be an invaluable resource for career advancement. Mentors are more senior staff and supervisors who take a special interest in your career aspirations and progress. If you listen closely to successful people when they discuss their career histories, a mentor invariably shows up at their critical periods of advancement.

 

Do actively share your career aspirations with supervisors and co-workers. This suggestion relates closely to the last. While you know what your immediate and long-term goals are, others don't, unless you tell them. At appropriate times you should make your intentions and aspirations clear. This provides those who want to help you the information they need to help in the right way.

 

Do be open to learning from people whose backgrounds or education levels are different from yours. An under-appreciated value of internships is that they can expose you to people with different backgrounds and life philosophies than your own. Just because someone didn't go to college doesn't mean he or she doesn't have valuable knowledge or wisdom to impart. Sometimes you can learn more from lower placed staff than your supervisors. Try to meet and talk with as many people as you can, from all backgrounds and job positions. Listen carefully to what they say, and learn from them.

 

Joel Clark is assistant professor of government and co-director of internships at George Mason University, and director of Michigan State University 's Washington Semester program. Professor Clark's book, Intern to Success, was published in 2002 by Houghton Mifflin. His internship tips are also featured in Peterson's Internships (2003). For more advice on internships visit http://www.InternSuccess.com .

 

The above is an excerpt from The Last Job Search Guide You'll Ever Need: How to Find and Get the Job or Internship of Your Dreams, which is available for sale for $19.85 in our bookstore or $27.00 at Amazon.com but for free to those who subscriber to our free career newsletter. This hot new book contains job search secrets of the most experienced, most knowledgeable and most respected career experts. Learn career planning, job hunting tools and tactics, interviewing, cover letter and resume writing (lots of samples!), networking, and how to find an internship. Written by 149 career experts. To receive a free copy, subscribe to our free career newsletter.

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