Making the Most of Your Internship(s) 

By Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

Publisher, Quintzine

 

Career counselors, employers, and others have long touted the importance for college students to work one or more internships during their college years, and a recent study released by http://www.Vault.com shows that college students are listening: almost nine out of 10 (86 percent) college graduates reported completing at least one internship, and more than two-thirds (69 percent) reported completing two or more internships.

 

So, knowing that you will have one or more internships during college, what are the keys to making the most of your internship? What follows are the 12 keys to internship success. Follow these guidelines and you should be well on your way not only to a successful internship, but to a successful career.

 

1. Set Personal Goals. While some internships are very structured, others are not, so you need to spend some time before you start the internship setting goals that you want to accomplish. Maybe it's deciding on what area within marketing that you want to specialize, or learning new skills, or building your network. Whatever your goals, you will feel a greater sense of accomplishment once you achieve them. H int: Setting unrealistic goals could make even a good internship seem bad, so make sure your goals are realistic and attainable in your internship.

 

2. Have Regular Meetings with your Supervisor(s). Sound obvious? Well, maybe, but you may get a supervisor who never schedules meetings with you or travels quite a bit, so you have to make sure to have regular meetings where you can share experiences and lessons learned -- both good and bad -- as well as give progress reports. Hint: While you want to keep your supervisor abreast of your accomplishments, remember to also be a good listener and learn as much as you can during these meetings.

 

3. Tackle all Tasks with Enthusiasm and a Positive Attitude. In just about every company, the new hire/intern is going to have to “pay his or her dues.” You will undoubtedly be given some grunt work to do, such as making photocopies, but the key is to complete all your work assignments with the same level of enthusiasm and professionalism. Hint: You might also consider working extra hours (beyond the required number for the internship) to show your work ethic to your supervisor(s).

 

4. Avoid Negativity. The quickest way to kill a good internship is being negative. So, avoid complaining, being rude, disrespecting coworkers, arriving late, leaving early, being closed-minded, missing deadlines, appearing arrogant, wearing improper attire, acting unprofessionally, appearing inflexible, and taking part in office politics. Hint: A common mistake among interns and new hires is treating secretaries and clerks as being beneath them -- avoid this behavior at all costs.

 

5. Never Shun a Chance to Learn More About the Company/Industry. Take every opportunity to attend company or industry meetings, conferences, and events; participate in training workshops; and read all company materials. Hint: Meetings may appear (and actually be) boring to you, but they can often offer a good chance to increase your knowledge, network, and build relationships.

 

6. Get as Much Exposure as Possible. Some of the best internships rotate you among departments and supervisors, but if yours doesn't, don't let that stop you from tackling new tasks, meeting people outside your department, and attending company social events. The more you are exposed to new ideas and new people, the more you'll learn. Hint: Joining the company softball team (or other informal group) is a great opportunity to meet people in a relaxed and informal way.

 

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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