By Sophia Demetriades
An internship can be many things depending on the intern. It can be a leap year to take a break for studies, it can be the pathway to a new career, it can be language training, it can be to expand on industry specific studies, it can be a working holiday or it can be a an easy way to convince your parents to let you go overseas.
In order to make the most of your internship, and to justify the time you spend interning, you must realize that the entire process is essentially an extended interview for a full-time position be it in the interning company or somewhere else. You never know who your supervisor or coordinator may know and what they say about you t others, so make sure you are polite, enthusiastic and interested. But most importantly, you should have fun while you learn and meet new people.
DIA and all supervisors provide all interns with references of the internship and a Certificate of Achievement.
You may have been hired as an intern on a temporary basis so that the employer can test your performance in the real world. If you impress them, you have a good chance of getting that full-time job or a referral to another company. Don’t stress out about your internship and spend hours working over-time or completing tasks in a rush. Quality work is always better than speediness (although you should meet deadlines), and a tired intern is an intern out of focus who easily make mistakes. Relax, enjoy, pay attention and communicate with your internship coordinator, your supervisor and other people around you.
Key points to go from internship to job:
1. Take It Seriously Most internships are designed for students between school years or for leap years. Don’t fall into the “summer break” trap. The best thing to do is to treat your internship like a full-time job. Show up to work on time (or early), and work smart (or hard). Accepting responsibility of the position and your life, take control of yourself and show your supervisor / boss that you are serious about working at the firm on a long-term basis or that you are a valuable future employee.
2. Impress Your Boss
Taking your internship seriously will help you do well, and impressing your boss will help you transform that “Good Job” into a “You’re Hired”. In a reasonable and well though through way, go out of your way to volunteer for certain projects and responsibilities, and always finish your projects early or on time. Do not meet expectations—surpass them.Under promise – over deliver. Look around at what other do, do that, and then add some. Don’t suck up, it is annoying and will turn others against you, Fake is uncool.
3. Show Interest
Showing that you are truly interested in the position, company, and industry is exactly what the employer is looking for. Imagine if you were the team leader, ask yourself: would I hire me for this task/ job?
Meet with your supervisors and peers regularly, set a scheduled time on your first day. Show a passion for your job, have fun and enjoy every day. If you can develop a relationship with your supervisor into a mentorship, they will be much more inclined to hire you full-time in order to continue the relationship. Again, don’t create false relationships just to get a job or you may seriously damage your credibility, or at the least be unhappy in your new role. You may not have had a job before but it is quite common that people are unhappy don’t get to use their skills or don’t get along with their supervisors of colleagues, so do your best to avoid this.
Please all interns keep in mind that people see things from different perspectives. Different things have different meanings to different people so make sure you stop and think before you draw any conclusions. Could you be misunderstanding something? Could it be just an accent or a tone of voice you are not used to? Could it be that you are having a bad day and are feeling a little sensitive? Could it be that you simply don’t agree with someones opinion and need to let it go? Could it be that you have experienced something in the past that makes you draw conclusions a little too quickly?
And please know that although your manager, supervisor or boss should in some way have performance measures to encourage you, it is not their responsibility to make sure you have a fun time, like what you do and do it well, it is yours. Perhaps your supervisor is going through something you do not know about, and it would be useful if you stepped up and took the responsibility?
Our four year research based on hundreds of feedback forms show that the most common reason for internship issues is when interns have had difficulties with confrontation (talking openly with their supervisor about tasks and responsibilities) and also their own ability to take initiative.
Adhere to these three internship principles, and maximize the chances that your internship will turn into a full-time job (or whatever your goal is). Be sure to take your responsibilities seriously, show interest in the industry, and above all else, exceed every goal or expectation.
Key words to remember:
Responsibility
Ownership
Accountability
Interest
Over deliver
Have fun
Solution
