Internships:
Maximizing Your Internship
An internship is a valuable experience so you will want to use your time wisely and leverage this experience. Below is a general timeline of objectives to keep in mind during your internship.
Beginning:
- Listen. The initial few days should include gathering information and learning about the company's environment.
- Ask intelligent questions.
- Learn how things work and put together a plan for what you will be doing—outline your goals and objectives.
- Be a self-starter, but ask to give status updates and get recommendations periodically (every 1 or 2 weeks).
- How are you doing on achieving your objectives? Do you need additional resources/direction?
- Schedule a meeting to review your projects and performance. Use this as an opportunity to obtain feedback and convey your accomplishments thus far.
- Journal your accomplishments and update your resumé along the way.
- Network. Talk with various people in the organization about their role and career experiences.
- Request an "exit interview" with your supervisor to review your project, results, work-style, etc. Ask for very detailed feedback. Even if you didn't meet their expectations, it's important for you to learn why so you can avoid this in future positions.
- If appropriate, ask your supervisor if he or she would be a future reference or ask for a letter of reference.
- Evaluate your performance. Did you accomplish your goals? How does this experience impact your overall career objectives?
- As soon as possible after the internship, write to your primary internship supervisor and to anyone at the internship site who worked closely with you or who was particularly supportive. Thank them for helping to make your internship experience a valuable one and tell them what you learned or let them know how the internship helped you in your career development. (Even if you hated the experience and have no intention of pursuing that field as a career, it is professional to write at least a brief, polite thank-you note.)
- You might also write to any key, top-level people in the organization with whom you may have interacted briefly, even if you didn't work closely with them, letting them know how your experience was and how you contributed to the organization. They could be valuable contacts in the future.
- Add these contacts to your networking database and continue to send periodic updates throughout the year. Holiday cards, for example, are a great way to stay on someone's radar screen without seeming intrusive or overbearing.
- Update your resumé.
