Summer Internship Success

by Ismath Mohideen

This summer is the perfect time to practice what you’ve learned in school into a real-world working experience, especially if you’re close to graduation.  An internship helps develop professional skills, while making sense of all those classes and exams which certainly took up countless hours and sleepless nights.  It’s also a great way to start making connections in a tough economic environment.

Your internship should be at a location which helps you understand the activities in an industry of your preference, and it should also feature a variety of people who can teach you about their career paths.  It’s a great way to observe and participate in the tasks that people in your industry do every day!

In order to be successful in an internship, the first step is preparing a list of at least 3 measurable goals. The goals should indicate a specific task you want to achieve, how the goal helps your career development, what steps you will take to accomplish the goal, and the timeframe for completing it.  Your goal might look something like this: “My goal is to develop better public presentation skills.  Public presentation skills will help me communicate projects and ideas effectively in a business environment.  I will ask my manager for her suggestions and her experience with public speaking and power-points, and I have three weeks to accomplish this goal.”

The people working at the company where you intern are professionals and experts in their field. Ask them tons of questions!  When you begin the internship, schedule 15-minute meetings to talk to everyone on your team, and to learn about their job duties.  You can find out interesting details about their career backgrounds when you get a conversation started, and you may even discover career pathways you haven’t considered yet. If you’re thinking about a certain career, or re-thinking your chosen career path, you may end up talking to someone who inspires you.  Keep your mind and your options open.

Are you sitting around surfing the web at your internship? Ask your co-workers for opportunities to help out!  You could end up with a small project, or you could help someone on an important, time sensitive task. Whatever the task may be, remember that you’re in a learning environment. During down time, you may surf the web for articles pertaining to your industry, and ask co-workers about their opinions regarding current events. They’ll certainly be excited to talk about it, and they’ll love to see your interest!

Work hard!  Although it’s an internship, this is your opportunity to show employers your stuff!  Make sure to be punctual, notify your manager of any emergencies, and treat the internship as if it were a full-time job. The people you meet can be professional contacts, references, and they may also help you network with other experts.  Enjoy your internship, and good luck this summer!