10 Tips for a Successful Internship

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Internships are a key for any young professional first starting out in their careers! Not only do internships provide useful and relevant experience, they can also provide you with networking opportunities and new skills to bring to the workforce. Being a young professional in an internship can be difficult though because you typically don't receive any direction or guidance at the beginning of the internship. It can be difficult to know what other tasks you can do to make your internship even better. We are going to break down ten tips you can utilize to get the most out of your internship and land a coveted job offer. Let's break it down!

Tip #1: Get To Know the Team You're Placed In

When I say get to know your team, I'm not talking about just what they do or where they went to college. I'm talking about getting to know what their families are like and what they do in their free time. One of the biggest skills hiring managers are looking for in an intern is the ability to work on a team. At most universities, group projects normally entail putting in one hour a week of basic work so that you can get a grade. While this can be a good learning experience, many classes concentrate on individual work more than anything else. This helps to better understand what you are learning in class, however, it is normally not representative of the professional world. In the professional world, 95% of the work you put out is done in conjunction with at least one other person. If you can understand how teams function and what your role is in the team, you will find yourself not only in a good spot for a job offer, but also enjoying your work because of the people on your team.

"One of the biggest skills hiring managers are looking for in an intern is the ability to work on a team."

Tip #2: Spend Time Outside of the Office Practicing Your Skills

There is no doubt that you will be required to step outside of your comfort zone and learn at least one new skill. Whatever your degree might be in, it won't 100% prepare you for the work you will actually be doing in the workplace. If you would have told me a year ago that I, a marketing major, would be computer programming and doing statistics as a part of my job, I would have thought you were crazy. Well here I am, a marketing analyst, doing those very things. I didn't learn how to do computer programming or applied statistics in college though, I learned those in the second internship I did after my junior year of college. When you are digging into your work, find a skill your team has that you do not have and practice it after work. There are so many free resources on the internet for any skill you can think of. Find a skill, practice it, and use it to show your value to the team!

Tip #3: Spend Plenty of Time Shadowing Your Team

Most interns find themselves working on "intern work" when they first start their internship. Data entry, emails, and organization are all tasks that are commonly given to interns. Most interns find themselves in one of two positions after a short amount of time at their company: 1) They are too scared or unmotivated to ask for something better to do, so they continue to do these "intern tasks" or 2) They ask to watch what a member of their team is doing and learn how the team works on certain projects. While there is nothing wrong with data entry and sending emails, most interns are hungry for more than that. The best way to get more advanced work is to shadow the role you would want if you hypothetically were to receive a job offer in that role and watch how that role operates. I spent a lot of time with my manager at the beginning of my internship watching what a marketing analyst really does, and eventually the team became more comfortable and entrusted me with a project that they were going to give to someone else on the team. Watch, learn, and apply!

Tip #4: Get to Know the Other Interns

Find time every week to meet some of the other interns! Grab coffee with them or go to lunch with them. Other interns are a great resource to use during an internship, as they are typically going through the same process as you. Different interns also bring different skills and experiences to the internship, so there are many opportunities for collaboration among interns. I still keep in contact with most of the interns I interned with and many of them are doing great things. Building relationships with other interns allows you to not only grow your network, but it also makes the internship more enjoyable!

Tip #5: Ask Questions

Now, this is probably the most cliché piece of advice you can receive. Whenever someone would ask me, “Do you have any questions?”, 90% of the time I would answer, “Nope, I think I understand it!”. This was a theme for me through my internship, and the first part of my current internship, until the Marketing Strategist at my internship, who is also very passionate about data, gave me some really good advice: “As data professionals, our whole job is structured on asking questions. Next time someone asks if you have any questions, challenge yourself to look beyond what you want to know, and ask what you think you should know”. So next time someone asks you if you have any questions, challenge yourself to ask a deeper question. Your colleagues and supervisors will see it as a sign of intelligence and a passion to learn, and you will also be practicing a fundamental skill, which is asking questions!

"So next time someone asks you if you have any questions, challenge yourself to ask a deeper question."

Tip #6: Say “Good Morning” Every Morning

Doing something as simple as saying “Good Morning!” to your colleagues will show them that you acknowledge their presence, and care about being there with them. People in the office notice when an intern is making an effort to connect with them. Not only will this help build relationships with your colleagues, but frankly, it will also make your experience much more enjoyable! You’ll feel like a part of the team because when you care, so will your colleagues.

Tip #7: Market Your Brand

As I’ve said, the whole point of most internships is to see if you would be a fit with the company for a long-term position. You need to show your colleagues, however, that you can provide value to the company. Being able to market yourself is huge in this case. Making sure you look professional when you come to work, using professional language in emails, and trying to provide value in every project you do is crucial. This will show your colleagues that you care about the organization and care about the work you do. If they see this from you, they will most likely check up on your work and see what you are up to!

Tip #8: Save Your Experiences!

This one is very important. Internships are fast-paced, and you will have a lot of information thrown your way each day for months. I’d venture to say it would be impossible to retain 100% of that information just by listening. End each day by writing a paragraph about what you learned, and keeping that, along with your projects and other tangible documents, in the same place. That way, you can refer to that information throughout the summer, and the months after your internship as you continue to retain all the information you’ve learned.

"Internships are fast-paced, and you will have a lot of information thrown your way each day for months."

Tip #9: Make It Apparent That You Enjoy the Company and Would Like to Stay

This is a big one that many interns forget to practice. Once you've settled in for about a month and have made a good decision as to whether or not you would enjoy a full time position at this company, bring it up to your manager or HR representative! Managers are not mind readers! If you are interested, make sure to have a conversation to figure out if 1) It is a possibility to receive a job offer, and 2) What you need to do to get that job offer.

Tip #10: Keep an Open Mind

There is a good chance that you might end up in an internship that isn't your first choice or something that you don't think you would enjoy. Many marketing majors normally look for social media marketing internships, but typically find themselves in a digital marketing or content marketing internship. Keep an open mind and really apply yourself. You might just find it is a hidden career path that you end up really enjoying!

Conclusion

Hopefully this gives you a clearer direction as we move into internship season. Just remember to be friendly, hard-working, and a team player! Happy interning!