12 tips to get the most out of your internship Pt. 1
Internships have become a must for most college students. Without the work experience they provide, the post-graduation job search is significantly more difficult and frustrating. Crazy enough, the more internships you have, the better chances you have of receiving a job you praise. You may feel that internships are a lot of work but they are not as bad as they seem to be. Here are some tips to help you through the internship process.
Tip #1 Dress to impress
During your interview, always dress appropriately and take note of what the employer is wearing. What he/she is wearing is most likely what the rest of the team is wearing. If you get hired, dress to impress. Come in wearing what your employer was. After your first day, dress how the rest of the team dresses. If they wear all business attire, you wear business attire. If they wear business casual, you wear business casual. But on your first day you would rather dress up than dress down. Oh, and if you are really worried about what to wear, contact your employer before hand and ask, if anything they will chuckle and not think too much about it and tell you.
Tip #2 Know what to expect
Before the interview, do your research because more than likely that’s what you will be doing - plus more. It is easy to assume that your boss will need help from you to make his or her life better. Whether it’s photocopying, filing, printing, stapling, and scheduling meetings. Your boss is already a professional, and has probably a million and one things to do. Do not be mad at them if they ask you to step away from your mediocre work and ask you to run an errand, it’s expected.
Tip #3 Gain trust early
It is all about networking and building strong relationships. The second you are hired for the internship, build a friendship with your boss. He or she easily brought you into this position and he can easily take you out of it, or be the best damn reference for your future job. To build relationships, the first thing you need is to build trust. So pay attention to details, follow instructions, and do quality work.
Tip #4 Pay attention to the office culture
This kind of relates to tip #3. You want to network and build strong relationships and as many as you can. Knowing the culture of your office can help do that. If they are a humorous bunch, crack jokes with them - just not at them. Don’t feel as if you have to change who you are either. Be yourself, if your boss took you in as an intern, he must of liked you enough and thought the rest of the team would too.
Tip # 5 Co-workers
After a while co-workers should start to become your friends. If they aren’t then you are definitely doing something wrong. Co-workers started somewhere as well and were most likely in the same shoes as you are. Ask them about their interests, why they work there, what made the business stand out from anywhere else, and what advice they have. You may feel like you’re asking a million questions and annoying them but people enjoy these sort of questions and feel flattered when you ask them. Not only this, but it goes with tip #4; by asking these questions you are networking and building the strong relationships in the office.
Tip #6 Focus
Pretty self-explanatory; losing focus can cause a lot of problems. Being late to meetings, forgetting meetings… just don’t the intern that loses focus after a few weeks in, or even worse, a few weeks before the internship is done. Staying focus the entire time will not only look good on your part, but it will help you do what you came to do- learn.
Stay tuned for parts 7 - 12 in next Wednesday's blog!
Rachel Beatty is a student at Grand Valley State University, majoring in public relations and advertising with a double minor in psychology and studio art. She wants to work in community relations and help at-risk-youth. She focuses on the importance of philanthropy in organizations and the effects it has on branding purposes. Rachel is very active on campus in Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), GrandPR, Phi Sigma Sigma, and also serves on the JBoard of directors for the BISSELL Pet Foundation.