January 17, 2022 | #Careertips | MNI
Internships are increasingly seen as the gateway to a prosperous career for today's workforce. So, whether you've secured the internship of your dreams or in one that's not quite at the top of your list, it's important to make the most out of the experience. Remember, not all students are given this opportunity. Below are nine ways to help you succeed in making the most out of your internship.
1. Have a vision
Even if it's your first internship, be bold in your vision. With more and more companies valuing innovation and creativity, especially at top tech companies, interns who have a unique vision for the company will stand out. Interns that have a bold vision for what's possible in a future state and love the challenge of making an idea become reality do well in tech companies. Interns have the freedom to do real work and create real, new, life-changing, impactful tools and products. But to do that, you need to be bold.
2. Make a list of goals for the summer
As an intern, you are entitled to more than just mindlessly offering your services to the company. As much as you bring value to the company you are interning for, you should gain something from the internship.
Write down goals at the start of the internship – why do you want the internship, what questions you have, and what skills you are trying to build. Then, at some point, ask someone you've identified as a mentor and see if you have fulfilled [those goals] and, if not, what are ways to work those in. It's a great way to ensure that as an intern, you feel invested in and that this is a mutually beneficial partnership for you and the company.
3. Create work for yourself — even if you don't have any
Many companies don't have a structured internship program. Sometimes, your boss might be too busy to assign interns specific tasks to complete, and in such cases, you should look around to see how you can contribute to the company. Don't feel like you have to wait for work to be given to you. Managers are highly impressed when interns develop their own projects to work on. You can create a lot of work for yourself if you are creative and thoughtful and have conversations with people around you. You don't have to wait for people to assign things to you. However, be sure to pass your project idea by your manager before starting it.
4. Know and use your strengths
Take the time to find out what you can uniquely bring to the table instead off offering a laundry list of general skills that other people may also have. You were hired for your particular strengths, and while it is sometimes necessary to improve upon your weaknesses, capitalizing on your unique set of skills will make you stand out from the rest of the workforce
5. Ask for feedback
Getting feedback from your manager can be intimidating, but feedback is often the best way to recognize what you should keep doing and what you should stop. Ask your managers, ask your peers, ask the HR support, 'how am I doing, what else can I work on, what are the other areas I may need to improve on, how am I contributing to the business, how am I doing well. Remember, feedback is crucial to improve upon your work during your internship
6. Speak up
Once you have an idea, don't be afraid to share it with your peers and manager. Companies often consider interns to be a part of their workforce and representative of their customers. That makes your ideas valuable, and your managers will want to hear them. Companies also look to interns to drive innovation, new ways of thinking, new markets, new brands, and new technologies.
7. Build networking opportunities
At companies where there is a formal internship program in place, there will be countless opportunities to network with other interns and employees throughout your term. It might be tempting to stick with a couple of other interns you befriended at work, but recognize the talented and interesting pool of people spread throughout the company and proactively make an effort to get to know them. Not only will you get a chance to meet a potential mentor, but you will also form valuable connections that will help you down your professional career path.
8. Fight off Imposter Syndrome
At prestigious companies where top talent is plentiful, it's easy to look around and see intelligent, hardworking people with years of experience and to feel like you don't deserve to be there. But it's important to remind yourself that you earned the spot and bring your whole, authentic self to work. And it would help if you didn't forget, everyone that you admire had to start somewhere. The company chose you as an intern for a reason, don't forget that.
9. Be aware of what's going on in the world
Customers, investors, and regulatory changes are increasingly forcing companies to take a stronger stance on social and climate-related issues; Companies who can't become targets of social media backlash from customers or investors, significantly affecting the company's bottom line. As with any industry, knowing what's current and what impacts your business will help make you an effective member of the team.
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