How to Impress at a Summer Internship
A summer internship can be a crucial step towards launching a successful career. While not completing an internship isn’t the end of the world, internships can be an opportunity for growth and a chance to explore new career paths.
Whether you’re interning at a prestigious company, a nonprofit organization, or a research institution, making the most out of your internship can open doors for future opportunities.
Success in a summer internship doesn’t come by chance. It requires a curious and attentive mindset, proactive effort, and a positive outlook.
From setting clear goals to building professional relationships, we will delve into the essential steps that can set you up for a rewarding and impactful internship experience. So, if you’re looking to make the most of your upcoming summer internship, read on and unlock your full potential.
Interested in other career related blog posts? Read these:
- What to Expect the First Day on the Job
- Preparing for Career Fair: 5 Quick Tips to Make a Good Impression
- 5 Tips for a Successful Post-Graduation Job Search: How to Land Your Dream Job (or at least a starting point)
What does success at a summer internship look like?
Success first starts with a personal definition. Everyone’s vision of success will be different so it’s always good to clarify for yourself what that means.
First begin with the end in mind. What do you hope comes out of the internship? For some that might be a return offer, a scholarship, a larger network, or more tangible skills that you can transfer to another role or industry.
Knowing exactly what will help you feel like a success at the end of the summer will guide you in setting goals and prioritizing your time during the experience.
Some common success criteria that can help you organize your thoughts:
- Receiving a return offer to the company (additional internship or full time position)
- Winning an internship award/scholarship
- Acquiring new skills (includes learning a new software or piece of equipment)
- Understanding organizational processes
- Improving your professional communication
- Completing tasks or projects assigned to you during your internship i.e. meeting deadlines, producing high-quality work — making meaningful contributions to the organization’s goals
- Receiving positive feedback
- Building professional relationships/networking (start a LinkedIn and connect with people at your company)
- Demonstrating initiative and proactivity
- Contributing ideas or solutions
- Building self confidence in a new role
- Professional conduct and attitude — being dependable, reliable, and professional in your interactions
Your personal definition of success can include one, many, or none of these ideas. What’s important is that however you define success, you’ll be able to work towards it and feel like you’ve gotten what you hoped for out of the internship experience.
How can I be successful at my summer internship?
Once you’ve uncovered what being successful in an internship role looks like to you, you’re ready to tackle actually being successful. Keeping your success criteria at the front of your mind will allow you to enter each work day focused.
- Make your goals known
- Be approachable
- Be early to everything
- Be receptive to advice and criticism
- Ask questions
- Understand the role
- Develop strong relationships
- Plan ahead
Make your goals known
One of the most important things that you should understand early on is that the internship is just as much about you deciding whether you like the job as it is about the company deciding if you’re a good fit.
There are plenty of career avenues out there and you’re free to explore them all. That being said, as much as we consider a job being us doing work for others, you also should be selfish and prioritize how the job can further your development and push you closer to your life goals.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is that the community at your work should care about your development and goals. Make your personal professional goals known early in your career/internship. This can be to your boss, mentor, or peers, but leveraging the people around you and the resources that they may know about can help you meet your goals.
Be approachable
Try your best to be easy to talk to and a welcoming face in the office. This can sometimes be difficult when you’re the new person in the office, but as an intern everyone will be excited to welcome you.
Being a happy and welcoming presence in the office will make people more comfortable around you and willing to help you.
Beyond building your network, being approachable will also help you build personal relationships more quickly. If you’re ever feeling burnt out or drained, having people that you can chat with and enjoy being around at work can make the environment more relaxed and enjoyable.
Be early & prepared to everything
Showing initiative early in the internship will go a long way with your manager. As an employee, having a strong sense of self motivation will make you appear more dependable. Showing up early and having a plan for what you’re going to accomplish that day is a great way to show responsibility and care.
Your boss probably won’t want to feel like they have to constantly check in on you throughout the day or check your progress. Showing that you’re ready to go and prepared ahead of time will definitely earn you brownie points!
Interns are expected to know less and have less experience than full-time employees. If you can function in an independent manner similar to full-time employees by the end of the summer, you’ll show great maturity and other offers are sure to follow.
Ask questions
The thing about an internship is that everything is pretty new, especially if it’s your first internship. Because of this, there is a lot that you won’t know and your manager is expecting this.
I was told that if I’m not asking 5 questions a day then I’m not asking enough. While this is somewhat of an exaggeration, it goes to show that even the most simple questions are valid. Even if you think the question is silly, ASK IT.
Asking questions shows genuine interest and eagerness to grow. Take advantage of all of the knowledgable people around you and ask away.
Be receptive to advice and criticism
This is a skill that will be beneficial in all areas of life. Learning how to take critiques on your work without taking the comments to heart will expedite your growth both personally and professionally.
In general, anyone that looks over your work or that you ask for guidance will have your best interest in mind. Independent success is company success and you doing your best will only shine the rest of your peers and managers in a good light.
MOST of the time people just want you to give the best quality work for the final product. This might mean lots of revisions and challenging conversations, but it’s important to remove any negative tone or connotations from the feedback you receive. As that becomes more comfortable and your knowledge grows, you should also respectfully push back if you think your current work fits the work description.
Understand the role
One of the first questions you should ask your manager (after introductions of course) is “what do you expect an intern to learn from this project” or “what are the indicators of success for this project”.
Having a clear set of expectations from the person delivering the project to you will mitigate confusion and reduce the number of times you may have to revise deliverables. This also gives you a good opportunity to ask clarifying questions and prioritize.
The more you understand what you need to do, the more likely the internship will go smoothly.
Develop strong relationships
A big part of any job is the people. In a corporate world, at least one third of each weekday is spent communicating with others. Making sure that the work environment is both productive and healthy should be a high priority for companies.
That being said, if you don’t add to the company culture, or worse you make the culture more toxic, then you’re unlikely to be successful. When you make an attempt to bond beyond small talk people will be more likely to talk highly of you. This can help in network building internally or even beyond the company you currently work for.
Plan ahead
If not for anything but you’re own mental sanity, spend the last 30 minutes of the work day reflecting on what you’ve accomplished and planning for what the next day may hold. You’ll leave the office already feeling ahead of schedule and with clear plans for what the next day will hold.
When you have an outline, you’ll be more prepared when unexpected meetings or challenges arise.
Your methods to find success in a summer internship will truly depend on what you personally define success as. However, with these few tips to keep in mind you can tackle all of your internship goals and enter the professional world prepared.
