Making the Most of Your Internship: Tips for Success

So you’ve already found a perfect internship and started it successfully. However, there are lots of things you should take into consideration in order to make a positive impression and hopefully get promising future perspectives. Here are some of those things.

Stay upbeat during the whole internship program

Even if the only benefits you’re getting from your work are free coffee and an occasional croissant, you still need to radiate positivity all the time. Remember that this is an opportunity to start your career, and this thought alone should help you get going every day. It’s not only your boss who’s watching you – everyone is paying attention to the intern, so make sure you keep your appearance under control.

Network

Once you’ve got into professional circles, it’s high time you began meeting influential people. Most big companies organize many evens where you can introduce yourself to various professionals of different levels and get valuable information about the job market. It might seem pointless, but the more connections you establish the more information sources you get access to. So refresh your social skills and go talk to people.

Get feedback

Constructive criticism is a powerful tool that can make you work on your mistakes and help you become the best professional in your sphere. That’s why you should show your boss and colleagues that you value their feedback. After all, they’re all seasoned workers and know a lot of aspects you’ll only be able to learn in years.

Record your achievements

Among tips for interns, an often overlooked one is to list your accomplishments in your resume while they are still fresh in your memory. You might think there will always be time to do it later, but what you don’t want to do is to forget something important. After you invest your time and strength into an internship, you don’t want to fail mentioning everything you’ve accomplished.

Get recommendations

Even if you’ve realized that this kind of work isn’t for you, getting a reference from your boss is still a useful thing. Ask them to write a general letter that characterizes you as a worker, and make sure they allow you to use it for different potential work places. Some praise is never excessive.

At the end of your internship, make sure you express your gratitude for the given chance to get some experience and learn new things that internship program gave you. Even this small thing alone will give everyone a positive impression of you.