An internship is usually one of the first steps in a long career ladder, but a very important one we should say. The college is over as well as many hours of diligent research and studies. However, adult life is way more than just grades or the obtained degree. As you probably know employers don't really need your grades or even your degrees and diplomas. They are interested in practical experience because they know that theoretical knowledge can be of no value if never used on practice. That's where internships and seasonal jobs can help young and prospective graduates to gain valuable experience.
Tips for Interns
As an intern, you won't be trusted with much but try and become an expert in areas you will be trusted. Most likely you will be doing an administrative kind of job helping out with documentation and providing support to the management in daily activities. Even so, you will be touching different aspects of what your manager will do and you could do your best to learn what your supervisor does and how he does it.
Another thing is that you can take initiative and make profile research on a specific client your manager will have to meet during the day. Or if you are for example an engineer intern you could learn as well as practice what you have learned in the college. Whenever you are trying to get to specific work processes as much as you can in order to gain practical experience that you can later show off to potential employers. Any internship is a good opportunity not only to learn about the work processes but also a nice chance to get to now new people who can later help you find the job.
Also, it is a good chance to learn how to work in a team because no matter what industry you will have an internship in you will meet industry professionals from which you can learn and with which you can learn to work alongside. Teamwork is essential for almost every position in every industry and that is something you can't learn from studies. Thirdly, ask questions about everything. It is important to get the most out of the chance. So don't be shy and whatever you don't understand - ask about it. Whether it is a work process or the chain of command in the company. The more you can learn about how the company functions the more useful this internship will be for you. Another idea is to come earlier at work and leave late in order to spend more time close to professionals who could share their expertise with you. Lastly, if possible always have a notebook and a pen. It will help you to keep focused on the work and self-improvement.
If you are studying and need to write a college resume to apply for an internship, check out this new article.
