Each year, after months of preparation, interview practice, interviewing and waiting, thousands students spend their summer interning at companies and organizations. Since the summer is just about halfway over and in celebration of National Intern Day, I thought I’d share some insights and tips for how students can make the most of their internship experience. Many of these tips come from my experience managing interns, as well as talking to hundreds of interns over the years, and learning from their lessons learned and key takeaways. Here are some that can help you get the most out of the rest of your summer
Tip 1: Hit the ground running – Since internships are short (10-12 weeks) make sure to hit the ground running by preparing and being ready to add value from the very first day. To do this, make sure to spend some time prior to your internship preparing to be ready for when you start. Brush up on your research skills from your recruiting process and get to know the company and the industry by reading articles or subscribing to newsletters. Talk to any of your classmates the year above you who interned there last summer, or connect again with any alum who you know who are at the company to set yourself up for success
Tip 2: Understand expectations – You should know up front exactly how success is being defined for you – whether you achieved the organization’s desired results and/or how they will determine whether or not you are getting an offer. You won’t know if you’re making progress toward that goal during the summer if you don’t know what you’re aiming at. Make sure to clarify exactly what you are expected to deliver at the end of the summer – are you giving a presentation, producing a report, or compiling something else? Beginning with the end in mind is the best way to succeed over the summer.
Tip 3: Manage your summer timeline – A typical summer internship lasts between 10 and 12 weeks. Factor in the mid-internship check in, summer vacation and potentially a week for training and you’re down to about 5-6 weeks. Keep this in mind as you think about how you map out your work plan for the summer. For example, if you have to obtain some data that you need to analyze, don’t just think about how long its going to take you to analyze the data, but also think about how long it might take you to actually get your hands on the data. The primary mistakes come from an intern spends too much time with the research or doesn’t leave enough time to practice the presentation and incorporate feedback. If you plan up front, you won’t make these mistakes.
Tip 4: Build Relationships – Networking (everyone’s favorite task in business school) is critical but also a key opportunity during your summer internship. Find time on a weekly basis to have introductory meetings with alumni in the company, colleagues in different functional areas, other interns, and former summer interns. These relationships can help you learn insights that can help you with your summer project, expose you to other areas of the business, and get you additional support through the summer and beyond.
Tip 5: Proactively Ask for Feedback – Set a meeting with your supervisor for guidance and feedback at least once a week. Feedback not only helps you improve your work while you’re there, but it will also demonstrate your determination to succeed. The feedback you receive can also help you discover what skills you lack to be successful in the career field. It’s best to rectify these issues before you start your job, and not after.
Tip 6: Keep Track of What you do – This seems fairly simple, but it can be easy to forget this amidst the busyness of the summer. By keeping a log (or spreadsheet) of the projects you work on and the impact you make, you can refer to this for any reviews you have, to keep your manager abreast of what you are working on. Furthermore, when you head back to school and begin to reflect on your summer and what you did, this is a great asset to have at the ready to help you think about your summer.