Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Being the Best Intern your Company has Seen

Get your game face on, winter break is soon to be over for most schools and it's time to get back in the swing of things for your first day at your spring internship. Whether it is public relations, communications, social media or journalism, it all remains the same for what you need to do to get the most of your internship and make the best impression for a good recommendation (and maybe even a job!).

Improve your skills. If you are given an assignment that doesn't highlight one of your strengths, don't be afraid to ask questions or do a little research. Your employer would rather you ask how to do it or take a little longer to complete the task, rather than turn in a low-quality piece of work that you might have to redo anyway.

Be proactive. If you get done with something early, don't sit around at your desk and check emails. Follow up with any media calls you could have, draft a post for the company's blog, or even do research on the company's clients. Ask your supervisor if there is anything else that you could do and share with them what you found. They could be impressed with your extra work and it will not go unnoticed.

Challenge yourself. The only way your internship will really make an impact on your experience, is if you are continuing to learn. If your supervisor has time, talk with them about things you can improve on or ask them to give you a heavier workload. To really be an asset to a company, you need to show that you are willing to go above and beyond for them and do valuable work.

Do you have any internship advice? Where are you interning this semester?

No comments: