Internship Success Blueprint: How to Stand Out and Secure Your Dream Job

Internships are super important for every college student today. Apart from them being ways of exploring the world of work, they help you acquire job experience. Recruiters will hire someone with a job experience rather than someone with a general resume.

If you are looking for feasible tips and strategies to prepare for your dream career, level-up with this inside scoop from hiring managers.

Many companies are increasingly investing in internship programs as a recruitment tool for full-time jobs. Your ability to distinguish yourself from other interns improves your chances of getting hired.

In this article, I will give you a cheat sheet for making that happen! You will learn six simple tips to make your internship more productive.

Stoked? Let's dive in!

Set a Goal for Your Internship

Ask yourself, what do I want from this internship experience?

This is crucial because having a goal for your internship transforms your internship from a passive experience into an active, goal-oriented career development process.

Setting goals will maximize your learning opportunities.

Here's how to set an internship goal:

1. Think about the big picture.

Consider the aspects of the internship that align with your long-term career objectives. Identify skills or knowledge you want to benefit your career. If there's no direct line between the job and your desired career destination, think of transferable skills you can learn.

2. Align your goals to the company's goals.

You don't want to be at cross-purposes with the company's expectations of you. Review your job description, clarify tasks, and ensure your goals correspond with the things you will be doing daily. For example, if you're to be a receptionist and you want to learn marketing, you can only do so with extra time when no tasks are awaiting you at the front desk.

3. Use the SMART goal-setting system.

Excellent internship goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Here’s an example of how you might set an internship goal:

Goal: “Develop and present a market research report on customer preferences by the end of the internship.”

• Specific: Focuses on a distinct deliverable—market research report.
• Measurable: Success is measured by the completion and presentation of the report.
• Achievable: Feasible within the internship timeframe.
• Relevant: Aligns with the responsibilities of the role.
• Time-bound: Completed by the end of the internship.

Setting well-defined goals makes you more valuable to your supervisors.

Be a Fast Follower 

The first reason for an internship is to gain a hands-on, real-world application of what you study in college, and to get an experience of what your everyday life will look like on the job. To make the best of this opportunity, you must learn as much as you can from your colleagues and your assigned tasks.

There are two kinds of people in every company:

1. the high achievers, and
2. the lagers.

Find out who the stars are and understudy them. Learn how they approach their jobs, dress, communicate, relate to others, and so on.

Find out what makes them shining stars. Success leaves crumbs and if you show a genuine interest, you will learn one or two vital lessons.

It might not always be easy to make a connection, so you need to be smart. A gift often opens many doors, buy something like a cup of coffee for him or her (be the person is the coffee type though) or bake them their favorite cookie.

If that doesn’t work, find out what they are working on and see how you can be the “Mike Ross” to their “Harvey Spectre”.

Be Indispensable, But Professional

If there’s anything I can guarantee that EVERY boss dislikes, it’s having to do the work you should do. The fear of “turning assistance to resistance” is the major reason many interns are not given responsibilities beyond minor errands.

To make your internship opportunity a springboard for a full-time role, you must be that intern who goes above and beyond in executing tasks.

Take initiative, volunteer when the need arises, and don’t leave at the end work of every work day until your boss tells you to.

Make efforts to connect with other department workers. That'll depend on the company you work with. Nevertheless, do not take more deliverables than you can finish on time. Learn to manage your expectations because you might not always get credit for your work or ideas.

Above all, don’t be sloppy. Present yourself in the best light.

Network, But Keep Your Eyes Open

Relationships are the currency of the future.

No matter how good you are, if no one can vouch for your competencies, you do not exist. Your internship allows you to connect with your workforce field. These are people who can point you in the right direction or serve as mentors as you progress in your career journey.

Nevertheless, don’t be carried away with networking and making connections that you forget your priority – your job.

More so, there is a fine line between networking and flirting. The latter is dangerous for your career. It’s easy to create a reputation for unsavory things. Know when the conversation is changing tones.

Also, leverage platforms, like LinkedIn, to keep your contacts together. If you want to move a step further, create a MailChimp account and add your contacts to a list. Think of it as your personal brand’s mailing list. 

Seek Feedback

Here’s another thing most interns do not know: No one expects you to know everything about the job or company. Consequently, one of the smartest things you can do is to seek and respond to feedback.

Ask for help. Seek clarification. Contrary to what some folks think, asking is a sign of maturity. Many interns have made terrible blunders because they were afraid or proud to ask. Don’t let that be you!

How to ask for feedback without appearing stupid:

1. Listen. Don’t be in a hurry to explain or excuse yourself. Listen to understand the speaker’s point of view. In the end, the reason for feedback is to make improvements. So, listen to understand not to have a ready answer/argument. 
2. Ask for Clarification. If the feedback is surprising, ask for clarification. Perceptions are not always equivalent to reality. Please understand what is required, and explain your point-of-view, if you still misunderstand, or feel unheard or misunderstood.
3. Observe. Observing your co-workers and being more self-conscious could also be a fantastic way of seeking feedback. Observe the reactions of the people you engage with, and adjust yourself accordingly. Furthermore, instead of always looking to your boss or supervisor for feedback, consider asking your colleagues. They are the ones who interact with you the most and will often give you some of the most insightful feedback. The caveat is to not copy bad habits.
4. Act. Acting on the feedback ensures the loop is kept and helps you improve. In a situation where the feedback is difficult, take time to adjust and then go back to the speaker with your questions. In any case, be sure to express gratitude for the feedback no matter what it sounds like. 

Show Gratitude

The ‘attitude of gratitude’ is an asset. It’s the rub for making lasting impressions. When you finish your internship, show appreciation for the opportunity given to you. If you did it right, you would have shifted the odds in your favor towards a full-time job.

Share specific skills you learned on the job and thank everyone who helped with your internship. You could also add an individualized touch by sending separate notes to each person who assisted you instead of a general thank-you letter.

However, a thank-you letter is not a tool for ranting or sharing your frustrations. If you have recommendations, express your views politely. Make sure that every information you share is correct.

Equally important, don’t ask for a job bluntly. Instead, you could ask for a LinkedIn recommendation or social contact.

Finally, include your contact details and other useful information, like what's next. If you wrote a blog post about your experience (this is a great marketing tool for the company), add a click-through link to the post in your note.

Conclusion

Internships are great investments in your future. Nevertheless, to make the most returns on investments, you must 1) have a clear and precise goal for the opportunity, 2) learn vital job skills, 3) go above and beyond in executing your tasks, 4) create lasting connections, 5) seek and respond to feedback, and 6) show appreciation for the opportunity.

Use these insights to enrich your next internship and make it a phenomenal experience. All the best! Learn new digital skills for the future of work.