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Internships are more than just a way to gain work experience—they’re opportunities to build skills, grow your network, and explore potential career paths. Read on for tips to make the most of your internship!
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Career Services office published some great advice in “Husker How-To: Make the Most of Your Internship.” Their advice is:
Ask about your supervisor’s expectations of you.
Knowing what is expected of you will set you up for success throughout your internship experience. You may ask:
- What is the dress code?
- Whether you’re working in-person, remote or hybrid, what is the preferred way to communicate with your supervisor and others on your team?
- Does your supervisor have an open-door policy, or should you schedule a weekly touch base meeting?
- What is the best way to manage my time?
Identify what you want to learn from the experience.
Before you start your internship, think about what you want to take away or accomplish. Perhaps you want to gain more experience using certain technologies or programs, or maybe you want confirmation that this industry or type of work meets your career interests. Regardless, having goals will keep you focused and ensure you take something valuable away from the internship.
Attempt tasks outside of your comfort zone.
You never know what you’re good at until you try! And an internship is the perfect place to learn something new. If you have the time for the extra work outside your role, connect with your supervisor to find out if someone outside your department or area needs assistance with any projects. You might end up discovering something you’re interested in.
Take this opportunity to network.
Meet with people in your department and other employees at the organization to understand what they do and learn more about their career paths. This is a great opportunity to get their advice for someone early in their career — from ways to develop your skills to valuable experiences to seek out. Also, don’t forget to network with other interns! They can also be valuable to your future network.
Build a good working relationship with your supervisor and team.
This will not only make your experience more enjoyable but also help you connect with others and strengthen your skillset. Spark conversations and get comfortable with asking questions that help you grow. Work to create an environment with good communication among your teammates. These people may be beneficial mentors or references for you as you build your career into the future.
Take notes.
You may go through an onboarding or orientation process where you learn a lot of information in a short period of time. It may be overwhelming but taking good notes can help you process the information and provide you with a document you can reference throughout your internship.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
You’re not going to be good at everything right away, so embrace the learning moments and times of uncertainty. As time moves on, you will see that tasks that used to be daunting now seem familiar.
Engage with your coworkers.
Ask them to grab lunch, have coffee or go for a walk. Find out what they’re interested in and get to know them outside of the work you are doing. This will help you build lasting connections for the future and make going to the office more fun.
Ask to be evaluated.
Feedback is important! End your experience by reviewing your performance throughout your internship. Learning about your strengths and areas in which you can improve are great things you can leverage at your next internship or job.
Source: “Husker How-To: Make the Most of Your Internship.” Medium, 9 June 2022, https://medium.com/university-of-nebraska-lincoln/husker-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-internship-ab6b394d101a.
Do you still need to land the right opportunity? A University of Nebraska-Lincoln student shared her experience and advice for finding a summer internship HERE. Additionally, the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Career Services team provides a comprehensive Job & Internship Guide.
Connect with other interns in Lincoln through MyTern
MyTern was created to make sure that your out-of-office experience is as enriching as your internship work. We know that when you're dreaming up where you'd like to live after graduation, the place is just as important as the opportunity. If you're new to Lincoln, MyTern will help you to meet new people and connect with the community. If you're from Lincoln, the program will give you the opportunity to try something new, meet someone new, and discover parts of Lincoln that you didn't even know about. Follow MyTern events HERE.