Seven Tips to Know Before your Summer Internship
7 Tips to know before entering your Summer Internship
I have had the amazing opportunity to start my internship in January and I thought I would share a couple tips for those of who are taking on new adventures[TR1] such as internships, jobs or studying abroad[TR2] . I came up with seven key tips[TR3] that I have found have really kept me on track throughout this opportunity.
1. Always be on Time
One of my rules is to try to always be at least 5 minutes early. Yes, we all have those days where traffic might not be in your favor or the smoothie miraculously jumped on your shirt. [TR4] These are things I try to consider when planning out my morning. To be on time is so simple yet can make such a significant impact.
2. Dress to Impress
Knowing the appropriate attire for the workplace is crucial. I would recommend asking what the expected attire is to wear before attending the first day on the job, this really helped me to have one less thing to stress about on my first day. During the first week I always make sure to dress a little nicer than the dress code implies. This not only makes me feel more put together, but others take notice too.
3. Do the research
Understanding the company’s goals, mission, and learning about current news that is affecting that company. This is important to any business, I have found that it really proves my interest in that company and doing so has really let me dive deeper into understanding it. I would also advise to go to the company’s website and check out the section “about us” along with their mission statement, if it is stated. It is a good idea to follow their social media handles to learn a little more about them and what they do and to follow each of their handles along with their pages. I have found that it has helped me to keep up on what is important to them.
4. Ask Questions
Never be afraid to ask questions. Just be sure to ask appropriate question to help make sure the task is executed as efficiently as possible. I have learned it is better to ask a question than to make a mistake, do not hesitate.
5. Set Personal Goals
Before starting my first day on the job, I sat down and wrote out a list of personal goals that I would like to achieve during my time with the company. I took this time to think about what I would like to take out of this opportunity and what I would like to learn from it. It is also important to keep in touch with my supervisor, I would recommend meeting with your supervisor before starting the internship. This is not only a great time to set goals, but also to talk about them with expectations in what they are hoping to get out of this internship as well. I have found it has been beneficial to meet with my supervisor throughout the internship to make sure I am on the right track to achieving the goals that we made at the beginning and if there are things that they would like for me to improve on.
6. Good Attitude is KEY
This goes for about anything done in life. A bad attitude can make an experience miserable for everybody involved. When you continue to work hard and give each project/task 110% I guarantee people will notice. Every opportunity is a good opportunity, take full advantage.
7. Keep track of projects
I try to keep track of all my projects and tasks. I have noticed that this has helped me to keep organized and execute each of them accurately and efficiently. I meet with my supervisor to go over progress for each given task and make sure that I have stayed on the course for each. I have also learned that this is a wonderful way to update my resume, portfolio, or even help with future interview conversations.
These tips are not only helpful for internships, but for any career endeavors. Good luck to everyone taking on new adventures this summer!
In Sisterhood,
Angela Dailey