During your time as a student, it’s highly likely that you may have to take on an internship to get your foot in the door of your dream career. So if you are feeling nervous about taking on an internship and want to know how you can make the most of such a valuable experience: here are our 6 tips for a successful internship.
1. Do your research
This comes as a no-brainer. If you want your internship to be successful, you need to turn up knowing at least a little bit of background about the company you are working for. This is key, because it shows you are genuinely interested and eager about your new position. There’s nothing worse than a candidate not knowing what they are talking about, for both the candidate and the employer. So be sure to do your research if you want to impress.
2. Be efficient
In an internship, it’s important to show how efficient and hard-working you are. Aim to complete tasks quickly – show that you’re great at putting in hard work, but at the same time you’re capable of meeting deadlines. When you prove how efficient you are in smaller tasks, you’ll potentially have the reward of being asked to do something bigger and of greater importance thereafter.
3. Be willing
With an internship, it’s important to remember that no job is too little or too much. Whether you’re asked to make cups of tea for everyone in the office or you’re asked to input some data into a spreadsheet – it’s important to willingly take on all kinds of tasks. You never know – you may end up learning a brand new skill (which could further enhance your CV).
4. Build connections
The opportunities that can arise from internships are pleasantly surprising and the possibilities are endless. Most of these opportunities arise from building connections. You’ll be working in an environment full of individuals who work in a similar environment to where you hope to see yourself in the future – so don’t be afraid to turn to them for advice on landing that dream job. Building a good relationship with your employer means you could have someone able to act as your reference for future work. If you are asked to attend a meeting, show interest as this could potentially open up the door to even more connections.
5. Embrace the job
Embracing every single aspect of your industry is so important. Keep yourself in the know with what is going on in your field of work and don’t forget to show that you are keen to do so. Not only will this benefit yourself because you’ll be a library of knowledge and you’ll be able to engage in conversations – but again, showing how keen you are will impress your employer.
6. Go the extra mile
In any job, going the extra mile is like the un-written rule and this is especially true for internships. This can apply to anything – whether it be suggesting something new that could benefit the company, offering to take on a task, or even just baking a few sweet treats for everyone in the office.
Internships tend to be a lot like Marmite – you either love them or you hate them, you agree with them or you don’t.
Internships are the perfect way to get your foot in the door for your dream career – and that kind of opportunity is invaluable. Grasp it with both hands, show off your amazing skills which would have never been seen based on your CV alone and it could eventually lead to your first full-time job in your dream industry. Be confident that you have the capability of having a successful internship – and you can’t go wrong.
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