Making the most out of an Internship

Internships are only as effective as the effort and attention you put into it. As I said in a previous post, you should take your internship very seriously since it is a valuable asset to have in your resume especially if you are just about to graduate and start looking for a job with little to no experience.

Firstly, explore what available opportunities are out there, don't just look at one or two internship programs when deciding which one to invest your time in. Actually take time to look for several companies that you think you may work for in the future. Internships can be a very good way to get absorbed into a company if you perform well enough.

After looking for several prospects, apply to them all. Doing this gives you a chance to work on your interviewing skills and will later give you the freedom to choose from several companies to intern in.

Once you are accepted into an internship program, this is where the real work comes in. In order to make the most out of your internship, you should get try to get a mentor whom you can seek advices or ask questions from. During your first week it would be a good idea to immediately ask for work to do. Being idle during your internship is the worst mistake you could commit.

Always be busy helping out the other employees get their work done and not the other way around. They shouldn't have to be the one helping you with your tasks. Most of the time these people are busy enough and the last thing that they'd want to do is spend some of their valuable time teaching you things that you could have learned on your own. Only ask for help if you really have to. Really try to be independent as much as possible even from the start.

Another good idea is to explore the different work that the other team members are doing, if they are not busy, maybe ask to observe their work or have them explain what they are doing. Be enthusiastic when asking questions and show genuine interest and they'll most likely be enthusiastic in explaining also.

These are just some things I realized after my internship and I hope this helps any students out there looking forward to their internship.