Titans, have you received an internship offer and wonder how to best approach those first couple of weeks? It is imperative to maximize your time and make your mark at the company and to leave doors open for additional opportunities. We asked internship advisor Lindsay Siegmund for insight on how to make the most out of your internship, who you should make an effort to meet, and more.
Here is what she suggests:
By the end of week 1, what should a student intern aim to accomplish?
The first week is all about making a great impression. A few big tips: dress to impress, arrive early on your first day (10-15 minutes), ask lots of questions, take notes, have positive non-verbal body language (smile, stand up straight, avoid crossing your arms, etc.), and network! I also want to acknowledge that it’s normal to feel nervous about starting your internship. Think back to the other first weeks you’ve had throughout your educational experiences – elementary, middle and high school, or even more recently, college! This internship is another first for you, so feelings of excitement and nervousness are entirely normal.
You might be wondering, ‘what if I mess up?’ The truth is that no one expects you to be perfect. So, accepting those thoughts and feelings is a critical step to realizing that you should aim to challenge yourself, be uncomfortable, and most importantly, be OK with messing up and learning from it; all those things are how growth can happen.
Who should students try to meet at the internship?
Besides your immediate circle (such as supervisor, coworkers, clients), challenge yourself to network with as many people as possible at your organization. Sometimes you can learn the most from someone you least expect, so talk to people from other departments as well. For example, I knew I wanted to become a counselor, but if I had not talked to the company’s controller during my internship, I wouldn’t have realized that I also have a passion for accounting and finance. I ended up combining those passions by counseling students in the College of Business and Economics! If you’re uncomfortable with networking, start small by asking a colleague to grab a coffee. Ultimately, you have to take the initiative and go outside your comfort zone a bit, and people will notice!
What are some great questions to ask when meeting with senior-level individuals?
It can be intimidating talking to higher-ups. You have to remember that they didn’t start that way, and they are human too. So, ask them questions about where they came from, where they currently are, and where they want to go. These can look like the following: What would you tell your younger self? Who did you look up to for inspiration, and why? What are your current goals for yourself and your organization? How do you continue to grow as a leader? It can even be something more personal (keep it professional), like what books they recommend.
In terms of networking, what are suggestions for students to make themselves available for coffee chats?
Coffee chats are an essential part of your internship. Generally, they are an informal way of networking, but there are still some etiquette rules to follow. The number of coffee chats you have during your internship largely depends on the company culture. Some companies highly encourage having three to four coffee chats per week. So, assess the company culture first to figure out the norm. Then, make the time and be intentional. I recommend starting by connecting with recent college grads since they were in your shoes not too long ago. Initiate the conversation by reaching out via e-mail: Introduce yourself, showcase your interest in learning more about their role/experience, and ask for availability in the next few weeks. Look them up on LinkedIn to get to know their background a bit before your chat. Lastly, you want to make sure you have your elevator pitch ready to answer questions about yourself as well.
What if you dislike your internship by the first month, what should a student do?
I don’t think I’ve ever met an intern that liked every single day at their internship. However, if it’s been an entire month and you are truly unhappy, start by asking yourself, what is it about this internship that I dislike? Is it the work itself or the people? If it’s the work, I recommend approaching your supervisor to discuss your feelings and work on redesigning components of your internship. If it’s the people, understand that there will usually be difficult people no matter where you go; it might be a coworker or your direct supervisor. If your direct supervisor is the primary concern, that’s another story. I’m assuming that you’ve done your best to communicate with your supervisor at this point.
So, if you’ve done all that you can do, and you still feel like it’s not a good fit, you essentially have three options: 1) ask to be reassigned, 2) build the experience and move on, or 3) resign and find something else. If you decide to resign, remember that you don’t want to burn any bridges. It’s possible to leave with grace, and it all starts with—you guessed it—communication. Ultimately, it’s up to you to consider the main benefits and drawbacks of sticking with the internship or leaving it behind. Regardless of your decision, the great thing about internships is that you get to test-drive a career. So, still consider it a learning experience. Learning what you don’t want is equally important as finding out what you do want.
How should an intern ask their supervisor for more projects if they are just receiving busy work?
Talk with your manager about what’s going on. Reflect on what you were hired to do in the first place to help prep for that conversation. Those busy work tasks might be in the position description, but I’m assuming there were other aspects of the position that caught your eye. So, if you notice that there’s more busy work than the other components, nudge your supervisor a bit to remind them of the other aspects. It can look something like this: “I wanted to talk to you about my projects. I was really excited about this position when I saw that I would learn X, Y and Z. I noticed that I have been doing more A, B and C over the past few weeks, and I’m wondering if we can focus more on X, Y and Z this week?”
What are some ways for students to set themselves apart during their internship?
The No. 1 thing that employers look for when hiring a candidate is soft skills (for example, problem-solving, being a team player, communicating effectively, etc.), regardless of industry or profession. So, showcase your soft skills as much as possible during your internship. For example, to demonstrate your initiative, maybe see if there’s an unattended problem you can solve, a proposal you can write, or a project you can start. Don’t initiate without approval, though. Writing a social media proposal is one thing but taking over their Instagram account without permission is another.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help as you go along in your internship, Titans. Remember that you have resources to lean on when you need guidance on how to approach a situation and give your internship the best you can. Interested in getting academic credit for your internship? Check out Career Services.
