In his new book There Is Life After College Jeffrey Selingo discloses an important statistic. 79% of students that had an internship while in college moved into a full-time job upon graduation. So having an internship is important. But there are some tips I’d like to share to make sure you get the most out of an internship.
Internship Tip #1
When you are in an internship, say “Yes” to everything. Be passionate and enthusiastic and let people around you know you want to learn about everything and that you’re hungry for every opportunity.
Internship Tip #2
To get the most out of your internship, ask lots of questions. Internships are learning experiences, so be curious. Mentors love sharing what they know with people who are really interested.
Internship Tip #3
Don’t be afraid to contribute your ideas. Interns bring a fresh perspective, one that may seem obvious to you, but isn’t necessarily to the people inside the station. Learning can be a two-way street.
Internship Tip #4
Interns need to earn the trust of the people inside the station. People at the station may feel it’s easier to just do something themselves than to ask the intern to do it. Don’t expect people to just give you things to do, ASK for things to do.
Internship Tip #5
Be persistent. One of my favorite quotes about persistence comes from President Calvin Coolidge: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”
Internship Tip #6
Never think what you’re doing goes unnoticed. People are watching. If you spend all your time on your smartphone, people will notice. If you’re a student that is always there, helping out even before being asked, people will notice that too.
Bonus Internship Tip
Remember, when you are being interviewed for an internship, that you are also interviewing the person who will mentor you. Mentoring Talent is a subject I wrote about on another blog post and it’s a list of things you will want to be looking for in the person you will be interning under.
I’ve seen so many students of mine turn their internships into their first job upon graduation, because they so impressed the people at the radio or TV station they were interning at the management of the station didn’t want to see them leave at the end of the internship.
This is how you full leverage your internship into a job opportunity.
DickTaylorBlog 