How to be an Awesome Intern
Dear Interns,
You’ve got your foot in the door. That was the easy part. Now you have to bust your ass to prove to whoever hired you that they made the right choice.
By landing an internship, you significantly increased your chances of being hired on full-time if you prove that you have what it takes. For the record, in this economy, that entails working your face off.
Sometimes you have to welcome the boring, tedious, mundane projects. That’s reality. Put your head down and get those done and it will speak volumes about your character.
At SMC we have lots of interns. Ask Jackie Adkins why he was the one that got hired on full-time.
To reiterate, in this economy you can’t just put in your hours and be one of the crowd. Employers notice when you go above and beyond the other interns.
Learn the company well enough to make your own suggestions.
Target a few of the employees you suspect you’d click with and get to know them. People like hiring people they’d get along with. If two people are equally talented, it’s definitely a separating factor.
Don’t burn yourself out. Working hard is extremely important, but if you try to do 12 hours a day, burn yourself out and half-ass your way through 8, we’ll notice. And not only that, now we’ll know what you’re capable of doing. That leaves a bad taste in our mouth.
Don’t limit yourself to the company you’re interning with. Keep building your brand and exploring other options. If you’ve done awesome work, you can always leverage that for a recommendation and put your name in the hat other places.
Ask lots of questions. We’d rather you ask questions than use “I didn’t know,” or “I was confused” for not getting something done. Brownie points for figuring it out and executing on your own.
Most of us have interned at one point or another, some very recently. What additional suggestions do you have?
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Take steps to demonstrate that you have a true interest in the company – not merely jockeying for position to get an offer.
Find out what the strategic growth plans are, what initiatives are near and dear to the hearts of senior management and other similar nuggets.
Find ways (even small ones) to show that you can add value in regards to these important components.
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admin Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Great additions Seth! I’d say IF you genuinely have a true interest, by all means showcase that. If not, no sense being a phony, but do your job with integrity.
I can’t stress enough how many opportunities there are for interns to add value, but often they only do the things they’re asked to do. You can REALLY separate yourself, once you’ve familiarized yourself with the company, by bringing suggestions and additional value that you’ve already completed and sharing it with the company.
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I’d recommend to not be afraid to ask a LOT of questions initially. It’s easy to get in the mindset of if I ask too many questions they’ll think I’m stupid, but I’ve learned the longer you go without asking the question, the harder and harder it is to actually ask it.
Questions show curiosity, which reflects your excitement and dedication.
Jackie Adkins´s last blog ..What Can You Learn From a Drunk Ewok?
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admin Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 8:56 am
I’ve always thought asking questions (and taking the time to formulate good questions) shows a desire to learn. As someone who’s been on both sides of the fence, I can attest to the fact that I’d MUCH rather you ask me then A.) not do it or B.) do it wrong.
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As someone who was an intern very recently, I would add:
Speak up! Whether in a meeting, brainstorm or casual conversation, take the opportunity to show your knowledge and expertise on a topic (provided you are confident in your opinion) or to share a great idea. Employers will be impressed with your initiative and, hopefully, what you had to say.
Great post!
Kristin ´s last blog ..Finding my voice
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admin Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 8:58 am
To that I’ll add speak up strategically. Pick your spots and always make sure you’re adding value to the conversation. I’ve witnessed interns speak up just because they thought it would show they were assertive. It’s easy to tell when someone has thought a lot about something, and when someone is just trying to remind us they’re alive.
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Damn it, stop writing about shit that makes me need to type forever. It could also be that I just took my fat burner, but I think its mostly your fault that I’ll sit here now and type furiously. Seriously. Damn you Ryan Stephens.
My last job I was Corporate Recruiter, and responsible for hiring all US offices (6 offices). I also ran the national college recruiting program and helped bring on 15-20 interns per year. What an awesome experience. I loved going to college recruiting fairs, and helping students get set up.
I worked for a software company, so at least 75% of the interns were programmers or testers. In that environment, it’s important to have a base skill set, and then show how quickly you can pick up new things. The interns that spoke up, participated in teams, took on extra tasks, and made themselves present at group meetings stuck out, and were the better performers.
My extra advice to an intern:
Don’t always bank on getting the job. Learn as much as you can, and make as many connections as possible. When you land your internship, CREATE LINKEDIN ACCOUNT RIGHT AWAY. After starting the internship, begin adding contacts into LinkedIn. When the internship ends, keep in touch with co-workers, other intenrships, managers, supervisors, and high level executives. They will certainly remember you, and when opportunities become available you will be first on their mind.
I don’t want to see another piece like this from you Ryan. You’re taking up too much of my time.
Rich DeMatteo´s last blog ..…99 problems but a JOB ain’t one
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admin Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 9:04 am
Good stuff Rich. And I really appreciate your long, intuitive responses. Keep them coming. No worries.
A LinkedIn in account and connecting with co-workers, coupled with periodic pinging is a great way to stay top of mind.
I have lots of business relationships and I read ALL THE TIME so if I see something that reminds me of someone I’ll forward them the article and ask them how things are going. It demonstrates that I know what content is potentially interesting and valuable to them, and that I value our relationship.
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First, do your job well and meet deadlines consistently.
Second, speak up at every opportunity [as Kristin said earlier]
Third, don’t expect to go off early [just because you're an intern and all your friends are going to a party] and there’s a sudden deadline on Friday evening
Fourth, don’t ever ever misrepresent/ lie – you will get caught out.
Fifth, if you have a special interest/ talent, talk about it at an appropriate opportunity.
Sixth, volunteer to work on a project that requires you to report to a team head [other that your direct manager] and preferably, two levels higher
That’s all for now,
Cheers
Anita
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admin Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Point #1,4,5,6: YES
Point #2: Yes, with the same concern I expressed to Kristen
Point #3: I agree, but I WILL say this in addition. If you stay late on Friday you will stand out. But just because you’re an intern doesn’t mean you have to let a company take advantage of you either. This is especially true if you’re an unpaid intern.
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Great advice, Ryan, and nice hat tip to Jackie – he’s one smart cookie.
I’d also suggest remain true to yourself – don’t sell out ethics or morals if the agency does something that doesn’t sit well with you. Bring up your concerns and if it’s still a sticking point, consider walking and finding another internship.
It’ll only serve you better in the long run.
Danny Brown´s last blog ..Navigation Made Easy with Headway 1.5 WordPress Theme
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admin Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Couldn’t agree more Danny! This is something that is unfortunate, but I suspect way more people encounter ethical/moral issues than we’d like to imagine. I don’t think it’s ever okay to sacrifice your integrity for an internship/job or otherwise.
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So I’m way behind on this but you nailed it. Keep networking, keep working hard and never say “I don’t know”. It’s fine if you don’t know – but ask about it, ask for help, seek guidance – don’t use “I don’t know” as an excuse for not finishing something.
You pretty much touched on everything, Ryan. Good work.
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November 16th, 2009 at 10:41 am[...] week I read a post from one of my favorite bloggers, Ryan Stephens, who wrote a piece called “How to be an Awesome Intern”. My long ass response to his post suggested that networking is critical for the intern. This [...]
November 16th, 2009 at 12:53 pmI’m a little late and everything has been covered but this is a topic I feel especially close to, so I’ll comment anyways.
If you want to get the most out of an internship and turn it into a full time position, it is very simple: Treat it like a full time job. Even if it’s unpaid. Care about what you do. Be proactive. Ask what else you can do to help. Make suggestions, then volunteer to implement them.
Make yourself indispensable. Become so involved in the framework that, at the end of the day, your superiors realize they simply can’t afford to NOT hire you.
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November 18th, 2009 at 11:56 amThis is fantastic advice. In particular asking questions is key. And straight up, as an intern your goal is just to learn and improve yourself as much as possible. You might as well take advantage of the resources at your disposal, which in all cases is going to be the experts you are working for.
Two other things I found helpful as an intern: (1) don’t complain, EVER; and (2) don’t talk about your personal life except in pleasant generalities – that is, tell someone you “went to the football game” over the weekend but don’t go on about your drinking habits or the club you went to or any of that.
Royce´s last blog ..Better by Atul Gawande: Chapter 4
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November 19th, 2009 at 3:39 pm