5 things to keep in mind to rock your internship!

Recently, I finished my internship and the following morning, I decided to self-reflect over my time. There were so many thoughts that I decided to write them down on a Word doc and make an action plan for improvement. Then, I realized that I am not the only one who goes through the uncertainty, expectations and self-management that comes along especially if it’s your first internship. Hence, this sparked me to write my experience and share with you my top 5 things to keep in mind during your internship.

Research the company:

First impression is last! The moment you make your first step into the office, you need to be aware of norms, basic values, visible corporate culture, rules and regulation. I made a mistake of not knowing certain short forms. For example, the firm where I interned ‘CV’ did not only stand for Curriculum Vitae or mean resumé. This created an awkward tension initially between me and the employer. Now, I don’t expect you to be 100% aware of how things operate at the firm, but that does not mean you shouldn’t prepare a little in advance.

Here are the benefits if you research the company beforehand:

1. Getting inside the mind of the employer:You will know what are the values they adhere to at all cost.

2. A great conversation starter: Recent news about the company is a great way to initiate a conversation. Also, it shows that you stay up to date with industry trends.

3. Important individuals in the organisation:Know who the CXOs are, try to find insights about their personality traits.

4. The customers: Who are the firm’s customers? What do they want? How does the firm satisfy their need? Understand the customer psychology.

5. Firm’s mission and vision statements:This is the most crucial as it will ensure you blend it perfectly and maybe even reserve a seat for yourself as an employee.

Don’t worry! This may sound time consuming but I have got you covered.

Below are some resources which will help you with your research.

1. Firm’s official website

2. LinkedIn

3. Social media

4. Google search hacks

5. Google news

6. Company reviews

7. Company newsletters

Network:

Your Network is your Net-Worth!

Let me be honest, 15-20 years down the line you may not even remember what you did or what you created vividly, but you will remember who you worked with. It’s the human connection which you will cherish forever. Networking is very crucial in this digital age as it speeds up things, increases efficiency and builds your credibility.

If you think you lack people skills, I would recommend you to read How to win friends and influence people

It’s really essential that you don’t sit at a desk all day and just do your work and leave. By interacting with people, you will get a better idea about the workplace, learn from them and possibly turn colleagues into friends.

During my first week, I decided to immediately meet the top man (Managing Director) of the firm due to the flat organisational structure. Franky speaking, I did hesitate for 2 days on what should I say, will he give me time based on his busy schedule and other such things.

To my surprise, we had an amazing 15m walk around the entire office building and he gave me great tips. Also, he gave me a task. “Over the next couple of weeks, I would like you to explore and meet people from different department and talk to them to really understand how the whole business comes together. I want you to be able to understand how this whole holistic process comes together”. During this task, I ended up making great connections. Although, I do regret not meeting more people but that’s a lesson I intend to keep in mind during my next work.

Taking various roles:

This is something I am extremely proud of myself for…

Before I dive in, let me tell you something.

If you are in your teens – early 20s, this is the time to fail! The cost of failure, making mistakes is very low and the learning curve is huge. The older you get, the more calculated risks you have to take. The trade-off starts to rise as you grow. It’s essential now for you to do things out of your comfort zone.

I joined as a marketing intern. However, I did not limit myself to the task given to me. The task I was assigned was to help rebrand their digital space. After a few weeks, I asked the General Manager for more tasks like business development, market research, product schemes creation, annual contracts and competitor analysis. Although, I wasn’t experienced in most of these fields, I decided to learn as I worked. Being proactive is crucial to growth. You will end up with more skills and ROI on internship will increase by taking various roles. Also, it allows you to create more impact in the organisation.

A wonderful way to put is to alter the wordings of what Kevin O’Leary once said.

In this case…

Asking questions:

This may sound obvious but I am surprised how many people fear it.

The stupid person thinks they know it all, while the intelligent know there is so much they don’t know yet, which is why they are always curious.

Asking questions will prevent you from making mistakes you will regret and making a bad impression. Also, often the company will understand that you are starting your career and are young. Even a basic question like, “Can you please explain what is the meaning of the firm’s logo?” is ok to ask. You will not know everything. That’s okay!

Go the extra mile:

Human beings are emotional beings. While you may showcase exemplary performance in your work, its essential to go the extra mile beyond your tasks. In other words, try to go for what is heartfelt and genuine.

For example, during my last day of internship, I drafted a personalized letter which I printed and showed to the managing director thanking him for internship. I made it personalized by not emailing, squeezing in a joke which we both can chuckle onto. Also, I helped some of my colleagues in tasks which were unrelated to company tasks like help those who weren’t tech savvy with some basic social media insights. I took time to meet the General Manager every day before leaving for a talk unrelated to work for 5m. In addition, I had planned to give a surprise gift; but, due to the lockdown, this wasn’t feasible.

You need to show that you care and appreciate all the support. It is equally important to be a good human being as it is to being a professional in the workforce. At the end of the day, they also have a family.

For many, this is a new chapter in their life and a great way to preparing yourself to the work environment. You won’t have this option to test out a job for a while so make the most of it. I hope these tips will help you flourish in your next internship or make better use of your current internship.