Success At School

Surveys show that 30 – 40% of internships result in full time jobs. You can
either luck into a full time job offer, or you can prepare for it. If you are the
type who likes to control your own fate then use these five steps to turn your
internship into a job.

1. Walk the Walk

After you have proven your ability to do the job, you have to demonstrate you
are a good fit with the corporate culture. Anything from your work ethic,
your sense of humor, the clothes you wear, and how you approach problems, is
grounds for a match with culture.

If your way of doing things is just too different from the unwritten rules of the
job, then you simply will not be offered a job.

Having said that, don’t pretend you are something you’re not while interning.
You can’t fake it forever and you’ll only be miserable, talking your work
performance and productivity down with you.

2. Be Your Best – Always

In an internship position you must always be “on.” You are being watched
continuously. Make sure that what people see is a guy or gal who is
competent, committed, talented, and industrious. Be the kind of coworker
that is a benefit to everyone and makes everyone’s job just a little easier.

3. Solicit Feedback

Ask about your performance. Don’t just assume you are doing a good job.
Confirm it and ask for ways to do even better. Ask you supervisor for feedback
but don’t forget to ask for your coworker’s advice as well. These people have
enormous influence on hiring decisions. If they don’t like you, you won’t get
offered a job. The way to stay in people’s good books is to be positive, take
initiative, and work as part of the team.

4. Be Creative

Take any opportunity you can to show you are a creative, out of the box
thinker. Look for problems to solve, efficiencies to make, processes to
improve. As mentioned previously, don’t be arrogant about it, but sell your
ideas in terms of making life easier for everyone.

5. Ask For a Job

There’s no shame in asking. Everyone there knows you don’t have a real job
but they might not be sure if you want one with their company. The worst you
can be told is, “No.” At least you won’t spend sleepless nights wondering if
your boss will call and offer you a job the next morning.

When you ask for a job, try to identify opportunities to create a position for
yourself. Use your knowledge of how the company runs to propose ways to
meet the needs that are not currently being met. Prove your ability to add
value.

If you don’t get hired immediately, stay in contact. Openings come up all the
time and you want to be the first on the list before a job is posted. In the
meantime finish your studies and keep your contacts appraised of your new
accomplishments and education.

This is an except from How To Succeed At Work - The Complete Guide to Finding, Landing and Succeeding in Your Chosen Job or Career, an ebook which I have had the pleasure to work on during my internship over the last few summers. Click here for more details.

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It’s that time of the year; regular classes are over and you essentially have four
options on how you can spend your time:

1. Bum around at home
2. Take some summer classes
3. Go traveling
4. Get a summer job or internship

Whilst all are valid options, doing number four will certainly give you some great
experience and will look fantastic on your resume.

An opportunity to intern somewhere can be great, but it is only as great as you
make it. It’s your internship and it’s your responsibility to make the most of it.

The reasons why other people do not enjoy their internship, or do not get
anything out of the experience, are mainly due to a lack of commitment and
participation on their part.

The lack of the following 6 intern behaviors is what caused them to fail.  Make
sure your internship is not one of them.

1. Exude enthusiasm

As an intern you’ll be assigned tasks that no one else wants to do.  Consider it
your rite of passage.  Don’t balk at the idea of photocopying 500 pages – show
a positive attitude and promise yourself that you will treat every experience as
a learning experience – maybe you didn’t know what the duplex function was
before, but by the 350th copy, I guarantee you will have figured it out.

Related to this is the importance of avoiding negativity.  Do not complain,
gossip, arrive late, miss deadlines, act arrogant, dress inappropriately, act
unprofessional, and most of do not act better than anyone in the company.
Hey, the secretaries, file clerks, maintenance staff, and receptionists are all
getting paid more than you are!

2. Seize Every Opportunity To Learn About The Company

Attend as many meetings, conferences, and events as you can.  Read as much
corporate material as possible.  It may sound boring at first, but you’ll learn
things about the inner workings of the company that only an insider would
know.

If your internship does not provide job rotation, try to get exposure to as many
departments and supervisors as you can.  Not only do you learn more about
how things work, you also come in contact with a lot more people.

Finally, ask lots of questions.  Employers expect this from an intern.
Remember, there is no such thing as a dumb question; you are there to learn so
capitalize on it.

3. Show Initiative

Don’t wait for your supervisor to assign work to you, look for work that needs
to done.  This shows that not only do you have a great work ethic, but also
you are able to think ahead and identify solutions to problems before they
happen.

Don’t get too cocky though, no one likes a know-it-all and your supervisor will
know if you are trying to show him or her up.  It’s  a bad move no matter how you
slice it.  You’ll have plenty of opportunities to shine, don’t ever do it at the
expense of someone else.

4. Find a Mentor

Identify someone higher up in the company who seems to take an interest in
you and make him or her your mentor.  This may be your supervisor, but it is
very possible you will click with someone else based on common interests or
outlooks.

Let the natural friendship evolve into a mentor/mentee relationship.  Your
mentor will show you the ropes as well as make sure you are exposed to the
best learning opportunities.  Many mentor relationships last long after the
internship is over and your mentor can be very instrumental in your career
development as well as your job search.

Aside from developing a strong connection with one person, make sure you
network with as many people as possible.  These people can help you now and
in the future so make sure you leave your internship on a positive note and
maintain contact with these people.

5. Accomplish Something Tangible

Use your internship to pad your resume with distinct accomplishments.  Try to
“own” one project and use the outcome as proof of your ability to bring about
successful results.

An internship is our opportunity to learn new skills and apply your current skills
to new situations.  Make sure you leave with ample ammunition to prove you
didn’t just waste your time at the photocopier.

6. Lighten Up

An internship needs to be as fun as it is useful.  Let your personality shine
through so that your coworkers get to know you as a person.  The better
connected you are with people, the more likely they will help with your future
job search activity.

Don’t go hog wild though either – being the life of the party one night will only
come back to haunt you the next morning.

This is an except from How To Succeed At Work - The Complete Guide to Finding, Landing and Succeeding in Your Chosen Job or Career, an ebook which I have had the pleasure to work on during my internship over the last few summers. Click here for more details.

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