Congratulations on the internship offer!

You are not fulfilling your course requirements.

You are about to experience hands-on the work you have learned or yet to learn, make professional connections and might even secure a full-time job offer with the company.

Consider these tips to help in making the most out of your internship experience.

1. Set Your Learning Goal

You’re hired.  You know what’s expected of you.  How?  Ask your supervisor.  What to accomplish every other day, every week.  Request feedback to make sure you’re on the right track.

But, how about what you want?

Discuss your interests with the supervisor.  ASK if there are opportunities to dive into those areas.  Win pointers for self-improvement.  Have a direction other than just focusing on what’s assigned to you.

Yes, it’s important to know what the employer wants but it’s more important to know what YOU want to gain from this internship.  After all, it’s all about the experience, learning and asking questions.

2. Ask Questions

When assigned a task, it is highly likely that you didn’t grasp the whole instructions the first time.  It’s okay, ask away!  Don’t be afraid.

Understand the issue at hand and what are you trying to achieve.   Do some research on your own and work with the information you have.  When stuck, seek help and advice on what you could have overlooked.

Asking questions shows that you want to learn and perform your job well.

3. Manage Your Time

Prioritize your tasks.  Know which one’s need a little bit more attention than the other.  You’ll be able to complete your assignments on time and ace it.

Make use of your time wisely.  If you have completed an assignment and have some free time, make the effort to ask for more or see if your colleagues need any assistance.  If there aren’t any, pick up some books to read!

Hey!

Keep in mind that you are there to learn as much as possible.

Relax, enjoy the experience and focus on doing your best.

You may be outside of your comfort zone but embrace it, learn lots and do yourself proud.