You’ve just come
across the most perfect internship opportunity. What do you do next?
Not long ago, I was in
your shoes. Then the tables turned, and I went from eager potential intern to
the office’s eagerly-seeking-smart-interns internship coordinator. I
encountered some fantastic—as well as some not-so-fantastic—would-be interns
and was able to view the entire process in a whole new light.
So before you hit send
on that email with your resume attached, check out these tips to give yourself
the best chance at getting it right at every step of your internship.
Applying for the Internship
Use common sense.
Business 101: professionalism and courtesy. I once received a completely blank
email from a student with only their resume attached. I kid you not. I stared
at the email, dumbstruck, for a good five minutes, confused as to why someone
would actually send a blank email—no greeting, no message, no nothing.
A concise, upbeat and
professional message in the body of the email that expresses interest in the
available internship goes a long way and gives you the opportunity to wow the
employer with your clean writing before they even open your resume.
Do your homework. Come
to the interview with knowledge of the company you’re applying to.
The first question I
tend to ask in an interview is, “What do you know about our company?” Of
course, I don’t expect a prospective intern to know everything about the
company I work for, but I do expect them to have done some research and have a
general understanding of what we do. From there, I’m more than happy to share
details about the company, our goals and our expectations for interns.
And when I say “do
your homework,” I mean more than simply glancing at a few pages on the
company’s website. Check out their social media presence, explore their press
room and do a Google News search for recent news articles on the company for an
outsider’s perspective.
During Your Interview
Ask questions. There’s
nothing worse in an interview than asking, “Are there any questions I can
answer for you?” and hearing the long pause and then “Ummm…nope. I think you
covered it all.”
In the half hour I
usually spend interviewing an internship candidate, I know for sure that I
can’t cover the entire scope of our company and its goals. Even if you don’t
have a question, think of one. Better yet, come prepared with smart questions.
Asking questions makes you look knowledgeable and proves that you’ve done your
research.
This blog post on Corn
on the Job provides an excellent list of 50 smart sample questions.
Follow up. Immediately
after the interview (preferably within 12-24 hours), send a sincere thank you
email. If you really want to stand out, send an email AND a handwritten thank
you note.
When I was in college
just a few years ago, I thought sending a physical thank you note was pretty
standard, but I’ve quickly learned they are far and few between. In fact, a
U.S. News & World Report article reported that only about 60 percent of
interviewees actually follow up after an interview with a thank you note.
Yikes!
The people who send
thank you notes usually turn out to be rockstar interns. Those who don’t follow
up in some way or another? Let’s just say they likely don’t get the internship,
no matter how awesome their resume or interview.
During the Internship
Bring a notepad
everywhere you go. And use it. That part is key. Taking notes during a meeting
or during a one-on-one with your boss or internship supervisor shows you’re
engaged in what they’re telling you and committed to doing a good job following
through on an assignment.
Take initiative.
Bored? I don’t think so. Even if you’ve completed your assignments for the day,
there’s always something you can do to help.
If you don’t feel
comfortable asking your supervisor for something new to work on, do research on
the industry you’re working in, ask a colleague from another department if
there’s something you can help with or develop a new idea you can present to
your superiors.
Find a way to make
yourself useful, and believe me, your boss will notice that you’ve gone above
and beyond.
Do you have any tips for excelling in the
internship process? We hope you’ll share with us in the comments below!
No comments:
Post a Comment