Internships are all about learning and developing your professional skills. Being an intern might seem as if you have little power over decisions or what you are supposed to be doing day-to-day. Still, you are definitely a meaningful addition to the team and have lots of things to be mindful about. Whilst going through an internship, think about following 5 things to make the most of your experience.
Additionally, read here the impressions of our last year’s interns that stayed with us after their internship.
Developing your skills
Depending on the nature of your chosen internship, try to figure out what kind of skills you would like to develop. Would you like to get even better in things you’re already good at? Or on the contrary, develop some skills you feel you are lacking in?
Either way, this will allow you to get a better understanding of the essence of your profession in a workplace and you can find your strengths and weaknesses.
Career opportunities
If possible, try to find an internship in a company offering career opportunities afterwards. Most likely you will find this out during the application process, or you might hear about it from your university/college co-students.
Having an opportunity to continue working after an internship gives you a major advantage since, you’re already familiar with how the company operates, your responsibilities and you are able to actively give input to teamwork.
At Cybernetica, we are proud to offer a job to over 70% of our interns. We value each and every input from all of our team members and believe in giving an opportunity to grow with us to all knowledgeable people with great skills and ideas. Additionally, we offer working part-time and a supervisor to BA, MA and PhD thesis from our very own researchers.
Make sure to check out our internship offering and apply from February 20th!
Try anything and everything
As interns are usually given easier tasks, make sure to show some initiative and for a variety of different tasks. Trying out various tasks allows you to not only develop skills, but also find out what you like and dislike doing. Surely your full-time colleagues will be more than happy to delegate some of their small day-to-day tasks to you!
Ask, ask, ask
Do not ever be afraid to ask any questions. An internship is a place to learn, so naturally you will have some questions during the process. Moreover, actively asking and following up on some topics will make you seem invested in your tasks and thus making you a more reliable colleague.
Additionally, ask for feedback on your work from your supervisor whenever you feel like it. It may seem frightening but having direct feedback allows you to reflect on your actions and accordingly adjust the way you operate so that your work is up to standards of the workplace.
Keep a work journal
Take a couple of minutes at the end of each day to write down a couple of things you were proud of that day. Perhaps you finally accomplished a task you’ve been at for a couple of days? Or maybe your colleagues shared some life hacks with you that make your tasks now easier and more effective? These daily wins, however big or small, allow you to track your progress you’ve been through during your internship.
Alternatively, you can also add in some challenges that you faced during the day. More likely than not, you will overcome these challenges and can look back on them with a sense of accomplishment. Document even some mistakes you make so you can look back on them and it might help you avoid them in the future.
In conclusion, we believe you have more power as an intern than you may think. So, take the matters in your hands and dive into the experience to become the best you can at your profession.
PS - don't forget to apply for an internship at Cybernetica!
Additionally, read more on how to mindfully choose an internship if you're still trying to decide.