20 Ways to Stand out at Your Virtual Internship

Your summer internship is coming. You’ve busted your ass to get this internship. Now you’re thinking — how to excel in this internship?

Maybe you want to get that coveted return offer. Maybe you want to network as much as you can. Maybe you want to find out whether this is the right company for you.

I recently attended several talks on how to excel during the summer internship organized by Michael Wong (Duke University), David Lincoln (VP of DELL), and David Ohrvall (ex-Bain consultant). I hope their collected wisdom will help your virtual internship. Some of the advice is geared more towards Tech and Consulting industries, but most will apply to any industry.

How to create your best work

1. Ask yourself if you like this company at the end of the summer. NOT at the beginning.

Knowing whether this is the right place for you is crucial. But don’t ask yourself that at the beginning of your internship. If you go in with doubt, people can smell it. Besides, if you jump in with a half-baked motivation, you will only produce half-baked results. Tell yourself “I love this business!” at the beginning of your internship.

2. Model the best work in your environment and understand why it’s good.

Ask your supervisor/mentors/buddies for a sample work output as soon as possible. What do work documents look like there? Do they always lead with an executive summary? Does each slide have a “goal” statement? Study it and model it.

3. Always have your best work ready for the leadership.

In normal times, Consulting Partners often pop in and ask, “Hey, what’re you working on?” You’d want to always have your best work at your desk corner, ready for a discussion. In virtual times, it’s still an excellent practice. If your boss or anyone in the office asks you on Zoom, “Hey, how’s the project going?” You should always have your work in a presentable, visual form, ready for a screen share. If they have to wait 5 minutes before you scramble something together, they can’t help you.

4. Volunteer to present, whenever possible.

Presenting in front of people that can decide your future is intimidating. Still, you want to present as often as possible, be it at a weekly group meeting or a planning session for employee dinner. The firm hired you because they think that you passed the threshold and that you possess good communication skills. But they want you to be better. This is even more important in a virtual internship because you need to show up to be remembered.

5. Find out who is on the committee that decides on return offers.

The goal here is to get to know each one of them. A typical Fortune 500 company can easily get more than 100 summer interns. If only 50% — 75% of them get return offers and only a few really screw up big-time, how do you think the committee decides on whom to give offers? They will likely give it to people that they remember. Knowing the committee members is especially important if you don’t have a supportive manager.

6. Ask your dumb questions, but ask it with your interpretation.

It’s debatable whether “There’s no dumb question” is true. But one way to ask your question and not appear idiotic is by asking the question with your interpretation/insights. For example, instead of asking “what do you mean by maximizing profit,” ask “When you said ‘maximize profit’, do you mean ‘maximize profit for the Innovation Department?” or “In my past experience, we often maximize profit through examining the revenue first — is that aligned with your thinking?”

7. Ask for data with an explanation of what analysis you will do about it.

Nowadays, you can’t run away from data. But colleagues and clients also get tired of endless requests for data. Instead of just asking for A, B, C data, tell your colleague or client the analysis you’re thinking of doing using that data. This will not only get you the data without them being annoyed, you may also learn something new. Oftentimes, the data you’re asking for is not the data that you really need. By explaining your purpose and how you will use it, they can point you in the right direction.

8. Establish your roadmap early.

A lesser-known fact is that we summer interns may not be as welcomed as we think. Employees may describe interns this way: “They need so much handholding”. Instead of waiting for the plan, establish your own roadmap. Your roadmap can be as simple as a timeline and tasks you envisioned for the summer. Use your roadmap to talk about progress with your manager, they will be impressed.

9. Know the lead times in virtual times.

One thing about virtual internships is that the lead times will significantly increase. Once you have your roadmap, check with your manager on how difficult it is to get what you need by e-mail. It often takes 20%- 50% more time than you think to get something done virtually.

10. Find out what they avoid or think is irrelevant.

Every company has its own culture and things they avoid. It may be something like “Oh, you want to limit your interaction with the Finance Department unless absolutely necessary”. Find out those things when you network and avoid trouble early.

11. Don’t wait till later to understand the issue — this is the return offer killer.

It’s common to think “I don’t understand that. But I will research later to find out myself.” No, don’t do that. One of the most common reasons for NOT getting a return offer is that the intern waits till too late to ask their questions. The summer internship is only 8–12 weeks. If you are still trying to figure out what something means in week 6, there’s no way you will have a successful internship. Ask the question early and resolve the confusion early. You can ask the question without appearing dumb by leading with your insights (point #6).

12. Ask for feedback as frequently as possible.

This can be relatively easy in the consulting industry because there’s long-established feedback culture. However, it can be difficult in other industries. You will likely have a mid-review and a final review. That’s not a lot of opportunities to improve. Instead, ask for feedback as frequently as possible — after a meeting, after your presentation, after you’ve finished a deck. And improve quickly. Speed is important.

13. Don’t waste time on a fancy, time-consuming slide.

I, for example, can get obsessed over a fancy slide like this one below. But don’t waste your time on one slide. It’s unlikely to impress people. What will impress people is that you always have your story, aka your best work ready (point #3).

14. Schedule your weekly meetings with your manager. And be adamant about it.

You already know that you need to set up weekly meetings with your manager. But you also need to be adamant about it. It’s possible that your manager is busy and he or she didn’t respond to your request. Don’t let that slide. Follow up and follow up again. If necessary, change channels to reach him/her. If a good old-fashioned phone call is preferred, don’t email. If 30 minutes are too long, shorten it to 15. Whatever it takes, get on your manager’s calendar, weekly.

15. Start in May if you can.

David Lincoln, VP of DELL, encourages interns to start having conversations with their managers before the internship starts. Ask the manager about the project. Research about the industry or the client early. This is because DELL intentionally gives interns the hardest cases — to test them out. Interns may lag behind if they start on the official Day 1. However, this may not be possible for other companies that don’t tell you about your project beforehand.

How to Excel in Networking

16. Set up as many 15-minute catch-ups as you can in the virtual environment

You don’t get the “serendipity” anymore. You don’t get to network over coffee or in the pantry. As a result, set up as many 15-minute catch-ups with people as possible. Shoot them an email with something like “Hey Mrs. Big Shot, I heard from Snow White that you’ve done some really interesting work in the fairytale field. Do you have 15 mins so that I can learn from you?” Everyone has 15 minutes, and they will be flattered that you asked.

17. Take on something extra, even if you’re already 100% loaded.

In Bain, employees joke about “We’re already at our 150%, now you want me to take up 10% more?” Yes, that’s exactly the case. It’s important to be visible in a big company. One of the best ways to be seen is leading something other than your work.

18. Network with the question — “Who’s the best resource for X?”

Wondering what to talk about for your virtual coffee chats? One of the most useful questions is asking for recommendations — “Who’s best known for Excel?” “Who’s most knowledgeable about our company org?” Not only will you make the current conversation meaningful, but you’re also getting potential informal mentors.

19. Share new findings/insights with your fellow intern classmates.

Your classmates are likely as confused and scared as you are. On top of having dinners with them, lead the sessions by asking everyone to share the best practices they have learned.

20. Be memorable.

One of DELL’s employees dressed up in an alien suit for an Alienware meeting. The leadership enjoyed that so much and even suggested that he wear an Alien mask next time. Yes, it’s really important to be remembered. More importantly, it’s about having fun. Present, tell jokes, and bring your contagious energy. Whatever it is, find something about you that’s worth remembering, and you will have a successful internship.