How To Crush Your Summer Internship by Facebook Engineer and Deloitte Consultant

Congratulations on landing your internship! You’ve worked diligently to get to this point and now you have an opportunity to prove yourself. Forget grabbing coffee, this is your chance to make a real-life impression on the company that could seal your post-college fate. 

Once your nametag has "Intern" stamped on it, the professional world will unravel at your fingertips. It is the foundation upon which your reputation is built and credibility is attributed to your name. Whether it’s an industry, consulting, or software internship, we’ve got you covered.

Who are your Co-authors and what makes us credible in this department?

Julian Alvarez will be starting as a Software Engineer at Facebook in their Menlo Park, California headquarters in June 2021. He has interned at Facebook, LinkedIn, and Goldman Sachs, which all resulted in full-time offers. He is also the Co-Founder & CTO at a startup named Vize and the Host of Inventing The Future, an entrepreneurship podcast.

Dasom Lee will be joining Deloitte Consulting in their New York City, NY headquarters in Winter 2021. She has interned at Baker Hughes GE and Deloitte Consulting and is the Executive Producer, and Host of Radically Honest, a podcast that features influencers, entrepreneurs, and professionals. Her other creative endeavors include co-founding a student magazine, a lifestyle podcast, and more. 

Our top 8 tips

1. Aim to exceed expectations

“Set out to do a good job and do that job so well that the living, the dead, or the unborn couldn't do it any better. If it falls in your lot to be a street sweeper, then sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, and sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry.” - MLK

The intern space is competitive and not everyone will receive a return offer. Aiming to exceed expectations is important because even if you fall short, you are still likely to land a full-time offer. In other words, if your standard is simply to meet expectations and you fall short, you run a higher risk of not securing a permanent role at your company.

Some companies even reward the highest-performing interns with higher compensation in their full-time offers. On top of that, you are also more likely to successfully negotiate a better offer if you exceed expectations.

In the professional world, the quality of your work defines your brand. People will either respect or criticize you depending on how talented you are. That means that if you exceed expectations, you’ll make a lasting impression on the people you have worked with. This benefit can materialize in the form of a referral, an invaluable relationship, or another job opportunity down the line.

2. Know where you stand

Internships often have a steep learning curve and one of the best ways to overcome this is to establish a habit of asking for feedback. When you request honest feedback often, you are opening yourself up to new growth opportunities. It’s important to realize that we all possess an infinite potential for growth, and this feedback will allow you to advance at higher speeds.

For example, Facebook interns receive an evaluation at the halfway point that informs them on whether or not they’re trending toward a return offer. When Julian was informed that he was not trending toward an offer, it boosted him with the momentum to improve as necessary. He later realized that he could have avoided this surprise if he would have proactively asked for in-depth feedback more frequently.

Here are some questions you can ask your manager:

1. On a scale of 1-5, how well am I doing at X?
2. What is one thing I can do differently to be a better X?
3. What is one thing I am doing that is making a positive difference for you and/or the team? (Do more of this)
4. What is one thing I am doing or failing to do, that is holding me back in some way?

Finally, remember that feedback is a gift. Ensure you do not find yourself solely on the receiving end. Take time to give it to others and they will be immensely grateful.

3. Network your way to success

Most interns fail to appreciate how crucial the people you meet during your internship are. The people on your team will further your project’s success, but the value of your network extends beyond the scope of your work. By forming meaningful relationships with fellow professionals, you will form a network that is nourishing to both your professional career and personal life.

If your internship is remote, being proactive is key. During the first few weeks of your internship, schedule meetings with everyone on your team to peel back professional layers and understand them on a personal level. Hint: play the “intern card” to your advantage. Employees are instructed to ensure interns have a great experience and people love sharing their insights with wide-eyed students at the start of their careers.

Learn about the diversity of work your team members are doing and grasp the interconnected nature of your company’s organizational structure. This understanding will enable you to develop a better idea of your team’s higher-level goals and functions, thus empowering you to contribute valuable ideas for improvements. Additionally, you’ll get to explore the various potential paths for your future career!

Why is this important for your return offer? The better relationships you form with people on your team, the more likely you are to secure excellent evaluations. Set a weekly goal for meeting up with X people per week and execute on it.

4. Strategically ask for help

Consider Google your best friend. In order to complete your project within the given time constraints, you will need to be resourceful and occasionally ask for guidance (when even Google is clueless). 

Follow this general rule of thumb: spend at least 10 minutes trying to solve a problem on your own, but don’t let that time exceed 45 minutes.

You might be surprised by how quickly your teammate or manager can help you get unstuck. Nevertheless, struggling a little bit by yourself before asking for help is imperative. The more you struggle, the better informed you will be on your problem, allowing you to ask more intelligent and clarifying questions. 

Asking for help too frequently can cause annoyance and create a bad impression by leading others to think you are not self-sufficient. Regardless, keep in mind that you are an intern so you are not expected to know everything. Essentially, ask meaningful questions rather than obvious ones. 

5. Optimize for learning (hint: take notes)

The most valuable attribute you can bring is your desire to learn. Adopt the “curiosity” mindset in a strategic manner. Instead of being curious about only the answer, be willing to understand the “why” behind that answer. Don’t limit your curiosity to your project and aim to gain a deeper understanding of the work others are doing.

It’s tempting to optimize for completion (we’ve all been there). If you don’t take the time to learn something during the process of completing a task, you’ll miss out on numerous learning opportunities that may arise during your internship.

How do you apply this practically? One idea is to designate a journal solely for “learning”. Whether you’re having lunch with your manager or sitting in on a meeting, note-taking will actively engage you and help you solidify key takeaways. Skim over your notes and pinpoint questions or suggestions you may have. If you’re a visual learner, use color-coded sticky notes. Notion is a phenomenal digital note-taking application that we strongly recommend. 

6. Add tangible value  

What’s missing? As an intern, one of the reasons you were recruited was for your fresh perspective. For long-lasting impact, you should focus on challenging existing processes and improving either the work or the corporate culture of your company. 

“Here’s how we do things normally, but if you have suggestions, let us know.” - Your manager 

Your questioning of systems can be invaluable and create ripple effects of enhanced efficiency in the group, department, or across the entire company. 

As you are working on your project, ask yourself what would make your work more efficient, effective, or enjoyable. Instead of complaining, approach the inconvenience with brainstorming and ideate a new method for carrying out the process. For example, what technology could automate this? Bring these ideas to your manager with the why, what, and how of your recommendation. 

7. Speak up and be a leader

Once you are officially integrated into the company’s workforce, you have been given a voice. This is a privilege you should not take for granted.

In the conference room, sit at the table. Be bold and do not shy away from introducing yourself to higher-ups and even C-suite executives. Raise your hand, speak up, ask questions, and be eager but not repetitive or arbitrary in the words that exit your mouth.

The most detrimental mistake an intern can make is to stay quiet during meetings and not pitch ideas simply due to their intern title. The reverse is actually true: as an intern, you bring a fresh perspective that is differentiated from all the others that have expended countless hours pondering the same problem or project.

One simple tip is to dissect your problem thoroughly. When you identify a need within your team/company, take initiative. For example, create a networking group chat for interns, plan a speaker event, or connect the company to a volunteering opportunity. By organizing an event or project and fueling others with a passion for your cause, you will stand out as an exemplary “leader.” The more people you “wow,” the more credibility you accumulate.

8. Forget imposter syndrome and own it

When they gave you the internship, your company recognized your potential. Now it’s your turn to realize it. 

Despite being at the bottom of the totem pole, interns are special because companies invest massive resources into mentoring and shaping them for future success. You are the company’s future, and every individual brings unique capabilities to the table. Do not undermine yours by filling your headspace with false narratives such as, “I am not good enough” or “I shouldn’t be here”.

Yes, there will be other interns who “seem” to be smarter, more charismatic, and more skilled. Instead of seeing where you lack as a negative, view it as a stimulating growth opportunity. It is impossible for you to stand out as the “best” in all areas, but what matters more is that you become better at everything that you do.

This requires a level of self-awareness. What are your strengths? Capitalize on them and ensure that your weaknesses are accommodated by others. Delegate where you can and exert all your efforts on improving your personal value. There is no time to waste on comparison. Again, do not be led astray by false narratives and focus on creating your ideal one.

Concluding thoughts

Remember: You’ve worked incredibly hard to get here and an exhilarating new challenge awaits. Yes, you’re probably nervous and scared. We all were. Regardless, let your eagerness to leverage this opportunity, prove yourself, and create a lasting impact be the dominant emotions that you feel. You will be challenged, but all growth and the most rewarding experiences come from overcoming great challenges.

Never lose the unrelenting belief in your ability to succeed, because that belief alone is capable of helping you persevere through insurmountable challenges. Self-efficacy is the foundation you need to achieve everything you desire. 

Your internship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so breathe, have fun, and get ready to crush it! 

If you have any questions, comments, or inquiries, message Julian Alvarez for SWE internship advice or Dasom Lee for industry and consulting internship advice.

Additional resources:

• Dasom's YouTube Video “How To Succeed At Your Virtual Internship *honestly*”
• Julian’s Advice on Networking and How to Keep Track of It (5 min audio from podcast feature)
• Julian's Comprehensive Guide on How to Land a SWE Internship/Job
• Julian’s Example Evaluation From LinkedIn

Julian’s Links:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @julian.alvarez42
• Personal Website
• Inventing The Future podcast

Dasom’s Links:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @dasom_l33
• Radically Honest podcast