Insight for Interns

Internship: A new beginning and a chance to gain valuable work experience.

Internships can be exciting, but think about starting out in the workforce during this unique time. After a year of upheaval and unusual remote circumstances, people are beginning to return to their original workplace environments. While your office homecoming may be confusing and stressful, think about all those who are just starting out. Let’s reach out a hand and help guide them in their journey

I’ve pulled together a list of fantastic advice from industry leaders. What would you add to this list?

• Don’t think of any task as tedious or meaningless. Every contribution to a process, no matter the size, plays an important role in the end result. Consider this a great way to learn, grow, and carefully review the steps of the process so you can provide useful input. (Stacey Deakins)
• Not knowing things is not a problem but not trying to learn things could be a big problem in one's professional growth. (Nivedita Dewan)
• Be humble and treat everyone with respect, as it will show your real character. (Soren Haagensen)
• Get in the habit of arriving 5-10 minutes early to everything. Not only does this show preparedness and respect for your colleagues, but you’ll stand out for all the right reasons. (M. Paul Bloom)
• Leverage, as much as you can, the training platform provided at your internship and outperform by learning more! (Edwin Aquino)
• Pay attention to who shares information and knowledge and spend more time with them. (Stacey-Lynn Green)
• Soak up the experiences, feedback and have fun doing the projects. (Aftab Janoowalla)
• Continue to read, ALWAYS. In fact, one interview question that I would ask as a job seeker is “What have you recently read that I should also read?” (Kevin Yeats)
• Don't be afraid to be the only one raising your hand in the room with questions. It's likely you're not alone and it shows you're actively engaged. (Sean Kelstrom)
• Strive to be an addition – never a subtraction. Listen more than you speak and most importantly, always pursue excellence in your work and all that you do. (Alecia Tolver)
• Be proactive and brush up on your critical thinking skills – offer more than just what is asked of you. Being reactive is status quo, and it doesn’t show intellectual curiosity. (Deepali Vyas)
• Be Hungry! In today’s workforce, it’s easy to stick out from the pack if you work hard and smart. It just takes a little “Extra” to be “Extraordinary.” (Joshua Tomolak)
• Challenge yourself to master the art of truly “listening,” and you will learn much faster, make more friends, and be a better professional all the way around. (Phillip Palajac)
• I would suggest being a “blank-slate.” If you start any meeting/conversation with a preconceived idea of what someone wants, there is a high likelihood that you will overlook the true needs and wishes of a prospective client. (Zachary Green)
• Never make a hasty decision based upon your emotions. (Dozie Mbonu)
• It gives you a perspective of what corporate culture is and how important it is to work as a team by valuing everyone's opinions, ideas and respecting them while you contribute towards the corporation goals. (Sriyan Kannangara)
• Instead of telling me what they know, I encourage interns to tell me what they do not know so maybe I can add to their knowledge…ask me about the challenges I face in my job…come back and offer me input, a solution, or a perspective on what is frustrating me. (Bassam Kadi)
• Anytime someone is needed to take on a project or task, be the first to raise your hand. Even if you have no idea what you're doing, the person seeking help will be grateful you chose to enter the arena by their side...and they will remember your name. (Damon King)
• Take care of yourself; life has no duplicate. (Doris Ibeh)
• Be nice to fellow interns. You never know who will be your future Boss. (Raymond Singleton)
• Say thank you. (Jackie Cuneo)

And, don't forget, enjoy the experience! Share your unique internship advice or experience and tag me in the comments.