Your Internship is Over - Now What?

I see a lot of companies right now, Dell included, giving interns return offers as they check out and head back to school. Boss move by companies to make a decision on the last day of the internship. A few things to keep in mind if you’re in that process:?

First, reflect on your internship:

• What did you learn?
• How did you grow?
• Did you even like what you were doing?
• Did you like the people and culture?
• Heading back to school, are you signed up for the right classes to keep learning in areas that are most interesting and applicable to you?
• If you liked the people/company/industry how are you going to stay connected?
• What knowledge/connections/insights can you bring to school in order to teach and help others about your role/company/project (do not share anything confidential)? ?

1) You got an offer, congrats! All of your hard work paid off. But wait, there’s more: everything you did, that was great, but you still need to go back to school and preferably excel at or above the trajectory you were on when you got the offer, graduate, and be professional in everything you do. Now that you have a returning offer, you represent the company, on campus and elsewhere.

Also, you don’t have to look far (sorry class of 2020) to understand that things can change for companies rapidly, so while you shouldn’t be actively recruiting after you accept a return offer, keep networking and progressing in your discipline or field no matter what, at all times. Use that “student networking” card as long as you have it. ?

A few other considerations: is the offer a general offer of employment or is it specific to one team, area, or organization? If it's a general offer, will there be a matching process at a later date to determine which team you will go to? Who should you follow up with if you have questions on the offer? ?

2) You finished your internship and went back to school not knowing. This sucks that companies do this, but most are respectful and will let you know within two weeks. There are some, a few highly desirable companies in fact (I won’t name names), that won’t let you know until the end of the fall semester. If you’re in this position, it’s imperative that you check out properly. Are all your files labeled and organized so people can find them? Did you give updates to all of your stakeholders? Have you completed all of your follow-up items execs asked you about during your final presentation? Did you thank everyone who helped you throughout the course of your internship? All of those could factor into the decision of whether or not you get an offer. Also, stay connected with your team and company and try to define before you leave an expectation of when an offer may be sent and how and by whom. It also doesn't hurt to ask them "is there anything I can do heading into the fall semester at school to improve my chances of having the option to return?" Basically, you want to reiterate your interest that you really want to be back there (only if you do, don't lie). ?

3) You were informed you will not be getting an offer. I’m sorry. Maybe you knew or maybe it was a surprise, but either way, it’s not fun to be rejected. You can be frustrated and upset, but take some time to reflect on what went well and what didn’t and whether the company and role were even a fit for you. Take the rejection with grace to the best of your ability. Even though you were rejected right now, there might be an even sweeter position with that same company that is posted in a few months with your name on it. Heck, maybe they even call you two months from now and give you an offer since their organization had new headcount approved and they would love to bring you back. Sometimes rejection is just that a numbers game. There are companies that give only 10% of their intern's offers and others give them out at rates closer to 90%. It also varies year to year and will depend on whether you landed in a "growth area" of the company or a dying one. You can also reach out to people you worked with and say “hey, it was great working with you this summer, I actually didn’t get a return offer and would love to chat to see if you had any feedback for me or guidance as I’m exploring other roles.” Also, keep in mind you’re in a good spot. The job market is hot. Companies and recruiters are hunting for smart college grads just like you every day. Look to your network, colleagues and friends for support. Keep your head up, stay positive and keep growing and moving forward. ?????