Tips For A Successful Internship From A Former Intern

I recently had lunch with a former Anvil intern and was able to gain valuable insights into improving our company, from a fresh perspective. It also gave me an opportunity to share my tips for recent graduates looking to ensure a successful internship or entry level position. My perspective is based on 20 years of agency experience (including two internships) combined with 15 years of managing a networking group and online career community, pdxMindShare, where I regularly interface with employers and employees. Based on my experience as an employee and employer, I’ve outlined the following five tips to increase the likelihood of a successful career path, starting with your first internship.

Be Prepared

Starting with preparing a cover letter and interviewing all the way through to your first day of work, make sure you know as much as possible about your target company and those interviewing you for the job. Research the history of the organization, key executives and the role in question. Once you’re on board, quickly learn about your manager(s) personality, preferences and motivations. Get to know your coworkers (identify influencers, gatekeepers and gossip hounds) and forge relationships with everyone by adding value early and often. It is also important to understand how the company generates revenue, finds new customers and retains existing clients. Read up on the industry and your discipline (sales, marketing, customer service, product development, etc.) and always be willing to take on any project, however big or small.

Be Curious

A less-obvious but still important trait of successful employees is curiosity. As a sales consultant once advised me, a good sales person (or insert your job title here if it helps) should have the curiosity of a five-year-old. Always ask “why” until you feel all of your questions have been answered and you know what is expected of you. Of course managers and co-workers may find this annoying, but there are smart ways to ask questions that put you in a good light instead of simply looking like a clueless but determined five-year-old. For example, I’ve found that asking the right questions of a prospective client helps build credibility in the new business process. It’s always better to know what questions to ask up front, but that is a skill that will be honed over time. Bottom line: those who are innately curious tend to be more successful than those who are not.

Be Proactive

One of the most important traits to demonstrate early in your employment at any company is proactivity. Showing initiative in the workplace is considered an asset by any relatively intelligent employer. I’ve found that employees that tend to be more proactive in tackling challenges or securing additional work tend to have a much steeper (l)earning curve. Look for opportunities to grow the company or help make your managers or executives’ lives better by asking relatively simple questions like “Do you have any projects I can help you with?” When appropriate, ask to take on pro-bono or in-kind work. This is how I transitioned from a junior role at a traditional PR agency to a marketing manager at a web development start-up within a 6 month period. I took on projects that nobody else wanted, and in my case, it happened to be a life and career-changing opportunity.

Be Timely & Accurate

No matter what your job or specific responsibilities, it is essential to deliver great work on time, if you have an interest in long-term employment at that company. Too often, I’ve seen entry level employees come in with a nonchalant mindset; blowing off deadlines, producing sub-standard product and generally not being appreciative of the opportunity. These employees do not hang around for long (at least where I work). For optimal job retention and growth, consider going the extra mile to ensure your work is delivered early and goes above-and-beyond what was asked. Who do you want working by your side or as an employee: the “good enough” Clock-puncher or the Eager Beaver that is always looking to do things a little bit better every time? Above all else, make sure you always give your best effort and that your manager knows as much.

Be Visible

One fatal flaw in many companies is the lack of visibility of new employees within the organization. If you’re (junior) role and responsibilities do not provide opportunities to demonstrate your value to the organization at a senior level, create those opportunities yourself. In my first internship, I was fortunate to have the responsibility of writing the internal agency weekly newsletter, which provided visibility to all 125 employees. I also became more visible by volunteering for pro-bono projects and asking for informational interviews with key members of the team to learn more about their roles, and career advice. I also created a survey at the end of my unpaid 3 month internship to solicit feedback from those I worked with. Lastly, I personally thanked the agency owner on my last day, despite the lack of pay, structure, support or exposure to cool client projects. Even though I wasn’t hired, the educational experience instilled good work habits and provided critical work experience for my resume that resulted in my first PR account executive role that launched my marketing career*.

I hope you find value in these recommendations to recent graduates entering the workforce. Please feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section below.

*Note: being visible has its drawbacks, especially when you’re young and enthusiastic but overly-confident and clueless. Over the years, I’ve been fired a few times, and my relatively high level of visibility in those organizations (combined with my strong personality) ultimately was a primary contributor to my premature departures. The good news is that you learn more from getting fired than getting recruited away, but that’s another story for another day.

Tips For A Successful Internship From A Former Intern