How-To: Be an intern everyone wants

As my internship in Corporate America comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on my first days in the office. I remember waking up from nightmares of oversleeping or forgetting my badge at home. It didn’t take long, however, to feel like a part of the family.

Me presenting my summer project on Teradata Aster databases.

A few weeks ago, I attended a “lunch and learn” event where a senior HR director was presenting and offering advice. There was one particular suggestion he made that stood out to me. He told all of the interns to sit down and write down every single person, technology, and project that we had the opportunity to interact with. Up until this point, I was in the groove of my everyday tasks and had neglected to realize just how much exposure I had received throughout my 11 weeks with the company.

Now that I look back on my time here, with just three days left, I see how fortunate I was to engage with directors, data analysts, and VP’s. I was a part of numerous meetings and even set up some of my own. On other days, I attended vendor engagements and learned the ins and outs of how business and CS come together.

To be completely honest, I wouldn’t have survived this internship without making lists. To-do lists. Subject matter expert (SME) lists. Table name lists… you get the picture. As my internship comes to an end, I want to leave one last list behind. This one is for future interns.

1. Ask questions. You’ll finish your assignments more efficiently if you avoid wasting time not knowing the answers you need. Ask the internet. Ask your coworkers. Ask your manager.
2. Make personal connections. You’re more likely to make a lasting connection if you make an effort to ask about the personal lives of the people you interact with. Everyone loves to talk about themselves, the people they love and their passions. Sparking conversations that aren’t work-related can create strong connections that will incline people to want to help you with your assignments as well as landing a full-time position.
3. Know your place. Be appropriate and considerate with your interactions and engagements. Don’t assume you’re invited to lunch or assigned to a project or attending a meeting unless you are explicitly told. Knowing your place and keeping those boundaries will make you stand out. Interns aren’t puppies, you don’t have to go where the team goes.
4. Ask more questions. Remember to keep asking until you’re confident to continue on your own.
5. Make lists. You don’t want to be caught missing a deadline or forgetting a meeting.

To those of you looking for an internship, good luck. To those of you who take interns under your wings, thank you.