The road from internship to employment (success stories)

Turning an internship into a full-time role may seem impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. It requires awareness, perseverance, and intention at best to be even considered as an intern. With the right knowledge, mentorship, and initiative, interns can pinpoint every step leading to the journey of employment. Before reading this article with enthusiasm, take into account that there are no shortcuts or cheat codes when it comes to having a successful internship. Just a lot of dedication, hard work and eagerness for knowledge.

Elena Zimbakova, Nikola Jovanov & Aleksandar Radeski are happy to share some resourceful tips and advice about their internship experience at Codeart, that will help you to transform your internship into a full-time position (like they did.)

How did the internship prepare you for your current position?

Elena — The internship helped me start observing things through the prism of an employed person. Prepared me to gain the necessary experience for the beginning of my career. It taught me to organzse my time and obligations in and outside of working hours, to be dedicated, persistent, and to never give up.

Nikola — Getting a firsthand look at what it’s really like to work a regular job is one of the main advantages of an internship. Getting a chance to practice day-to-day duties alongside coworkers and having the opportunity to learn directly what it’s like to collaborate with individuals from all backgrounds, life, and professional experiences can be extremely beneficial for someone that is new in the industry. Putting all of this together made my transition from intern to full-time employee as smooth as it could be.

Aleksandar — I saw the internship as a preliminary test drive into the Tech World. One of the best takeaways was the sneak peek I was given into this career path along with all the main benefits and drawbacks. It was also a test period in which I was able to confirm whether this was a passing passion or something that will last throughout my life. My three months as an intern proved to be a blissful experience, the thorough program that we were led through combined with the wonderful team of experts and friendly faces solidified my passion for this field as a permanent one, not just a passing breeze. The lessons that I learned during the intership will forever serve as a foundation in all my future endeavours.

What has changed since you have been an employee?

Aleksandar — When I received the news that the team is eager to welcome me as an employee after the internship period, I was on cloud nine and I expected the real battle to start as soon as I started that position. But it turned out the internship program proved so well designed and in-depth, encompassing the full employee experience, that the position of an employee felt only as a minor change. My opinion and insight on certain topics became more frequently sought after, which made me feel even more appreciated. It was so well scaled, that the transition from intern to full-time employee was seamless. Granted, the responsibilities and the tasks became slightly more real, but for a challenge-oriented individual that turned out to be a big plus.

Elena — Now we have more responsibility, a better understanding of the company culture, a working knowledge of sprints, and the ability to estimate tasks and plan ahead for how long it will take me to finish them. But none of that came out of nowhere. As the internship came to an end, we were starting to understand the structure of a typical workday.

Nikola — Apart from the expected improvement in the maturity of the responsibilities and tasks, and working on actual projects rather than on a tests projects, not a single thing has changed. The office culture is still welcoming as always and all of the amazing colleagues are still as awesome as ever.

DO’s and DON’Ts to make the most of an internship

Nikola

• Be consistent. Doing something on daily basis will help you improve your skills more than anything. Consistency is the key to success.
• Participate in after-work activities. Being a part of after-work activities can make you closer to your co-workers and will help you build strong relationships and maybe make long-lasting friendships.
• Be teachable. Everyone has been a beginner at some point in the field they are in today, and everyone has been in your shoes. Learn from their experience and accept their advice.
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. They will only help you grow and evolve, you only need to be willing to learn from them, and surely you will be on the right path.
• Don’t accept feedback as a bad thing. Feedback is essential to make you grow. Gather feedback, learn from it and try to do better each next time.
• Don’t treat other interns as competitors. You are in there together, going the same path. Be sure to help and push each other on the way. The internship will end at some point, but no one can take your connection and knowledge away from you.

Elena

• To get the most out of an internship, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
• Avoid comparing yourself to others, be resourceful, work hard, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
• Add value. Think about how you can add value to the team or projects that you are working on by offering teammates relevant suggestions or going the extra mile to help them accomplish their goals.
• Be proactive. Be a team player and take a proactive approach. For example, if you have finished your tasks ahead of time, ask your teammates if there is anything else you can help with.
• Also, make sure you leave the internship with new skills, and new acquaintances and appreciate the positive experiences.

Aleksandar

• Do not fret about asking questions that seem bigger than you or even in a field not directly related to yours. People notice enthusiasm from a mile away, and being interested and constant in the field will most definitely make you a valuable asset in future endeavors. It’s not about how experienced you are or what’s your skill set, but the passion that you radiate while talking about the things that interest you, and people remember that.
• Request and analyse feedback. The feedback proved to be one of the most valuable takeaways from the internship and it fueled my drive to become better at my craft. By not taking criticism and tips on my work as personal, but rather as constructive and with the noblest intentions, I was able to find my mistakes and bad habits, confront them head-on and learn from them.
• Don’t waste a moment. It can happen for some time to not have a currently active task to be working on and you can become idle or bored. Use that time as another opportunity to broaden your views and not be constricted within the boundaries of a task. I decided to spend my time of idleness that way so I asked around my colleagues for the resources they use to stay up to date with the most recent events and happenings in the Tech World.

Advice for future interns

Elena — The most important thing is to be yourself and to be gentle with yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, be open-minded and ready to learn. Every situation presents an opportunity for growth.

Aleksandar — Starting a new job or entering a new field can be scary for everyone. Internships are the middle ground between studying a topic and putting the knowledge into practice in the real world. It’s the “taking a free sample before buying the product” middle ground of employment, and I’d strongly advocate for a “try before you buy” policy for everyone.

Nikola — It’s ok to say I don’t know. As an intern, you aren’t expected to know everything right from the start. This will help your supervisor to see your drawbacks and guide you to overcome them.

Takeaways

Internships are the best stepping stone into a career in Tech. When they are constructed and implemented carefully, they are a great way to gain real work experience, teach you about responsibilities, help you make valuable connections, and most imorantly, see what it’s really like to work in a field that interests you. University/course may have prepared you with knowledge about your field, but an internship will prepare you even more by equipping you with soft skills and training.

We hope with the shared knowledge from real world experinaces will help you prepare, be more aware and trully set you for a fulfilling internship journey.