Do This 1 Thing To Capitalize On Your Internship From Day One

Most students don’t know what to expect on the first day of an internship.

They may have a vague sense of what they’re supposed to be doing, but that’s about it.

A lot of students assume everything will be clearly communicated and handed down to them. They’re expecting a checklist of tasks to accomplish every day.

Once they realize internships don’t work like that, they’re lost.

If you find yourself in an internship with amazing mentors who give you support and direction, that’s awesome. But a lot of people won’t have that experience.

If you’re in a situation where your role is less defined, and you don’t have a list of tasks set out for you, you have one job.

Be proactive.

Get out of your chair, strike up a conversation, and ask how you can help.

Your internship can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but only if you’re proactive about making it happen.

Here’s what you can do to be proactive:

Get To Know People

It can be intimidating to start introducing yourself around a new office.

You don’t want to bother anyone, and they all seem busy. But the goal of your internship is really to build a strong relationship with the people you’re working under.

Take time throughout your internship to have lunch with senior people on the team.

Ask them about their career path, their stories from when they were getting started. Most people are willing to talk about their experiences and dispense some advice, but you have to initiate that conversation.

Speak Up

My first internship started slowly.

I spent the first two days doing nothing because there had been a mixup. I didn’t know I needed to go talk to my supervisor.

He knew I was there, but he thought I was already working on something. And the person who was supposed to be working with me was too busy to get around to it. I was essentially stuck in no-man’s land, with no idea what I was supposed to be doing.

If this happens to you, speak up and say, “Hey, what can I start working on?”

Students sometimes get anxious about asking questions or pointing out mistakes. You have to get over that fear if you want to get anything out of your internship.

Do The Dirty Work

I don’t mean making coffee runs all day.

“Dirty work” is work that people either don’t want to do or don’t have time to do, like research and analysis.

Doing this work demonstrates your value, and it shows you’re enthusiastic about the opportunity you have.

It may not seem very glamorous, but don’t worry about the excitement level of your work. Responsibility will come once you’ve proven yourself capable of handling administrative and organizational tasks. And realistically, the skill sets required for this kind of work are in demand.

Organization, attention to detail, a process-oriented mindset — companies always look for candidates with these skills.

Plan Ahead

Your goal is to figure out if you’d like to come back and work full-time for this company.

Do it as soon as possible.

If you would like to return, then it’s up to you to lay the groundwork.

Be upfront about it. Tell your boss or program manager that you’d love to get an offer, and then spend some time thinking about how you can make yourself feel indispensable.

One option: Ask if you can work remotely during the school year. A few hours a week, nothing major. It will help the company out and will keep you top-of-mind.

And even if you’re not interested in going back, do everything you can to leave a good impression so you can ask them for a referral.

Make Decisions And Deadlines

If you know for sure that you won’t take a job with the company after your internship, let them know.

Don’t drag it out.

A lot of students end up in a situation where they probably would accept an offer, but they have other companies they prefer to work for. They’d rather spend time interviewing than make a decision immediately.

That’s a reasonable approach, and you should never feel intimidated into taking an exploding offer. In fact, a lot of schools have policies against that sort of thing. (Be proactive and talk to your career office if you find yourself facing an exploding offer).

If you are extended an offer after your internship, it’s perfectly valid to give yourself more time to decide.

Let them know you’re very interested in the opportunity, but you want the chance to think about it and explore your options. Look at your recruiting calendar and pick a deadline that makes sense. Say they can expect your decision by then.

When you talk to other companies, you should always let them know that you have an existing offer and a deadline to decide.

Just be sure you stick to the date.

Some students wind up with great internship experiences, while others leave with nothing but another line on their resume.

The difference between these two is being proactive and taking advantage of the opportunity.

Your internship can be an extremely rewarding experience that ultimately lands you a great job, but it’s really up to you to make that happen.

Matt Wilkerson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Paragon One, a career advisory network that has helped hundreds of students and recent graduates land competitive jobs and internships.

For business and career advice, follow him on Twitter and Quora.