How to Turn Your Internship Into a Fixed Job
I did it and so can you!
You have studied hard to get a degree. You were lucky enough to get an internship. Your hopes that you soon start to earn a full salary are raising.
But now what?
…How the heck do you get over your intern status and land a fixed job?
Everyone has been there and when you hear people’s stories it sounds so simple. Things just magically fall into place and all works out great. And still, you have no idea how you can pass the intern status, why it should work out great for you, and where to start.
Let me calm you down by telling you a secret: It was not all that magical for the big majority of people.
But be aware:
You have to put in work, build relationships, and think ahead to be successful.
I was in the exact same place three years ago when I got my product design degree. Happy that I can call myself a designer with full confidence but scared that I will struggle to earn a satisfying salary over the next years and that I might not even get a job related to design.
After school, I did a 6 months internship which eventually turned into a permanent contract two years later. The 1.5 years in between were a period of several temporary positions within the company (which didn’t know that they need a designer. But this is a different story).
I transitioned through different teams and departments until signing the contract for my first fixed job. It was two years of constant “what if’s”, always having to think of plans a, b and c but it was also a process of growing into the position I’m in now.
The tips below sum up my own experience, tips I got from colleagues, and my observations of other interns who were also able to stay for a permanent position.
Be Transparent With Your Intentions
You can see yourself working at the company after the internship? Mention this to your boss as early as possible. Also start to casually mention it to people you’re talking to. It doesn’t have to be a formal ask for a fixed job or even an application for a specific position.
Just start turning the wheels in people’s heads.
They might come back with ideas for what positions to apply for. Or they might overhear the need for a new person in a meeting a few weeks later and remember your conversation.
Talk to Different People in Your Company
It’s easy to stay in the comfort zone of your immediate project team or fellow interns. Step out of that and talk to other people in your company.
People from other departments, more senior positions, or the intern from last year who landed a job inside the company.
You don’t have to demand a lot of time from them, take the opportunity when they are lining up for coffee behind you, when someone starts small talk with you at a company gathering or when you are eating your lunch next to someone you have never talked to.
From my experience, people are curious and open towards new joiners, especially students or graduates in their internship. They like to know what school you did before, how you found the company, what you do in your internship, and what your travel plans after the internship look like.
You never know how people are connected.
…Maybe the accountant is going to yoga with your boss’ boss and mentions to them what an energetic new intern they have met. And just like that, you have one additional referral you might not even know of.
And finally: If you are getting hired and have to work with them a few months later, it’s easier if you already know each other.
Ask as Many Questions as You Can
Elaborating on the point above, while talking to people, take advantage of their curiosity and ask them the same questions back: What is their background, how did they get to the position they are in now, how exactly does their daily work life look like, why do they like to work for the industry your company is in, what advice would they give to young people?
You will be surprised what different backgrounds they have and how their journey from studying to their current job looked like.
This is valuable ideas for how yours could look.
Search for role models and examples of how you can not imagine your daily work life.
Also, ask questions in your daily work. Don’t only execute tasks but ask how, why, and show further curiosity into what your team does.
Ask until you understand.
In meetings, be active and you guessed it — also ask questions. But doing that, be sensitive of who is in the room; it might not be appropriate to discuss internal topics in front of a customer or vendor or having a big team in the room it’s not smart to waste everyone’s time and spend 5 minutes on your personal knowledge gap. Rather grab the right person after the meeting and ask them one-on-one in this case.
Work Hard and Bring in Your Ideas
All of those tips will not work if you’re not a very reliable employee with a good attitude. Do your best work, show you’re there when it counts, think ahead, and most importantly, bring in your ideas.
Your personal touch on things is what differentiates you from everyone else.
Don’t sit there silently until your opinion is asked, proactively share how you would tackle a project and how you would solve a problem.
Find a Mentor
By talking to different people and working on your projects, watch out for a person who is willing to actively help you in your journey.
They will spend more time than one or two coffees and they will make the effort to connect their own experience and observations to your personal story, give you tips and if you are lucky, even work with you on developing missing skills.
They can take your hand in projects and for building your professional network.
Your mentor also will have more knowledge on how the business and politics in your company work and a simple hint on when is the right timing to send in your official job application can improve your chances a lot.
Watch out that you don’t use your mentor to do the work for you but to actively support you the first time and guide you to be able to do it without their help the next time.
Be Open
As you can learn from my story: You might not be able to stay in the team or position you have started your internship in.
And this doesn’t even have to be your fault.
Teams have limited headcounts, there might not be a position for what you (would like to) do or you might not bring the experience or expertise you need to have for a position. However, for companies, it’s hard to find dedicated, reliable employees.
By proving that you have all those qualities, you are a gain for the company and by being a proactive employee, the company might be willing to invest in you to keep you.
However, this might require trade off’s: It might be a temporary position instead of a fixed one, it might be a different position than the one you dream of, in a different department than you have started, at a different location, to a later time or even in a partner company.
Of course, say no to things you don’t see yourself in but be open for career suggestions or detours towards your dream position.
Final Thoughts
Following the tips above you will position yourself very well above average. This will either result in a fixed job inside your company or at least in a very good referral letter which helps you to get another job. It will on top grow your professional network which you will profit from throughout your career — you never know when paths with current coworkers cross in the future.
And My Bonus Tip: Return Value
On this journey, you will talk to many people, get lots of free advice, and some favors which will help your career a lot. It’s only fair to give back to everyone who helps you. This could be simple things like borrowing them your pen when they don’t have one at hand, introducing them to someone you know inside the company, sharing weekend trip ideas, spend two hours helping them out with their project, or if you’re a designer like me: Deleting the background of an image in photoshop so they can make their PowerPoint slide a little fancier looking. It doesn’t take much effort but provides value.
Out of my experience, little gestures like these go a longer way than bigger offers which they never will follow up on.
And as a side effect, it makes you a better, happier human.
Good luck on your way to a fixed job!
Did I miss something in my list? If yes, I would love it if you would add a comment to provide value to all future readers.
