Practical Tips For You To Get The Best Internship
Another college year is close to its end and you can’t wait for sunny days of deserved rest. However, you feel the need to practice some of the things you learned or are already stressing with next year's internship because you know almost nothing about the market you’re about to step into. Let us soothe some of your anxiety with some tips on how to choose and where to start your internship stages:
Culture and values: Brian Chesky, Co-Founder and CEO of Airbnb, once said that “Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with passion”. Join a company that you admire, and share the same values as you, in a team that works with the same passion that you have. You never know if you will be there for a few months, or a few years, so start in a company that will make you feel proud when you say: I’m an intern at ____”.
The project: Sometimes companies have conceptual projects or ideas for smaller projects that are just waiting for a better moment to start, ask for those ideas. You may already have some guidelines of what you want to do or feel the need to purpose a project that you may like to develop but ask anyway. You’ll have more information about the direction of the company, the expectations for the next months and the teams you’ll work with. An open mind is an open door to knowledge.
Internship manager: Of course you will work with more people than your internship manager, but this person will be your guide and your best example in the company. It’s important to know them before you start, ask all the questions you have about the background, the work within the company and the team, goals and expectations, and whatever you feel is appropriate. I’m not saying you must interview your interviewer, but you will want to have a great connection with this person. So, go for it.
Local: Do you want to live abroad? Do you want/need to stay around your residence area? Do you want/need to stay close to some friends? You must think this is the least concern for you at this moment but will interfere with your motivation if you feel uncomfortable with the travels that you’d do to get to work or not. Another question you should do is if you can do remote work or if you need to be in the company (of course it depends on the type of work and project that you need/want to do). For example, if you are a social person, maybe you like going to the office and working directly with the team and that can be a problem if the company you choose works remotely all the time.
Timing and schedule: Another thing to ask is about work schedules. Will you have flexibility or a fixed agenda? Do you need more control to work better or do you like to work autonomously and by tasks? These minor points will affect your expectations and the expectations of the company about you and your work, so don’t be afraid to settle things as they are. Honesty is always the better way to go.
Of course, this all sounds very simple, but how will you find a company where you fit perfectly? Sorry to disappoint you, but you probably won’t. Nobody fits perfectly anywhere (we don’t have an insight sense for that, yet), especially when you are starting your career. But you can be close to that. Let us give you some quick tips:
Start your search now even if you will only start in three months. Start asking for interviews, follow the companies that fit your profile on LinkedIn and some people that work there too. In three months, not only you will be looking, but all your classmates or senior students. Prepare the ground, do your homework, and save yourself (and the company), some stress in the last month.
Do you know someone, somewhere? Talk to them about the opportunities in their company. Remember that there is no one more reliable to talk to you about the culture of the company than the people that work there.
Watch webinars, go to career fairs, conferences, and anywhere the companies go to present themselves to students and future employees. Ask all the things you feel necessary to engage with companies' mission and values and search about it. In this global world, we are all united by information, use it wisely.
Do you need more advice/suggestions on this issue? Do you want to know more about what we do and how we are improving people’s lives? Feel free to talk to us about anything you feel necessary.
Reach us at info@adapttech.eu
