Internships are a great way to gain real-world experience in the field that you’re majoring in. At one point or another, you’ll find yourself working as an intern during your college years. They help you grow your skills, portfolio, and networking connections and help you learn more about yourself as a person and as a professional individual.
These three questions are great because they will help you better understand what your employer is looking for as well as what they are expecting of you commitment-wise. It will also help you to get a better sense of what schedule they’d like to have you on. A lot of times with internships there is the expectation that you have to go above and beyond and be there more than you’ve been asked or longer than you are being paid for. Depending on the internship, this expectation can become a reality, but in most cases, internships are flexible with students if you communicate that with them from the very beginning your time commitments.
Having a healthy work-life balance is really important and it’s never too early to start practicing this with college internships. A great way to do this is to finalize your classes for the upcoming semester and to have a meeting with your employer to speak about their expectations for you and to discuss scheduling. That way, you already know where your academic commitments lie and you can plan around them. Don’t over schedule yourself and make sure to find a reasonable balance when it comes to scheduling. You know yourself and what you can handle best, so trust your judgement when making these decisions.
If you don’t speak up for yourself, no one will. That’s why setting expectations and communicating early on will help you down the line (especially when it comes to big projects). It’s best to give yourself time and let your boss know if you need more time when a situation arises. For example, if you know you have a big exam coming up in one of your classes and need to take one less shift that week, just let your boss know. Again, with most internships, supervisors understand you’re a student and they will be flexible if you give them at least a one to two weeks heads up that you need more time on a task or see a future schedule conflict.
You always want to keep a great relationship with your boss and be sure to communicate your progress on tasks and projects. A lot of internship supervisors appreciate updates because it shows you are taking responsibility, being transparent, and showing that you really care about the job.
Get out of your comfort zone and don’t be afraid to talk to people or ask for help. Finding a mentor or a connection at an internship or company is always beneficial and it never hurts to network during your time there. Honestly, sometimes it is the mentors who work with you and show you the ropes that help you learn and grow the most.
Networking is also crucial because the connections with employers and/or colleagues can help you land a job after college. If you are successful in an internship, your supervisors may hire you full time if you’re close to graduating.
Boundaries and communication are really important, but at the end of the day, you want to do your best and succeed. Give internships your all, show them your best work, and continue to grow your skills, portfolio, and connections. Overall, you can have many great internship experiences and grow a lot as a person. Just remember to vouch for yourself and speak up when it comes to your schedule so you can get the most out of the internship without compromising other parts of your life, health, or academics. With that being said, best of luck to anyone reading who’s pursuing a future in-person or virtual internship.