How to make the most out of an internship

Every college student in the world should compulsorily sign up for an internship. It is always better to learn from your own mistakes – rather than learn the hard way in your first job out of college.

When you are interning, you learn to handle multiple responsibilities. Even though they may be small, but they are important. An internship also enhances your resume and you as a person. The experience as an intern is important for your official job and future.

To make the most out of an internship:

1. Broaden your knowledge

When your internship starts, just don’t do the itty-bitty work assigned to do.
Keep your mind and ears open. Absorb as much as knowledge about the work you are doing.
If you are into web development department or marketing department or any, talk to higher-ups, your colleagues regarding what work they do, how they coordinate, etc.

Try to get to know how the company works, how people work and what makes the company run.

There might be so many people doing the same job as you but in a much efficient manner. Be friends with them, ask how they do it.

There more knowledge you gain about your work, work culture, environment, and people, the more you will explore sides to what you like and don’t like.

An internship is a great step to get to know what is it that you want to do in your career.

2. Share your opinions

Don’t ever think just because you are a new intern and there for a short period of time, you shouldn’t share opinions.
Your opinions are what make you unique.
Your opinions are what make you stand out.
Your opinions will take you farther than you thinking to keep quiet and not give voice to them.
At the workplace, when a team meeting is held or any co-worker asks for your help, give out your recommendations and what you think about it and most importantly why you think it would go right or wrong.

This will give them a look at your mind and how expressive you are even if you are not right.
State your opinions at the right time in the right place.

3. Improve and learn new skills

During your internship, you have to take one step ahead and try to learn new skills.

You might know how to use excel but do you know it in an efficient manner?

You might know how to handle Instagram business accounts but have you thought about improving your captions?
With each work you do, keep a log of all the work and reflect on it every week.
This will help you learn things faster and in a better way.

4. Have Goals for your internship period

Create a list of goals you want to achieve from this internship.

List like:

• Skills to learn
• What you want to learn
• Things you want to do during internship
• Books to read relating to the field

Also lists like:

• What inputs you gave
• What you learnt
• What new resources you got to know

Such lists help you keep track of where you are going in your career path and may even help you to add in the resume.

Goals get you closer to where you want to go and checking the to-do list one point at a time will help you get closer and grow your confidence.

5. Ask for Feedback

Feedback is the most important part of your life.

With honest feedback, people climb the stairs higher than with no feedback at all.

During the internship, after the first month of your periods, ask about your performance to your boss and your colleagues.

Ask them how you carried out your work and if you have made any mistakes, what were those and how can you improve.
It sometimes becomes difficult to cope up with criticism, but it depends upon us which to take and improve on and which to ignore.

Choose selective criticism and work on it and you will improve a great deal.

Internship teaches you all about workplace practices, professionalism, networking, multitasking and team building early on before an actual job. Internship helps you cope with 9 to 5 jobs easily rather than going nervous on your first day. An internship is your first step to your vision dream career.