We all desire to be the best intern that we can be, and maybe the best that the company has ever seen. Regardless of whether its for personal reasons or to impress others here are 3 things that you can do to give yourself a boost over other interns.

1. Don’t act like an intern.
   - From day 1, treat your internship like its a real, full-time job. You want to be as professional and responsible as everybody else at the company. By doing this, you will show the company that you mean business and just because you’re an intern doesn’t mean you should be treated as one.
2. Ask for feedback on your performance.
   - It shows alot about you when you ask for feedback. Asking for feedback means that you care about the way you are performing, and that you will be proactive when it comes to seeking perfection. Don’t be afraid to receive negative feedback because in fact, that’s what you need to hear. You have a real opportunity to improve when you receive constructive criticism. Show employers that you will continue to improve and they will be thrilled!
3. Be involved at meetings.
   - Many times you will be pulled into meetings that are related to your project and others will discuss different issues, news, and ideas. If you have input don’t be afraid to speak up, especially if it involves an issue that someone may have overlooked. By calling attention to that issue you could receive tons of respect and credit from the others. Most interns never speak at meetings and the fact that you did will separate you from the pack. But don’t just do it for the accolades, do it for the good of the company.

Begin with the end in mind I was told, but I didn’t realize the meaning of it until the end of my time there. What it meant to me was simple, imagine what the results of your actions will be and that be your motivation to get things done.

There were times when I needed to contact someone to get things done but was hesitant because talking to someone new that you depend can be a hassle. You’ve probably had your own moments when you needed to contact someone but you’d put it off until later because its so easy to procrastinate when your uncomfortable. Well part of what I learned was to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Anytime you are pulled out of your comfort zone you face a great opportunity for development. I went from receiving assignments and being timid to make the call to someone, to running out of my seat and personally talking to someone if I could. I started to see that imagining what the results of my task would be was a big part of curing the discomfort I felt. So I knew that if I just executed my task and didn’t waste time, then it would all be over.

This thinking is useful in many situations in life. Begin with the end in mind and get used to being uncomfortable because in life you’ll face many situations where you’ll be uncomfortable. I continue to use that mindset everyday.

Back to reality they say, no more summer fun! Well its good to be back to Temple. I had a summer internship at a place that we could say is “Mmm Mmm Good!” After this internship experience I came out a changed man.

At my internship, I was given my own desk, phone, and computer. They assured me from day one that I’d be doing mission critical tasks, not busy work. They were right. I was in meetings with Senior level Managers, VPs and C-Level officers almost weekly. I owned my own project and was expected to get it done and keep the status of my work known to the team.

A big thing happened with my project, I couldn’t complete it myself. I had to break down and get help. I felt like I was a complete failure but then I was assured that sometimes you’re going to need someone’s assistance to get stuff done.

I come from a background that highly values autonomy and independence. I hated to ask for help. But as time progressed I realized that all the emphasis on team work in school is for a reason. The new era values interdependence, and being a good team player. I am starting to like this new way of thinking because now I get to manage my relationships with other people and get work done through them. My advice to everyone is to abandon their thoughts that you can do everything yourself in this world, because you can’t always do it. Work on your peoples skills because those are the most valuable skills to have.

to be continued…

NACE, The National Association of Colleges and Employers, the governing body of many Career Services and hiring managers, has issued its newest statistics on the importance of the internship.

Following are some highlights from the 2008 NACE Experiential Education Survey:

• The percent of interns receiving full time job offers as a result of their internships increased from 56.9% in 2001 to 69.6% in 2008.
• The percent of interns converted to full time employees (those offered jobs that accepted) has increased from 35.6% in 2001 to 50.5% in 2008.
• “High-Touch” activities are rated as the most effective recruiting methods in filling internship positions and are also the most widely used.  Participating in career fairs, recruiting on campus, and getting referrals from interns lead the list of the most widely used and effective recruiting techniques.
• The paid internship is a nearly univeral practice among respondents to the survey…More than 99% of respondents reported paid internships within their organization. (This is true here at The Fox School as well.  Many of our internships pay between $15 and $23 an hour!  The national average is $16.33 per hour.)
• The most widely applied benefit for interns is the copmany-sponsored social event.  2/3 of respondents indicated underwriting such activities for their interns.
• 1 out of 2 employers provides their interns with paid holidays and 45% provide some level of relocation assistance.

As you can see from the above statistics, there is a lot of proof as to the importance of the internship and how it can lead to a full time job offer.  Remember, many employers use their internship program as their feeder for their full time college hiring.  For these employers it is difficult to be hired out of college, if you dont have previous internship experience at their organization! 

If you are still interested in a summer internship, check FoxNet!  We still have a lot of great internship opportunities for students interested in interning this summer.