It’s crazy how fast time flies. I’m sure for many on internship, you can vividly remember when you found out you got an interview and then walked through the doors of the organization for the first time. Now, as your internship winds down, it’s the best time to do the opposite. This is the time to start thinking about the things you can do to put yourself in the best situation when you walk out of those doors. For me, internship was a time when I made some incredible connections with people who continue to help me today, whether it be passing my resume along, helping me prepare for an interview, or just sitting down for a coffee and enjoying their company. So here are a few hints of advice I’d pass along to you as you fly through your last month on the job:
Critique Your Resume
Take advantage of the wealth of knowledge your manager and the ones around you have by asking them to look at your resume. Since resumes are so subjective, it’s great to get as much feedback as possible. When I was on internship, I printed off multiple resumes and asked 11 managers to give me feedback on it. I ended up having seven resumes returned to me, all with different feedback so I could see which notes were corrections across the board and which ones seemed to be more subjective to the particular manager. My resume looked night and day after getting that feedback – who better to get notes from on a resume than the ones hiring intern/entry level jobs?
Search For Other Opportunities
It was a connection I made as an intern that led me to my second internship with the Vancouver Canucks. I took time to speak with each of the managers to let them know my goal for my second internship and asked whether they could help in any way. It turned out one of the managers in my summer internship had worked with a manager at the Canucks during the Vancouver Olympics. One thing lead to the next and I had landed myself my second internship through that connection. Once your foot is in the door, the sports world gets smaller and smaller. As an intern, now is a great time to speak with different managers within your organization to see whether they can lead you to other opportunities – internally or externally. If you have spent the last three months working hard for them, I can guarantee they will want to do what they can to help you reach your next goal.
Write Thank You Notes
Write them and write them to everyone who helped you, even if it was seemingly insignificant. The importance of handwritten thank you notes were stressed to me by my professors throughout my time as a student – what better way to show how appreciative you are of someone’s time than taking the few extra minutes to actually hand write it. It’s a nice touch, it’s more meaningful than an email, and it’s a small way to show your gratitude for what someone has done for you.
Ask For Feedback
One of my only regrets through my internship time was not asking for feedback on a regular basis. Make it a priority to sit down with your manager to receive feedback on how you can improve. Not only will it benefit you as an employee, it also shows initiative and how much you care.
Enjoy your fleeting time as an intern – the work is just beginning!
Sara
