I was blessed to spend my summer working for Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health (LGH), assisting with their website migration. During the course of my internship, I gained more knowledge and experience than I was initially expecting.
In all, I migrated content from their current website, created and edited content for their health-related blogs, assisted with all aspects of social media (including posting, writing, and monitoring), created a food preparation video, and even modeled for a couple campaigns.
(Photo courtesy of Jill Gross from Lancaster General Health’s 125th Anniversary Celebration.)
I worried that my first internship with a major organization would be as scary as it is in the movies, but my co-workers and boss were not only incredibly encouraging, but were just plain kind and forward-thinking.
The stereotypical ‘go get me coffee’ scenarios played in my head days before going to Pennsylvania. Working at LGH is nothing like the movies, but more like working a dream job where everyone you meet has nothing but positive things to say. I was invited to every major meeting we held, asked for my opinion on differing topics and toured a new lab located in downtown Lancaster.
I want to give major thanks to the web services team for an amazing experience that I will hold close to my heart for as long as I live. I’m usually very hard on myself and to have multiple people believe in my work really makes me feel better than words can express.
Here is what I learned from my experience, and how you can land your dream internship:
1. Adopt and perfect soft skills
My boss, David, complimented me multiple times on the skills he referred to as ‘soft skills’. These skills are things such as drafting an email, that no one really teaches us how to do, but are expected of us in the corporate world. Soft skills will just add to your likability, because no one likes to go over small skills when you should be learning major skills to do your job.
2. Speak up when you have an idea
We are young and because of our youth, we have a different perspective than older employees might have. It’s okay to speak your mind when you feel like it’s appropriate and helpful. Though you are an intern, you’re still an employee and a part of the team.
3. Revise your resume to the job
Your resume is the first thing a hiring manager will see when you apply for a position. Make sure you’re changing the layout and word choice depending on each job you’re applying for. If they are looking for ‘people with experience in Microsoft Word,’ change your skills section to have Microsoft word listed first.
4. Prepare for your interview
Interviews can be scary, but you can prepare! Every interviewer I’ve spoken with has asked me to describe myself, so prepare an answer to who you are. Think about your goals, maybe your favorite thing to do, but make it concise and light hearted. You can also look up interview questions to test yourself.
5. Be yourself!
Confidence is key in landing any job. In order to have that confidence you must be comfortable and content with who you are and the situation you’re in. Hiring officials are also looking to see if your personality will fit with the company, so if you’re too nervous or don’t seem confident, it can lessen the chances of you being hired.
Special thank you to my co-workers (Colleen, James, Jill, Liz, Quan, Zack and the marketing and PR departments) and my boss(es), David and Corey for a great summer.