I did it. I spent hours editing my resume and cover letter, stressed about what to wear to the interview, then it was all over and I was being offered a position in Public Relations & Communications at a marketing firm in Toronto.
There are hundreds of articles online telling you how to eat, breathe, sit and stand properly when starting a new job, but here’s another one to add to the mix. I made it through four months of a marketing internship in Toronto and despite what little money I have to show for it (thank you 404 traffic and INSANE gas prices), I don’t regret it. The things I learned are payment enough.
Here are the five things my summer internship taught me:
1. You don’t have to be an expert right away.
I had to make a conscious effort to remind myself that I was hired for a reason. My bosses knew that I didn’t have extensive experience with PR and if they didn’t expect me to be an expert, I shouldn’t have expected that from myself. I was expected to ask questions and do my best to learn. It was a revelation for me, that I could just try my best and that was acceptable. Be patient with yourself and remember that you can take the time to learn and grow into a new role.
2. Don’t apologize.
I learned that I didn’t need to apologize for every little thing. In our end of summer meeting, my boss told me that I often apologized for asking valid questions when things were unclear. She was right when she said that asking questions isn’t something to feel sorry for. It shows you care about the quality of your work and that you’re committed to learning. Just remember that asking questions isn’t inherently wrong and, while you should problem-solve on your own when possible, your bosses are there to help you!
3. Be yourself!
This may be an obvious one but at the beginning of the summer, I wasn’t sure how much of my personal life to share. I was questioning whether it would be appropriate to talk about my interests, relationships, feelings or any other parts of my identity in a professional environment. It’s important to remember that your co-workers are also people with lives outside of work and (at least in my scenario) sharing pieces of our personal lives helped us connect and create more lasting memories and relationships. That said, there is definitely an appropriate time and place for these conversations, but don’t shy away from them if that chance presents itself!
4. Relationships are key.
Again, this may be a simple observation but I thought I’d share my take. Building relationships seems easy enough but the hard part is making genuine connections. Find common ground, make a sincere effort to learn about your colleagues and look for ways to build (and maintain) that budding friendship. Everyone knows something you don’t. Everyone has experienced something you haven’t. People are interesting! If you make a conscious effort to know people, you’ll leave your internship more fulfilled.
5. Be uncomfortable!
This is something I am, and probably always will be, working on. It’s a classic piece of advice: when you leave your comfort zone, good things follow. It’s a cliché for a reason and it rings true in the context of entering the unfamiliar territory of an internship. The only way to grow is to challenge yourself. Try new things, say “yes!” and just wait to feel like a BOSS after conquering something you never thought you would experience.
Internships don’t need to be scary, but they should be exciting! Be excited to challenge yourself, make lasting memories and don’t stress too much about the learning curve. Take time to reflect on your progress every couple of weeks, have open conversations with your supervisors and write an article for Her Campus Western about the experience when you’re done!
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