This may shock you, but the main reason to get an internship is not so you can slap something on your resume. Too often I hear about friends and peers taking internship opportunities, adding them to their long list of work or leadership experience and then forgetting they ever happened.
In reality, the goal is to use the advantages that come with an internship to make you the strongest candidate you can be for future employers. That means building on past experiences, networking, being productive and performing your best.
With the following five key words in mind, you will enhance likelihood for turnover, and make yourself a more qualified candidate when opportunities arise.
Coherence
A long resume with diverse experiences does not guarantee that you are a qualified candidate for the job. In fact, employers will probably be uninterested in reading through a lengthy resume. It’s important to find a linking factor between your current job and past work experiences. Whether you make this apparent on your resume or in an interview, be sure to highlight consistency within your skills by drawing on similar aspects of responsibilities or projects you previously held.
Reference
Take everything you learned from past work experiences and apply your knowledge. This will allow you to become aware of the best-practices in your field; this is essential as you grow from a student into a professional. Make an effort to keep in touch with past co-workers as you develop your career. When you come across challenges or need advice, then there are people that you can call who are willing to help.
Influence
Doing what you are expected to do isfine, but developing ideas to strengthen ongoing projects or to create new projects isbetter. As the intern, are you able to make a substantial influence on business? Think about how you as an individual can go beyond the call of duty. It is key to be a source of influence on a project, and it is also a quality employers actively seek.
Independence
Taking advantage of independence is difficult for students because we are so used to classroom procedures. Professors hand out detailed assignments, we do the homework, submit it and then hope for the best. But often times in business, managers will hand off vague ideas, and it is your job to develop and execute the project on your own. We often solely focus on how to work in teams, yet I’ve found that the biggest challenge is using your individual time efficiently to create the best results.
Performance
My mom always says, “Past behavior predicts future performance;” this could not be truer for employers. Rather than listing off your responsibilities as an intern, describe how you developed a project or overcame a challenge. Emphasize your ability to think critically in difficult situations rather than your ability to follow a task list. The quality and character of your performance is much more valuable than the actual task you are performing.
When you properly utilize your experience as an intern, employers will see that you’re already a pro!