This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Ship chapter.
Everyone knows Shippensburg University stresses internships – but we don’t always know much about them. First off, how do you get one? What do you do during an internship? Why bother to do an internship? And just how much DO you have to work at your internship? Well… HC Ship’s Alli H. answered all our questions in this interview!
The In’s and Out’s of an Internship: From HC Ship’s Alli H.
- What is your job/internship title? “I didn’t have an official job title I was just “the intern.””
- What company is your internship with? The Healey Group financial planners
- How did you find out about your internship? My uncle is the CEO.
- Did references help you to get your internship? “Although I didn’t need one because he’s my uncle, I’m sure references would always be a help to getting an internship.”
- How often did/do you work at your internship? “I worked every weekday 9-5ish for about 6 weeks at the end of the summer.”
- What are your duties at your internship? “Make online profiles for clients, organize and get rid of files and information in the files we didn’t need.”
- What have you learned at Ship that helped or helps you in your internship? “I’ve learned that you just need to put yourself out there. Even if people don’t remember your name, people remember faces and first impressions are key.”
- What has helped you to be successful in your internship? “Listening to details and doing everything in a reasonable amount of time. Business isn’t going to stop and wait for you, you have to be prompt and professional.”
- What advice would you give to others when they are looking for an internship? “Keep your options open and don’t only look for a specific internship. Any internship can help and will help you get even more down the road.”
- What advice would you give to others when dealing with things they were not originally signed up for? “I would pull your boss or whoever is in charge of your internship and talk to them about how this isn’t exactly what you were looking to do with this internship and maybe suggest something else you could do for them.”
- What is your favorite part about your internship? “I love that I get to meet people and that I know what I’m doing is very important for the company even though I’m just an intern.”
- What is your least favorite part about your internship? “The amount of paperwork that is involved. I have so many files I have to sort, organize, scan and make profiles for.”
- What is something surprising you’ve learned while on the job? “That I actually enjoy working at a desk in an office.”
- What is something you’ll take with you from this experience? “Professionalism. Without a doubt. And I couldn’t tell you how many times someone has said to me, “nice handshake! That’s very important to have in the business world.”
- What advice would you give for the next person who will have your position? “Be organized!! Stay with one task at a time. It’s impossible to multitask when you have hundreds of papers in front of you.”