We are starting an internship spotlight here at HCSC this summer, so if you landed yourslef an amazing job, let us know! Seriously, share how you landed it, what you’re doing there and any tips you’ve picked up along the way!
Lexi is our co-campus correspondent. She’s loud AF, but normally only when talking about her love of pugs. This summer, she is interning in Philadelphia at FlockU, an online content site geared to a college audience. As an editorial intern, she edits submissions, pitches her own articles and creates graphics. Here are her tips to kickin’ ass and taking names.
For starters, it doesn’t matter if you are an intern, or if you have just accepted your first part or full-time position. You should walk into work everyday with the intention of doing better than you did the day before. Secondly, you should be walking into work early every morning. Seriously, getting to work early makes a difference- 30 minutes or no dice.
Now that you have made it to work, early might I add, you should get your to-do list in order and respond to emails. Be sure to organize what you need to do by priority level first, and then get a head start on daily tasks.
When it comes to daily tasks and prioritization, here are a few simple tips to help you figure out what to do. If you have daily assignments, finish them first. They’re normally easy and probably feel like second nature by now. Aside from daily tasks, think of your assignments fluidly. For example, if I am doing daily edits for future posts, but get asked to fix an article header, I’ll put my edits to the side and fix the header first. More timely things, or tasks that don’t require a lot of time should move up on your list.
Getting your work done should always be a high priority, but make sure you take time out of you day to mingle with co-workers or ask their opinions on your work or give them your opinions on what they have going on. One thing I have learned is that your work should speak for itself, by that, I mean you should be turning in good shit. No halfsies here. But, turning in good work isn’t enough.
Here’s why: you need to be able to offer the company something else your competitors can’t. For example, as an editorial intern, I need to be able to upload articles using a CMS, edit article submissions and pitch my own article ideas. But, if that’s all I was able to do, I would be only be okay- at best.
If you want to take your game up a notch, spend time learning from people that are not just in your department. Trust me, people are always willing to help.
Sending a simple, “Hey can you go over this with me” chat or asking a co-worker to sit down with you and teach you more about a program they use everyday is really easy and also super helpful. Plus, it gives you time to build a better relationship with them.
My last bit of advice is to always say yes. That doesn’t mean saying yes to assignments you don’t feel comfortable with. Or saying yes to assignments you can’t reasonably finish by the due date. What that means, is stepping up if someone needs help. For example, if someone asks me to fix a header, edit an article, add subtitles to a video- or anything- I do it.
As an intern, you are there to learn. Don’t waste your time by staring at the clock or goofing off. There’s definitely a balance to strive for, but being labeled the over-achiever is never a bad thing.
Follow Lexi on Twitter and Instagram, if you love Starbae and basic-pics, she’s your new go-to.