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Preparing for Your Internship:

Tips for

Success

Your internship is here and you have some questions that you need to answer:

1) “What do I hope to gain from this experience?”2) “What attitude will I have entering this

internship?”

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Whether your internship is paid, for-credit, or on a voluntary basis, it is worth the commitment. But this is only true if you take advantage of it.

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Know what you’re getting yourself into-What does your company do, what is its mission, and how does its work relate to your career plan?

Know your role-Every employee is valuable and has a job to do, how does your job affect the company’s objectives?

Know your skills and experience-What courses have taught you information relevant to this experience?-What professional or volunteer experiences have made you a prime candidate for your position?

-What does your company expect you to know and not know?

Continuous education- What can you do before, during and after your internship to make you the best intern this company has ever had?

Getting the internship is just the first step, knowing what to do once you get there is a whole other process!

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Know what to expect on your first dayMake sure that you know who your Initial Contact, whether it is the Human Resource (HR) Manager or your direct Supervisor.

Find out all the necessary information about your first day:

-dress code-work day hours-lunch hours-schedule for the week-name of Supervisor (if known)-point of contact for duration of internship (if not your Supervisor), and -anything you will need to bring (social security card, driver’s license, etc.).

In a formal business environment, the standard of dressing for men and women is a suit, a jacket and pants or a skirt, or a dress paired with appropriate accessories.

Clothing that reveals too much cleavage, your back, your chest, your feet, your stomach or your underwear is not appropriate for a place of business. In our work environment, clothing should be pressed and never wrinkled. Torn, dirty, or frayed clothing is unacceptable. All seams must be finished. Any clothing that has words, terms, or pictures that may be offensive to other employees is unacceptable.

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Make it to your first dayIt is not uncommon for people to be late on their first day of the job. Avoid this at all costs!

EVERYONE drives in LA traffic, you won’t be exempted for being late. If you are taking public transportation, same rule applies.

Make a strong first impressionApart from being dressed to impress, make sure that:

-your appearance is professional (hair, makeup, facial hair, etc.; links are available on the next slide to help you walk through this), -you are polite, and -you are eager to please.

There is no punishment for a “dumb question” but there can be one for an assumption.

So you’ve made it and the first day went well.

There are several pitfalls that an intern can run into during his/her first week on the job. It’s helpful to know what to look out for.

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You are an intern, not an employeeIt is not unreasonable for you to see an employee do something and for you to think you are also able to do it, such as making a personal call on the company telephone, or checking your email on the company computer.

Focus on self-preservation, and keep by the rules. Worst comes to worst, if it’s an emergency (you’re cell phone died, you’re going to work late, and your ride is picking you up at your normal time, you need to use a phone), make sure to ask your supervisor and explain the situation.

Be willing to extend yourself, and your timeThis is important for two reasons:

1)internships are a great way to network, and 2)you want to be the best intern this company ever had.

Be the go-to person and those people will look to you for help.

And you want to help because you want to learn as much as possible, and you can only do that through experience.

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Network as if your life depended on itMost people don’t realize how easy networking can be, or how important it is to one’s professional success, both short and long-term.

In your company alone, you have several contacts that can make an impact during your job search.

Each person in that company has their own network, their “rolodex,” that is brimming with contacts that can help you later.

And networking isn’t just important to help you get a job, it could help you figure out what that job should be.

Priority #1: Your Task ListPriority #2: Observation and

Networking9

Prioritize your InternshipMany, if not all, of us enjoy and yearn for our free time.

But there is a drawback to walking into your internship and not making it a priority:

-You plan events right after your day that may conflict with projects-You make yourself unavailable for potential networking opportunities, such as dinner with colleagues-You end up having to cancel plans with your friends/family because you have to stay late on tasks that you haven’t finished

Most importantly, treat this as a job. When people lack rest on the job, they make sloppy mistakes, forget things of importance, act out of character, and are likely to be unapproachable. Two hours of partying is not worth the risk of networking and valuable work experience.

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Turn this opportunity into a learning experienceTreat your internship as if it were a class; take notes and take advantage of all hands-on experiences!

Aside from performing your job to the best of your ability, learn about other people’s jobs, other departments within the company, and make sure you understand how the company operates.

Your pad should have a new note or contact’s information everyday that you are interning.

At the end of the day, take 10-15 minutes to look through your notes for that day and jot down any questions you have or any personal reflections about people you meet or things that you observed.

Most importantly, note any new projects or new skills that you gained that day. You can use this for your resume later! 11

Many of these are common sense, but if they are not, commit them to memory!

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Have your cell phone off or on vibrate AT ALL TIMES.

Your supervisor is your boss. If someone asks you to help them on something, before you give them an answer, go to your supervisor.

Get regular feedback. From the get-go, ask your supervisor if you can have regular check-ins with him/her where you can find out how you’ve been doing.

Don’t simply ask, “How am I doing?” 9 times out of 10, they will say “fine” and leave it at that.

Ask real questions, such as “How can I improve?” or “I did XYZ on this project, could I have done it differently?” You WANT feedback, it will make you a better person and a well-rounded employee.

Making the most of your internship as it closesYour internship is coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean your experience is over.

Use your last week or two to get any outstanding questions that you have answered. Make sure to get the contact information for people that you’ve met (AND their secretaries) for later.

The weekend before your last week, take time to make a list of all of your main contacts, and write out thank you cards to each one.

Thank people who have made a difference during your internshipFor those that you would like to stay in contact with, ask them in person if it would be okay with them for you to contact them after the internship if you have questions.

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Set up a meeting or lunch with your supervisor for your last day.

•Use that time to fill him/her in on projects that you worked on and people that you met. •Provide him/her with a document that you prepare in advance that highlights this information. •Ask if he/she would be willing to write a recommendation letter for you that you can use later.

Making the most of your internship after its doneIf time permits, ask your supervisor what he/she thinks would be pertinent for your resume depending on what career you hope to achieve.

Revise your resume immediately after your internship so that you don’t forget those experiences, and send your draft to your supervisor for his/her feedback.

Do not let 3 or 4 months pass before you reach out to contacts from your internship. Make plans to contact them a few weeks or a month after the internship is over.

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Dress for Success

http://humanresources.about.com/od/workrelationships/a/dress_formal.htm

How to make the most of your internship

http://www.quintcareers.com/internship_success.htmlhttp://career-advice.monster.com/in-the-office/starting-a-new-job/have-a-great-

first-day/article.aspx

Success Stories

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/02/0226_interns/source/1.htm

Networkinghttp://career-advice.monster.com/in-the-office/starting-a-new-job/network-at-

your-new-job/article.aspx

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Now go out there and be a success!

South Central Scholars Foundation29000 S. Western Ave., Suite 401, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

P (310) 833-1670 F (310) 833-1677 www.southcentralscholars.org

For more information, contact Meredith Curry at

meredith@southcentralscholars.orgor Genevieve Richards at

genevieve@southcentralscholars.org