10 ways to make the most of a summer internship

Making the most of your summer internship involves more than just completing assignments, collecting completion certificates and earning stipends. Here are some tips on how to make your summer internship experience more rewarding in your journey towards your future career.

Set specific goals: Create specific goals and list job-related skills that you wish you to achieve throughout your internship. This could be learning a skill such as leadership or critical thinking, or it could be about developing your knowledge in a certain area such as coding or legal skills.

Look beyond the stipend: I’ve often seen students focusing more on what they will earn than the learning experience they will gain during their internship. While earning is important, so is the learning potential. Always look for opportunities to learn new skill sets that will enhance your future job prospects.

Avoid overcommitment: Often students try to be more determined and committed than they are able to be, which results in burning out and being unable to fulfil the easiest task. It’s important to be familiar with your strengths and weakness and accept only work that you have the time to do. Conduct a SWOT analysis to help you determine what your strengths and weaknesses are.

Manage social media usage: Although many organisations have chat groups and channels for ease of communication, it’s important not to overuse them by sharing unprofessional emojis or messages. This also goes for sharing too much information about the work you are doing on your personal social media channels. Remember that you are now working a professional and so should conduct yourself that way.

Think long-term: Internships are often a good time to assess your priorities in terms of organisation culture, value system and principles. If your current internship aligns with your values, then it’s always a good idea to work hard in order to perhaps gain a more permanent role within the company. Many organisations will hire candidates who have done well in internships.

Stay calm: Most internship experiences are challenging and demanding, so it’s important to stay positive and expect the unexpected. Do not set a rigid framework from the internship experience: be flexible, be open to learn, unlearn and relearn.

Do not judge too quickly: Sometimes it can feel like the work allocated to you during the internship is not meaningful, and you may want to leave before you have completed it. Instead of leaving the internship halfway through, discuss your apprehensions with your supervisor and ask for clarity on tasks and if there may be a possibility to switch up your tasks.

Do not hesitate to shift your career gears: During your internship, you may realise that the career path you have chosen is actually not right for you. If this happens, do not panic and do not hesitate to shift your career gears and consider other areas that you might want to explore.

Seek feedback: Although we all know our strengths and weakness, it’s important to seek constructive feedback from your manager about areas of improvement and any appropriate steps needed to work on them. It’s always a good idea to seek feedback from your team members as well.

Reflect: Reflect on the goals that you had set against your achievements at the end. Try to analyse the gaps, if any, and the reasons they might have happened. Focus on how this internship period has shaped you as a person, document how you have grown throughout this journey – it will serve as a blueprint for your future career progression.