Leveraging summer internships for post-graduation opportunities

Summer internships are one of the most powerful tools you have to strengthen and elevate your resume before entering the job market while figuring out what it is that you want to do in the future. It’s a time to explore career paths, build your skill set, and most importantly, expand your network.

Make the most of your internships

It’s a time to develop your work ethic and build your reputation. Show initiative, meet deadlines, participate in team meetings, and always seek feedback. Today, companies want candidates who have honed their skills in agile environments.

Quantify Your Achievements

For each internship, keep track of your projects, the skills you learned, and the measurable accomplishments you and your team were responsible for.  Quantify your results so your impact is measured. And if you can’t easily quantify your impact, make sure to keep track of the context you worked in (level of complexity), document possible indirect impacts of your work to show your value and accomplishments. An example of this might be, explain how your work supported the broader goals such as “supported the sales team which resulted in increased customer satisfaction”.

Build Skills That Translate Across Industries

Projects during an internship will lead to tasks related to communication, teamwork, project management, time management and problem-solving, skills that employers in any field are looking for. Add any of the new tools you have become familiar with as well during that time.

Ask for Feedback and Seek Mentorship

Your summer colleagues and supervisors are all instrumental to your professional growth. As the saying goes, feedback is a gift so ask for it regularly to help you reach your career goals. Additionally, mentors within the organization can offer career advice, help you expand your network, and become your references for future applications.

Expand Your Network

A strong professional network is critical for job opportunities and career advancement. So during your summer internship, attend your company events, connect on LinkedIn with your peers and colleagues, and stay in touch with coworkers afterwards.

Need some guidance? Schedule an introductory session today.