Turn Your Internship Into A Full Time Job: 4 Ways To Impress

It’s internship season and that means it’s the perfect time for interns to make an impression and launch a great career. You can turn a summer opportunity into a long-term position by setting yourself apart, demonstrating your skills and being the employee a company wants to hire for the duration.

For smart companies and interns, the internship is essentially an enhanced interview and an extended evaluation on both sides—with the organization getting to know young talent and new workers determining whether a company is right for them.

As an intern, there’s plenty you can do to set yourself up for success and increase the chances for a full-time offer when the summer soirée comes to an end.

Demonstrate Motivation

Perhaps the most important thing you can do to set yourself apart is to do great work—no matter what you’re asked to do. The challenge for any company is to give meaningful assignments to someone who will only be working a short time and who—by definition—doesn’t know much about the organization.

As a result, your work may be spotty, and this is one of the hardest things about being an intern. You’ll be busy some days and slower on others. You’ll be asked to work on things which are substantive as well as some that feel insignificant.

Even with the ebbs and flows, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of doing your best work no matter what. Whether you’re doing a complete evaluation of an operational system with the goal of recommendations for important innovations or cleaning up a database line-by-line, perform brilliantly.

Companies are looking for talent and skill, but also for gumption, grit and motivation—and often the project that feels below your skill level is still a huge value to the organization. It may be the assignment no one else has had time to do, or it is the ingredient for a larger outcome which will come next.

In fact, every job at every level will have things which are more and less satisfying—so it’s also good preparation to get used to managing your motivation even if you’re not loving every moment of your work. In addition, you can look for places to shine by taking initiative, offering to help in additional ways or finding ways to go above and beyond.

Invest your energy, make the effort, and do your best work. Take initiative and be flexible in accepting all kinds of assignments. Be consistent in demonstrating your commitment and your work ethic. How you work on things both big and small will add value—and they’ll make a difference in how your employer views you.

Demonstrate Curiosity

Your short-term assignment is an important time to learn as much as you can—not just about the role you’re fulfilling, but also about the company, the industry and the market. When you’re up against others for a regular full-time position, the knowledge you build during your internship can give you a leg up.

Read all you can, from company reports to organizational histories. Take advantage of classroom or online learning the company offers. Ask questions and be curious so you can explore broadly and deeply.

Use the opportunity to learn about yourself as well. Notice the kinds of tasks that energize you the most. Pay attention to the problems which arise in different parts of the business and what kinds of things you’re most excited to solve. Be aware of the people in different departments and where you seem to speak the same language and have a sense of simpatico. Consider what kinds of challenges get you more (or less) excited so you can shape your goals and priorities based on what you’ve had the opportunity to experience in your internship.

Also keep in mind, learning what you love to do is as important as learning what you might want to avoid—all of it can help you shape your vision and direction for where you want to go next.

And a caveat: As you’re using the opportunity for learning, also ensure you’re getting your work done for your boss, your team and your department. You want to soak in all you can, but you also want to demonstrate your focus and commitment toward the role you’ve been asked to accomplish.

Demonstrate Relationship Acumen

Make plenty of connections and get to know people. Be intentional about this. Set up one-on-ones with people in a variety of roles, departments and levels. You can ask your boss to help create a runway with an introductory email or take your own initiative (ensuring your leader is comfortable with you reaching out).

In your meetings with people, be prepared with questions and make a point of listening. You’ll make a great impression by focusing on learning about them, rather than making it about you.

Ask them about their role and the content of their work. Find out about their background and what led them to their current career. Inquire about what it takes to be successful in the department they represent. Ask about the company and how they would characterize its culture. Request their advice—about succeeding in their company and in advancing your career generally. Connect with people on LinkedIn so you can stay in touch.

Go into your meetings with openness, and also reassure yourself people generally like to be helpful to those who are new in their careers—and they’re happy to spend the time. That said, plan on brief meetings (usually 30 minutes is plenty) and manage yourself so you end on time. People will appreciate your respect for your time and your ability to manage the meeting.

Be sure you’re authentically focused on them and on learning. It will be clear if you’re just trying to check the boxes on your questions and get through the meeting. Express gratitude for all they share.

Consider that everyone you meet has something you can learn from, no matter what their role or their level. And know that each person you meet may come into your career later on (even if it seems unlikely!).

Demonstrate Both Confidence and Humility

Another important nuance of an internship is how you show up in terms of your attitude. Be confident and feel assured that the company has chosen you because they believe you bring value and have something to contribute.

At the same time, realize you have a lot to learn. Avoid being arrogant about your background or education, and avoid assuming you have it all figured out. Be appropriately deferential toward people who have been around longer and who have deep knowledge and expertise from whom you can learn. And don’t be afraid to ask questions when you don’t understand something.

Share your opinion and point of view, but also focus on listening to others and respecting all they have to offer from their perspectives.

Assessing What’s Right For You

As you’re putting yourself forward and giving the organization the opportunity to get to know you, you’re also learning about them—and whether the culture will be one you want to invest in over time.

Look for leaders you respect and clear mission, direction and values. Assess whether employees have the opportunity for influence and involvement. Also watch for clarity in processes and healthy ways of managing conflict. And assess how well the organization listens to customers, markets and competitors so they can adapt.

These are ingredients of cultures which tend to be more successful and those in which you’re more likely to thrive.

Embrace the Experience

Overall, embrace the experience. Your internship will be short and intense, so have fun with it. Do great work, learn a lot, make tons of connections and figure out what you want to do as you go forward—enjoying the journey!