Making the

Most of your

Summer

Internship

Learning Objectives

Identify strategies to make you

successful at your internship

Learn how to use internship to clarify

career goals

Identify strategies on how to proceed

when you are not given guidelines

Overview

We will discuss…

- What to do before the internship

- What to do during the internship

- What to do after the internship

Before the Internship

Find out key information – Who, What, When, Where?

Training

Orientation/Onboarding

Daily schedule

Pay

What hours are you working? Weekends?

Where do you go on your first time? What time do you report?

Plan out your commute

Get your paperwork in order

Before the Internship

Chart your goals

- What skills do you want to develop?

- Who do you want to meet?

- What projects do you want to take on?

Think back to when you first found your internship. Why did you apply?

- List 3 goals you want to accomplish during your internship

Set realistic goals and revisit periodically throughout internship. This will help you make sure you are on

the right track.

Working With Your Supervisor

Meet with Supervisor- Set expectations for this early on

- Ask for feedback

“As an intern you may not have a formal review until the end of the summer so it’s important to ask for feedback on a regular basis”

Clarify Objectives- Goals, expectations, evaluate performance

Questions, questions, questions- This is the best part of being an intern! It is also

expected.

Scenario

Julia has been at her internship for 3 weeks and has not had a meaningful conversation with her supervisor since her first few days there. She is frustrated and running out of things to keep herself occupied.

What are some things Julia can do to improve her situation?

Scenario

John is interning and has been asked

to make copies multiple times a week

and is not excited about a filing

responsibility he was recently given.

What should Joe do?

Daily Goals

Stay positive: complete all of your assignments with the same level of enthusiasm & professionalism

Be adaptable: willingness to show that you are a team player goes a long way towards selling yourself for future opportunities

Be a sponge: soak up information, ask questions!

Take initiative: raise your hand & offer solutions

Personal Branding

“Your brand is what people say about

you when you’re not in the room”

Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon

Monitor office culture Be professional

Stay focused Dress appropriately

Personal Branding

Mind the office culture

- What are ways you can monitor this?

Focus on your work

Be professional

Dress appropriately

Make Connections

Mary has set a goal to expand her professional network. How can she do this?

Network, Network, Network!- Bond with other interns

- Participate in “extracurricular activities”

- Use your intern access to ask questions and meet professionals

- Attend a UNC alumni event

Activity

What will you do to achieve your

goals? What steps will you take?

*Tip: set small, manageable action items

Example: Schedule a meeting, coffee or lunch with 2 professionals each week.

After

Stay in touch

Set yourself reminders to check-in

Think broadly

- These professionals may connect you with professionals in other organizations

Pay it forward

Final Thoughts

“Use this opportunity as a way to start

developing yourself as a professional

who delivers quality work with a great

attitude. In turn this could lead to

recommendations, lasting business

relationships, and a full-time job.”Ryan Kahn

Career Coach & founder of The Hired Group