If Only I Knew: A Step-by-Step Guide to Internships

Why should I care about this blog? Who is Meghan, and why does what she’s saying matter?

Disclaimer: I am not an expert; I don't have fancy letters after my name that give me credibility and status for what I am saying...

HOWEVER…I have recently completed my very first internship this past summer, and not to sound corny but the experiences that I received have been, and will without a doubt continue to be valuable in my hopeful career path. 

What might sound a little less rehearsed is the fact that several if not most of the aforementioned experiences did not go without many speed bumps. Thus bringing me to the purpose of this blog post: I am writing to address what I wish I knew then, now, to help anyone and everyone who is thinking about partaking in the ever-praised experience that is an Internship. I will essentially take you through (what I have found to be) a step-by-step ‘how-to’ of the internship process.

First and foremost; the resume. This is one way that I felt fully prepared, hands down…and I’m not just saying that to toot my own horn. My resume has been, and continues to be revamped by the Career Counselors at Career Services. Call me a perfectionist, I don't care, I want my best self put out there to get me interviews.

Which brings me to my next point, the dreaded interview. I have always thought of myself as someone who is good at holding conversation, but after my experiences I cannot stress how much I wish I prepared more for internships. The very first internship interview that I went to, I shall forever mark in my memory as ‘a learning experience’ and that is all. I was cocky, I admit it. I was like “I got this far, why wouldn't they hire me?”...what a fail. I was nervous, unrehearsed, had no questions and it was uncomfortable for both parties involved. So I learned from it, my second interview I went in with questions prepared and printed out  on a piece of paper; “what is the work environment like?” “What would my day-to-day tasks be” etc. Also I prepared various answers to common questions that the employer would ask .  It went so smoothly, that I walked away feeling confident and proud.

Learn from my mistakes. Prepare as much as you can. Not to sound too promotional but Career Services actually offers students the chance to rehearse their interview through Mock Interviews.  So put aside your nervousness and pride and use the resources at hand.

Another crucial part of the interview that I wish I knew was that you, as the potential intern, are interviewing the employer. Please keep in mind that you need to work there for a solid amount of time and you don't want to be miserable. Therefore you should make sure that the environment is one that you want to be in multiple hours a day, multiple days a week.  I took my internship based on the fact that it was offered to me, not on anything else, which I realize now was a big mistake.

This is not to say I regret my internship, it was great and I learned a lot. But certain aspects of it made me realize that this was not the type of work I wanted/want to do. Which is why my internship will also be marked as a learning experience.

My advice for the internship itself can be summed up rather briefly; speak up if you're unhappy/unsatisfied, whether it’s to your supervisor on site or Emily Carpenter. You would drop a class you were taking if you hated it, how is this any different? Again, no I did not hate my internship. What I wish I did was let my supervisor know that I wanted more difficult/relevant work given to me besides my weekly routines. This is your time to learn from the real world so don't waste it doing things that don't teach you anything.

And finally (my rambling has gone on long enough) do not burn any bridges.  Whether you like your internship or not, make sure you leave on good terms because you never know who your supervisors, co-workers, or really anyone you interact with knows or will know. One bad attitude can screw up your entire career path if you aren't careful. Thankfully this aspect is not spoken from personal experience but from talking to others who are currently job searching who cannot stress this enough.

All in all, I highly recommend partaking in an internship. Since employers often look for candidates with experience, an internship is a way to gain that experience before you start working and if nothing else, is something to put on the resume for future employers to (hopefully) applaud you for.