Getting an internship is the hard part, and we are happy for you to have gone through that stage with much success. Else, we will not be here today. Now that you are getting ready for your real-world work experience, you are also probably becoming gradually aware of the fact that you will need to make a good impression and do it fast. To stand out from the pack in your first week of internship, you will want to do all of these.
1 Research the Company
There is a chance that you did this when interviewing for the internship position, but you should brush up your memory. Go to the company’s profile again, picking out the essential nuggets and committing them to heart.
Remember the vision and mission statement, core values, organizational profile and every other relevant information you might need.
2 Be Punctual
That it is an internship does not mean you get to pick your work hours. You should work with the company’s official operating hours and be there on time. Especially in the first week of internship duty assumption, you will want to make provision for getting to your workplace an hour before time.
You might just spend the extra hour walking around a few blocks, grabbing breakfast or something else, but you will be sure you’re early to resume with the rest of the workforce.
3 Dress Well
Dressing well doesn’t mean donning a hat, suit, tie, shoes, and socks every day. During the interview for the position, you should ask the hiring manager what the dress code in the work environment is like.
Dressing in pure, warm colors as opposed to flashy ones is a handy rule that will always find a place in the corporate environment.
4 Ask Questions
Everyone else in that office must have completed a sort of educational pursuit to be there. You are just starting out, so asking questions won’t make you look silly. In fact, it shows that you are ready to learn.
Such willingness is desirable. Make sure you ask questions relevant to your field of study and internship position. Asking someone why the water fountain works only thrice in a week is not acceptable.
5 Network
During your first week of internship, you are still filled with that fresh enthusiasm. You should use this to your advantage by networking with other professionals in the company with all that positive energy.
Take a time when everyone is not actively thinking about work. As such, lunchtime provides the perfect opportunity. You should have prepared an elevator pitch beforehand, so you don’t waste the chance when it presents itself. You could even ask the question about the water fountain here.
6 Find a Mentor
Following from the point in #5 above, we don’t expect you to cling to everyone with the hope of gleaning as much as you can from them. Don’t get us wrong. In the long run, that will help you get a taste of many perspectives, but you just won’t be as rooted as you should be.
To stand out, find a mentor within the company and work with them.
7 Report
After every day at work, everyone looks forward to going home. Before you do that though, check in with your supervisors/ managers and mentor. Let them know you are done for the day and ask if there’s anything else they’d like done before you leave.
If there is, don’t rush it. You don’t want to mess something up and keep them on the job even longer. If there isn’t, wish them a good night and head home.
If you go through this list and commit everything into practice, after your first week of internship, you will be comfortable in your skin.
You would have made some substantial contacts, known a fair amount of information, established a stable relationship with your manager/ supervisor and above all, laid a good template for the future. From there, all you’ve got to do is follow up the excellent work.