In June many business school students will dive into their summer internships. While hiring from MBA/MS programs has improved greatly since the 2008 financial crisis, the job market is still extremely competitive. It looks like companies will certainly hire at the top business schools, but the positions they need to fill will be drawn from the candidates they know best — the summer interns — since they are proven talent. It is important for summer interns to seize every opportunity make a good impression so they can win an offer of permanent employment.
The summer internship is a buying-and-selling game. Both the intern and employer are evaluating each other. Interns should think carefully about the actions they can take to close the deal and end the internship well.
Be Positive. You may have envisioned that you would be placed in a more desirable role/function or on a more interesting/important project. Don’t complain about it or show frustration. Accept the fact that you will need to focus on the needs of the employer and less on your own aspirations during the internship. Develop a mindset of doing terrific work regardless of the project for the company that employs you. If you do great work, they will probably find a permanent role that suits you well.
Be Diligent and Collaborative. This is not a vacation. Do what you need to do to stand out like being the first one in the office and the last one to leave. You need to nail your projects. Think carefully about what the company’s expectations are for you and then search for ways to exceed them and over-deliver. Nothing can help you land a permanent job offer more than demonstrating that you can add value to the company. Finish projects and even the smallest tasks you were assigned leaving no loose ends. Do your best quality work every day, even when handling minor things — you can be sure that those assessing you will assume that any careless work represents your future performance. Double-check with your “client” about their satisfaction with the finished job, and offer to polish things further. Offer to continue helping on the project after the internship has ended to show your dedication.
Be Proactive and Team-Oriented. Perhaps there is a way to go beyond your assigned duties that will allow you to learn more, make a bigger impact and stand out. Take initiative to volunteer for more work. Needs pop up unexpectedly and full-time employees often go on vacation during the summer. Offer to fill in or to help out wherever possible. Help the other interns even if this gives them a better chance of getting the job offer. Assume that managers value this kind of altruistic teamwork — and if they don’t, it is probably not the kind of company you want to work for anyway.
In the next post we will discuss the exit strategy when you are about to leave the internship and how to ‘close the deal’.