The perfect strategy to turn your summer internship into a full-time job offer

Have you grabbed the summer internship? At a time when many companies are choosing to make major adjustments to their recruiting procedures due to COVID-19, you deserve a big round of applause for staying strong and securing yourself an internship.

A popular tactic used to attract potential full-time employees, many employers offer summer internships. While internships are a way to gain skills and exposure to a particular career area, they also act as a means for candidates to be tested for their acumen by companies. Summer internships help companies determine whether or not a new employee will fit into the company's core culture.

Here we've gathered some suggestions that will help you make the most of your summer internship and hope that you get the full-time job offer. 

Bring implementable ideas on the table

This is something that goes without saying in an ideal world. As an intern, you have to understand that compared to all full-time workers, you have very less experience and also less expertise. So, while you are welcome with your efforts and innovative ideas, pay close attention to how you execute them.

Try to understand why they're set up the way they are before you make changes that will revamp current systems and processes. Understand the reasoning first, then, if necessary, propose changes. Don't interrupt seniors when they are talking. Wait for your chance and then put forth your point. 

Read how Chirag Gupta received a pre-placement offer from Google

Build the right network during your summer internship

It's not half as important to talk to individuals during the internship as it is to be straightforward about why you want to communicate with them. Understand why you want to have a conversation with a particular person and when you contact them, make sure that you’re able to convey your message. Today, employees working from home put in extra work hours in comparison to what they’d have to, in office, so they are less likely to consider as many requests from interns to just talk.

Ask for help

As an intern, nobody assumes you to know it all. You have been selected for your abilities, but you will most likely be the least knowledgeable and least skilled individual on your team. When you are assigned a tough project to work on, and you most certainly will, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Teams not only appreciate it when you seek support, they expect you to. This demonstrates that you are aware of deficiencies in your expertise and are prepared to improve. Spend a few minutes talking to someone on your team to get assistance, rather than spending hours trying to work your way out of a sticky question. It's going to be better for you, your group and the organization.

Work-life balance is important too

We are all aware of the rising competition for jobs that are disappearing all too quickly. So, there might be situations where you’d be competing with your co-interns for an even smaller number of full-time job offers. As a consequence, at the end of the internship, most of your colleagues will work painfully hard to please their bosses and win their team's attention in order to gain the job offer.

This will suggest working super long hours to a level of probable burnout which you might not like. You've been hired for your creativity and the extra efficiency that you'll bring to the table. When you're tired, you cannot work at your best. Go ahead and take some time off work to eat an apple or watch a movie to revitalise yourself.

Think out of the box to get a full-time job offer

Provide your input into issues you find and explore ways of fixing them as well. Employers pursue individuals who can push boundaries and find alternatives to existing challenges that may not have been identified or handled by management. Be willing to provide solutions that you believe can function to solve a particular problem or circumstance.

The importance of the first impression at your summer internship

As a summer intern, it is your duty to demonstrate to your boss and those within the company that you have what it takes to blend in with the corporate community, both personally as well as professionally. Take time to think about the company's objectives and what it seeks in its workers which will provide essential insight into how achievement is identified and defined by the organization.

Prioritize your work

A popular misunderstanding is that summer internships are more of a chance to network than to really get jobs done. The standard of your task, however, determines your work ethic, which inevitably tells you a lot about yourself as an individual and as a potential employee.

After your summer internship, if you really want a full-time offer, consider the quality of your work. Remember to go above and beyond and always aspire to do better than anticipated. Make the most of your internship to make your hard work worth it.

Follow the deadlines 

Following deadlines tells a lot about you. If you expect a problem on a project you are working on with a deadline, make sure your boss understands. Ask for feedback, and if required, reach out to them to request for an extension of the deadline. Ensure that you have a legitimate explanation for the delay in the project before you approach your mentor. 

These tips will keep you covered for the summer internship so that you leave an impact. All the best! 

Check out other stories and articles here:

• Social internships and why are they necessary?
• How did I land up an internship at IIM Tiruchirappalli? -By Saurabh Bhandari from PCET NMIET Pune
• Google launches STEP 2021, an internship programme for computer science students
• My internship journey at Mondelez as an iTaster -By Vanshika Sharma from XLRI Jamshedpur
• The difference between MBA and PGDM: Which one should you choose?