Tips to Get the Most out of Your Internship

Congratulations! You accepted an internship offer and are ecstatic to make a strong impression. But how exactly do you do that? What steps can you take toward turning an internship into an unforgettable experience for you and your employers? By using recent experiences from my year-long internship at the Office of Lieutenant Governor, Antonio Delgado, here are a few ways you can ensure just that.

Be Proactive and Professional 

Treat your internship as a prolonged three to four month vetting process for a permanent position, regardless of whether that position correlates with your career goals. Internships extend opportunities for permanent employment, recommendation letters, transformative mentorship, and reputation building. Dress well, be timely, and maintain overall business etiquette.

Be Personable 

Although your hard skills are vital to your office’s daily operations, your impression largely rests on your respect and sociability towards your coworkers. By maintaining a positive attitude and engaging with your peers, you are communicating your level of maturity, experience, and degree of teachability—a trait that every boss and senior coworker gravitates to. I cannot stress this point enough: be agreeable!

Remain Curious 

Offices are ecosystems. Some are large, with complex power and relational dynamics, while others are small and feel relatively laid back. From the onset, make it your duty to quickly learn your office’s dynamics and how they shape roles. Be acutely vigilant, ask questions, and be eager to shadow, collaborate, and facilitate. Not only does inquisitiveness show ambition and passion, it also demonstrates the genuine interest of a possible vital full-time employee.

Extra Pointers for International Students

Getting a job as an international student includes additional administrative steps that can make the entire process feel burdensome. By your second semester, the words Curriculum Practical Training (CPT) and Optical Practical Training (OPT) will undoubtedly become regulars in your vocabulary. Yet, I assure you, it’s really not that complicated. Plainly, CPT allows you to work a limited number of hours during your academic years, while OPT enables you to work full-time after graduation. A rule of thumb is that any work-related changes need to be processed by International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) and then reflected on a newly processed I-20. These processes can take an average of two to three weeks. So, by design, you will need to get an early start. The earlier you get an offer letter with a proposed start date, the earlier you can start your paperwork, which ISSS has made incredibly streamlined through its E-Forms portal. Another critical point is ensuring your supervisor understands your legal employment limits well. Getting hired requires a lot of paperwork, and one miscalculated step, such as working an hour over your legal weekly limit, could forfeit future approvals. With a checklist guided by frequent advising from your academic and ISSS advisors, your process should be hassle-free!

Best of luck!