By: Kellie McLeod, Career & Internships Advisor
We have heard from many different sources that employers want to hire candidates for full-time employment who bring with them related, substantive experience. If your son/daughter has “done the right things” and landed a rich summer experience – an internship for academic credit or an internship not-for-credit (paid or unpaid), a volunteer/service experience, or an old-fashioned paid summer job – what are the best practices to turn the experience into a full-time career option upon graduation? Here are some very practical things you can share with your student to do (or not do):
- The best interns/employees tend to ask a lot of questions. Whether the questions are about the company, industry, specific skills or the necessary education/training/professional credentials to enter the field – they are all necessary questions to better help students pursue the right career path. The best “student workers” have done their homework about the organization and its people before starting to work, are bright, naturally curious, and quickly able to build on the skills they learn on the job. Ultimately, this kind of student will deliver real value for the company – they are exactly the type of entry-level people companies want to hire.
A summer experience is a three-month job interview – advice that is applicable to any student working at any organization. It is as much an opportunity for the company to evaluate college-level talent, as it is for the intern to evaluate potential industries/employers and career tracks. Specifically, “official internships” are a huge opportunity for students, because the recent graduates who stand out in a competitive job market are the ones who have completed more than one internship. Many recent graduates will be qualified for an entry-level job based on their degrees, but the best candidates will have real-world experience.
- Once on the job, your student should pursue every opportunity to get involved in day-to-day tasks, earn trust by seizing the small stuff (like making copies when necessary), and always be thinking of ways to remain innovative and add a fresh/young perspective.
- It is also important to build relationships with colleagues. Take a real interest in learning about the people who already work at the company–which of course means asking many questions and listening more than you talk. But even when asking lots of questions, take the initiative to find the answers on your own. No question is too small or dumb to ask, but don’t expect to be spoon-fed every answer – don’t ask before you have attempted to find out on your own first, especially if the answer is clearly stated on the company website (for example, in what cities does our company have locations?).
- Student employees MUST tell their supervisor that they want to have a positive experience, make meaningful contributions to the bottom-line of the business, learn new skills and gain experience that will help develop in their career. Clear communication about what the student expects/needs and what the employer expects/needs is key. Sometimes summer experiences don’t work out – they can be an all-out bust for a wide variety of reasons, but there is still value to be gained and lessons to be learned. As with so many things in life, it is going to be up to the student to ask the hard questions about what went wrong in order to maximize the value in the experience.
- Timely follow-up after the summer will go a long way. Students should carefully keep track of contact information for people they meet along the way – coworkers, supervisors, clients/customers, and professionals they may meet at trade shows/conferences. Following up with all of these people with a classy, well written thank-you note will go a long way. Of course a thank-you note to immediate supervisors is critical (maybe even take a batch of homemade cookies on your last day as a thank-you gesture). Your student should realize that every person he/she meets while working this summer can potentially be added to their professional network.
- As much as possible, keep work separate from socializing – summer is an especially easy time of year to blur the lines since there are pool parties and backyard cookouts almost every weekend. A college student should NOT make a habit of accepting these kinds of social invitations or going out for drinks or dinner with coworkers. There will be times when it is “safe” and in the student’s best interest as they seek to grow professionally, but many questionable situations have developed when interns become too involved with the professional staff. If there is even a hint of doubt about joining a social situation, your student would do well to beg off and go work out at the gym.
As always, we hope you will encourage your student to reach out to Career & Internship Services to schedule an appointment. We would be delighted to meet individually with your student to help him/her better understand what summer lessons were learned and maximize the chances that their experience will lead to a full-time opportunity with the employer where they worked this summer, or through a connection made over the summer. We can also help your student know how to best “showcase” this summer’s experience on his/her resume. Appointments can be scheduled online here.