Internships play a vital role in your career. They are a great way to make your resume stand out, gain valuable experience along with good pay, and most importantly, land a full-time offer! Most companies offer full-time positions to their top interns. In this post, we will discuss what you as an intern can do to convert your internship into a full time offer!
Let’s divide this strategy into 3 parts
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What do you do before you start your internship
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What do you do during your internship
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What do you do after your internship
What you do during your internship holds the most weight, but you shouldn’t ignore the other two.
Before you start the internship
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Do your research. Learn as much as you can about the company, the internship program, and the role you will be playing. This will help you make a good impression and be more productive during your internship.
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Prepare yourself. Make sure you have the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in the internship. If there are any gaps in your knowledge, take some time to learn about them before you start. For example, if you discover that Python coding skills are required and you lack proficiency, learn and bridge the gap beforehand. You don’t need to master everything, but having a good understanding will help you ramp up quickly. Being productive from day one leaves a positive impression.
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Be enthusiastic. When you talk to the recruiter or hiring manager, show your excitement for the internship and the company. This will make you more likable and help you build relationships. You should keep this in mind during your internship as well.
During the internship
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Understand expectations from your mentor or manager from the outset. Avoid making assumptions and instead seek clarification.
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Be like a sponge, absorbing as much information as you can. Learn about the business, project, technology, new terminology, processes, and company culture.
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Schedule weekly one-on-one meetings with your mentor. Prepare an agenda and provide updates.
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Have regular one-on-one meetings with your manager, stakeholders, and other engineers. Inquire about the appropriate frequency for these meetings. If you find someone who converted their internship into a full-time offer, ask about their experience. Socialize with other interns and build a strong network.
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Be a team player. Be willing to help out your co-workers and contribute to the team. This will show that you are a valuable asset to the company.
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Demonstrate strong ownership.
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Proactively take on tasks instead of waiting for someone to assign you work.
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Take ownership of all aspects of the project, including implementation, communication, testing, and rollout.
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Understand the purpose behind your tasks; don’t simply implement or execute blindly.
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Communicate clearly and frequently. You shouldn’t wait for scheduled meetings to provide important updates or raise potential risks.
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Propose enhancements or alternative approaches when appropriate. Present them in a non-offensive manner with reasoning and supporting data.
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Seek help when needed, but demonstrate that you’ve exhausted your own efforts first.
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If you have spare time, proactively seek additional work. Avoid spending excessive time in the cafeteria or arriving late and leaving early. This is not the time to prioritize perfect work-life balance. While it doesn’t mean working 14 hours every day, going above and beyond significantly increases your chances.
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If given an opportunity to give a project demo, create a compelling presentation that tells a good story. Highlight the project’s importance, discuss what you learned, and provide data or projected impact, if available.
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At the end of the internship, request feedback from the people you worked with and remember it for future.
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Throughout your internship, Be professional. Dress, act, and speak professionally at all times. This will make a good impression on your co-workers and managers.
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Additionally, make sure to complete the project.! If you don’t, everything I mentioned above may not be of much use.. unless, the reasons for not completing were beyond your control.
After completing your internship
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Follow up: Send a thank-you note to your manager and mentor.
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If you had a good experience, continue to stay in touch with your co-workers and managers. This will help you stay connected with the company.
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If you receive a full-time offer, congratulations! If you don’t, it’s unfortunate, but it’s not the end of the world. I understand it’s easier for me to say, but look at the brighter side. There must be something new that you learned during your internship. You’ll also have something new to add to your resume. If you received any feedback, that’ll be useful for the future. If you didn’t, reflect on what you could have done differently and treat that as a learning experience. This experience will not go waste.
I hope this gives you actionable ideas to increase your chances of converting your internship into a full time offer! I’ve also recorded a video on this on my YouTube channel. Please check it out for additional content if you got value out of this post. Wish you all the best!