Career Secrets: From Internship to A Full-Time Job
For most college
students, getting an internship with a company or a government agency means
that the job search is finally over –
that is, at least for a few months. But
the problem is that the internship will eventually end one day and they will be
right back in the thick of it: The period of job search, submission of job
applications and setting up endless rounds of interviews will start all over
again. So if you are a college student who will graduate within a year or two,
you should count yourself lucky if you get offered a full time position at the
company(or the agency) you are interning with. As a practical matter, many companies
prefer to promote from within and if you are an intern with them it means you already got your foot on the
door. So why not take advantage of that
great opportunity?
Assuming you like the company and wants to make the leap from intern to
employee, there are several things you should keep in mind. Five of them stand
out.
Follow the Dress Code
Do you still remember
your high school days, or the time you were on a work study program at your
college? Those were the days you could get away with T-Shirts at your summer
job at school. With internship, you are dealing with the real world. What
should be clear to you is that your company can take you seriously only if you
show that you are taking the internship seriously. My first advise: aim to overdress if you are unsure of the
company’s dress code. Of course when I
said to overdress, what I meant was to always dress professionally. Eventually
you will become more comfortable with the expectations around the company. At
that time it will be a smart thing to do your best to fit in with the company’s
style. From a professional perspective, I will stress here that dressing professionally
will not substitute for good work: Aim to stand out, not through your wardrobe but through your work[i].
Socialize
It is best to see your
internship as a long job interview. While it is also good to continually put
your best foot forward, it is equally important you must not be absolutely
serious for the entirety of your internship. The significant point to remember
here is that getting that full time position also depends on your ability to
mesh with the corporate culture and socialize with your immediate co-workers.[ii] In
the bigger picture, strive to be someone with whom your co-workers like
spending time with since this will help you in achieving your goal of working
there full time.
Ask Questions, But Don’t Be Too Inquisitive.
As somebody who have
passed through college, I am willing to bet that you already know that asking a
lot of questions is not the same thing as asking the right questions. This is
because when you ask lots of questions, you will be making a bad impression about who you actually are: It can
backfire on you since lots of questions from an intern might come off as fake
interest, or it can be simply annoying. In contrast, if you want to present an image
of a person who have a genuine interest in how things are done and who want to be a productive member of your
workplace team, then you should strive to ask only the right questions. This
means that, as an intern, it is best to speak up only if there’s something you want to know that could help you perform
your job better.
Time to Talk – Know Where You Stand
Open communication is
the magic wand for any business relationship[iii]
and, for you in particular, gaining full time employment at the company depends
a lot on it. So there’s nothing wrong in asking for feedback from your colleagues
and boss. For instance, you can ask them how you are performing and where you
could be improving. In addition, your boss will not be mad at you if you ask
him/her about the potential for transferring to full time status. Asking these
types of questions will make the company
to see you as somebody who has genuine interest in staying with them.
The Golden Rule: Recover Quickly
As an intern who is
still learning the ropes, you will definitely make mistakes at work someday. But don’t get dismayed: Mistakes are part of
the learning process, which is ultimately what internships are all about.[iv] The Golden Rule hear is clear: Your ability
to recover from the mistake and move on is what will make you to stand out from
the crowd. In other words, whenever you
make a mistake at work, try as much as you can to bounce back quickly. “Bouncing
back quickly” involves these three
simple but important steps: Apologize
for the mistake, ask what you should
have done differently, and be sure to avoid repeating the same mistake. Broadly
speaking, almost every employer admire employees who are willing to roll with
the punches and learn from their mistakes[v]
Notes
[i] Tarpey M.(2013):
How to Turn that Internship Into a Full-Time Job. MSN Careers. Retrieved December 17, 2013 from http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-3535-College-Internships-First-Jobs-How-to-turn-that-internship-into-a-full-time-job/?SiteId=cbmsn43535&sc_extcmp=JS_3535_advice
\
[ii] Lewis K.(2013):
Ten Secrets to Getting Your Dream Job. Anvil
Media. Retrieved December 17, 2013 from http://www.anvilmediainc.com/about/digital-marketing-resources/articles/ten-secrets-to-getting-your-dream-job/
[iii] Tarpey M.(2013): How to Turn that Internship Into a
Full-Time Job. MSN Careers. Retrieved
December 17, 2013 from http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-3535-College-Internships-First-Jobs-How-to-turn-that-internship-into-a-full-time-job/?SiteId=cbmsn43535&sc_extcmp=JS_3535_advice
\
[iv] Ibid
[v] Ibid
