The first day of classes is just weeks away and you’re looking forward to returning to campus and seeing all of your friends. But, before you clean out your desk and put your earbuds in for the commute home, do some ‘professional cleaning’ first.
- Ask for a Reference- If you had a good experience with your supervisor, ask their permission to include them as a future reference for additional internships, jobs or graduate school. If your relationship wasn’t the best, ask a co-worker or someone else you worked with over the summer to be a reference for you.
- Build Your Connections- Connect with your supervisor and co-workers on LinkedIn. Take it one step further and schedule a meeting with your supervisor before you leave and ask if they have anyone within the organization or industry that you could do an informational interview with to learn from others. And, don’t be afraid to stay in contact with your supervisor!
- Update Your Resume- Add your internship while it is still fresh in your mind. Ask your supervisor to review the description for accuracy and completeness.
- Prepare Samples of Your Work- Did you work on a project, develop a new marketing piece, write for a blog or create anything tangible that represents your work? Request permission to take samples of your work or create digital pathway to your work.
- Reflect—Your internship has become part of your experience, part of your personal and professional story. Think about the new skills you learned or strengthened, what surprised you about yourself and the work you accomplished, what challenged you. Being able to articulate and reflect on this experience will enhance your ability to tell this story during your next interview or personal statement for graduate school.
Whether you loved your internship and found your dream career path or discovered your want to go in another direction, make the most of this life-changing experience!
