Quintessential Careers:
Turning Your Internship into a Job
by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.
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After Clint Pyle's summer internship with CNL Group, Inc. (now CNL
Financial Group) ended, he asked if he could continue to work for the
Orlando, FL, firm part-time during the school year, and the company
accepted. From an internship in which Pyle engaged in relatively
simple financial tasks, such as bank reconciliations and other
lower-level financial projects, the 1998 finance graduate from
Stetson University, DeLand, FL, he spent two full years working
part-time for CNL.
Pyle's plan to use his CNL internship as a springboard paid off. "I
was offered a full-time position upon graduation as a tax
accountant," he says. "I started two weeks after graduation preparing
various federal and state tax returns, as well as preparing work
papers for public-accounting firms to prepare other tax returns."
Pyle's experience is not unusual. A survey conducted by the National
Association of Colleges and Employers revealed that during the
2002-03 academic year, employers said they converted more than 38
percent of their interns into full-time hires. Employers have already
had the opportunity to observe the strengths of interns they convert
into full-time positions. "We hired several interns to full-time jobs
upon graduation, and I noticed that the interns' performance was
superior to that of recent college grads just beginning with our
company," observes Cory Petcoff, a 2000 business administration
graduate from Stetson University.
While some interns simply luck into job offers, others, like Pyle,
make a conscious effort to propel their internships into jobs.
"I was quite proactive in my efforts to turn the internship into a
full-time job," recalls Pyle, who is now a senior financial analyst
in the Treasury Department of The St. Joe Company, Jacksonville, FL.
"At the end of the internship, I approached my manager and was very
honest and open about my goals and plans. In turn, they offered me
the ability to do the part-time work until graduation. As graduation
neared, I again approached my manager, as well as my human resources
representative, and discussed my future possibilities."
Taking a proactive approach is one of a number of strategies that can
help you parlay an internship into a job. Other techniques include
the following:
Be sure you want want a job with the company with which
you're interning. "I really think interning is [not only] one of
the best opportunities for the employer to test drive the person, but
for the person to test drive the employer," says Stetson graduate
Walter Ballard, who attained his full-time job with
PriceWaterhousecoopers LLP as a result of an internship he did during
grad school. Interning gives you a chance to see if you'd enjoy
working permanently for your internship company and how well you fit
into the organizational culture. Once you're convinced the employer
is right for you, your enthusiasm -- based on real-world, insider
knowledge -- will be a major plus in helping you land a full-time job
there.
Once you've decided you like the company culture, show you
fit in. You can show your fit with with employer's culture in many
ways -- from wearing attire that aligns with what your co-workers are
wearing to demonstrating a work ethic that's at the same level as
regular employees.
Work hard. Putting his nose to the grindstone was the
ticket for another Stetson University graduate, Cory Rhoads, who was
offered a job right out of college with Andersen Consulting (now
Accenture) after interning there for the summer between junior and
senior year. "I worked hard during the internship and completed my
responsibilities," Rhoads says. "I treated it as if it were the 'real
thing,' and it turned out to be a good decision, as this was enough
for them to see how I would handle working as one of their
consultants after school."
Working hard also means not turning up your nose at distasteful
assignments that come your way, no matter how menial they seem. Be
willing to do what's needed. Don't assume that your education equips
you with so much knowledge that executing low-level projects is
beneath you. Remember the guy in the FedEx commercial who thought he
was too good to prepare packages for shipping because he had an MBA?
Don't be that guy.
Be aware that your every move may be scrutinized. "An
intern must understand that an employer watches everything you
do," Pyle notes. "Even if you think it is a meaningless task, there
is a reason for it, and it is important to your employer. If you
handle the task with professionalism -- even though you may think you
are 'above' the task -- it will reflect highly on you."
Don't just work hard. Strive to do your best, and extend your
best behavior to your interactions with company stakeholders --
suppliers, vendors, distributors, and especially customers. Keep
quality in the forefront of your mind for every project you
undertake. And be sure you project the utmost in professionalism to
those stakeholders on whom the company wants to make a good
impression.
Seek out extra work, new projects. Show your willingness
to go beyond what's the the job description for your internship,
especially if the employer is overusing you for low-skill tasks (such
as making coffee or acting as a go-fer). Look for ways you can make
your co-workers' jobs easier. You'll make a great impression while
sharpening your skills so you can step into a permanent position when
the time comes.
Strong academic performance can be influential with some
employers. Some firms value good grades highly. If you can
maintain strong academics while also performing in your internship,
you may gain a leg up. "I think performance in school is important
for being selected for one of these opportunities," Rhoads says. "It
was for Andersen's criteria. Work hard in school to get past the
interviews so you can get locked in with an internship."
Maintain a positive, eager-to-learn attitude. Ask
questions. Show that you want to learn the job and learn the company.
Strike a balance between asking enough questions to show your desire
to learn and pestering people with so many queries that you become
annoying. Ask if there are any training programs, seminars, or
workshops you could attend to increase your learning, and hence, your
value to the employer. Look for opportunities to attend trade shows
and industry meetings.
Develop your skills. Learn unfamiliar software programs.
Try projects that help you to hone skills you've never used or don't
use often. Observe the skills used by people in the kinds of
positions in which you envision yourself working, and polish those
skills. The wider your range of skills, the more valuable you will be
to the employer. On the other hand, Allyson Quibell, writing for
WetFeet.com, suggests that you choose just a couple of skills to
focus on so that you develop those skills to their fullest.
Feel free to be creative and bring your ideas to the
table. "If you have an idea and you feel there is something that
could be done differently, you need to have the courage to put
forward your argument," write Ann Berry on the
Securities Institute
Website. "Nine times out of 10,
people are receptive. It's good to show that you can learn, but also
that you can add value."
Track your contributions and accomplishments. Be sure to
keep a record of all the ways you've contributed during your
internship. be prepared to present this list when you make your pitch
to the employer for a permanent job. For more about tracking
accomplishments, see our article,
For
Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments and our
Accomplishments Worksheet.
Be a team player. Berry points out that some employers,
such as investment banking firms, host many interns simultaneously.
Those numbers, she says, should not inspire competition because there
are usually plenty of full-time opportunities to go around for
successful interns. Instead, teamwork should be among an intern's
major strategies since most employers value their workers' ability to
perform in collaborative relationships.
Seek input and feedback from supervisors and co-workers
during your internship so you know how to improve as you go along.
Show those you work with that you want to be the best you can be.
Don't be shy about asking about permanent job
opportunities. Your employer won't know that you're interested in
a job unless you ask. Also be vigilant for opportunities to create a
position. Look for employer needs that aren't currently being met and
consider proposing a job to meet those needs.
Network with co-workers at your internship -- both during and
outside of working hours. Get to know as many of the people you
work with as you can, and socialize with them outside work, as well.
Join the company softball team. Attend the company picnic or party.
Everyone you meet is a prospective member of your network, and the
more people who know you and your work, the more champions you will
have when it comes to turning your internship into a job.
"Relationships are keys to any business setting," Pyle notes. "Make
sure you make an effort to build relationships with not only your
co-workers but also your manager. Having a cordial relationship with
your manager makes it much easier for you to approach your manager
when you might otherwise be hesitant to do so."
Find a mentor. Parlay at least one of your network
contacts within your internship into more than just a contact.
Cultivate a mentor who can guide you in developing a strategy for
obtaining permanent employment. For more about finding and working
with a mentor, see our article,
The Value of a Mentor.
If the internship doesn't segue immediately into a job, keep
in contact and be persistent. Maybe you're not a position to take
a full-time when the internship ends. Perhaps you have coursework to
complete before graduation. If that's the case, be sure to leave on
the best possible terms. Write to your supervisor to thank him or her
for the internship opportunity. Keep in touch periodically and ask
about openings, especially as graduation approaches. In addition to
touching base with your immediate supervisor determine what other
company contacts might be valuable in your quest to join the company
-- such as human resources folks and hiring managers in the
departments that most interest you -- and remain in contact with them.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more
information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's
Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate
publisher of Quintessential Careers, is an educator, author,
and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers,
edits QuintZine,
an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and blogs about storytelling
in the job search at A Storied
Career. Katharine, who earned her PhD in organizational behavior
from Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, OH, is author of Dynamic
Cover Letters for New Graduates and A Foot in the Door: Networking
Your Way into the Hidden Job Market (both published by Ten Speed Press),
as well as Top Notch Executive Resumes (Career Press); and with
Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters, Write Your
Way to a Higher GPA (Ten Speed), and The Complete Idiot's Guide
to Study Skills (Alpha). Visit her
personal Website
or reach her by e-mail at
kathy(at)quintcareers.com.
See all of our internship resources by going to this section of Quintessential Careers:
Internship Resources for College Students.
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