You finally landed your internship and you’re ready to start the summer. You may feel that the hardest part is over now that you’ve completed the interviewing process and officially accepted your offer, but it’s still important to continue preparing for your internship to ensure that you make a good impression.
To make sure you start off your internship on the right foot, keep these things in mind as you prepare for your first day.
1) Keep your social media presence clean.
You cleaned up your social media during the job search and you’ve mastered LinkedIn, but that doesn’t mean you should slip during these last few weeks of school with Grand Prix coming up and the year getting ready to come to a close. Keep your language on social media clean and professional, and keep those pictures of you doing slip ‘n’ slides at your favorite fraternity off the Twittersphere for now (even if your Twitter is private!). There is a good chance current employees will be using social media to learn a little more about you before you show up, so better just to keep it clean. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to start connecting with other employees or interns on social media beforehand.
2) Do your research.
If you landed the internship, there is a good chance you already did some research on the company and the industry–but be sure to stay up to date on current company happenings so that you don’t come off as the spacey college kid intern when you show up. It may have been a few months since you accepted your offer, and your company could’ve landed a big client since then. You definitely don’t want to be unaware of this and embarrass yourself, so be sure you’re staying up to date on everything!
3) Get all the material you need!
A summer internship is a great excuse to do some shopping. Stock up on some nicer clothes, even if the environment is casual. You’ll feel confident and look like you’re serious about the job if you dress for success instead of just throwing on comfy jeans and a t-shirt on your first day. Also, GET A NOTEBOOK AND PENS!! It is imperative that you take as many notes as you can, at least for your first few days on the job. It’ll show your seriousness and eagerness to learn, and it’s just really important. If your internship requires anything else, like special shoes or material, don’t show up empty handed on that first day.
It’s important to make a good impression on your employer, whether there is potential for full-time employment or not. Word gets around in industry, and your internship employer can make recommendations for or against you to others in the industry. With internships being rated as one of the 6 most important factors in a student graduating on time, as well as how they feel in terms of preparedness for the real world post-graduation, you should always take your internship seriously.. whether you’re a freshman completing a part-time, unpaid internship or a senior taking on a full-time internship hoping that it’ll turn into a job.
Stay informed and be prepared for your first day. You’re there to learn and gain experience, and your employer won’t expect you to know everything. Stay confident yet humble, and always have a positive attitude. You never know where your internship may lead in the future!
