How to get the most out of your internship

Internships help you develop your professional career by gaining real-life experience and figuring out which career path you want to follow. It can also provide you with excellent opportunities after graduating as most employers are looking for employees who already have some work experience and relevant skills.

# 7 tips on how to get the most out of your internship

# 1. Be fearless

Make sure you ask a lot of questions. Whether they are about the company, the industry, or specific skills, they are all important and will help you grow. At the same time, show initiative by trying to answer the questions on your own. Have a look at the company website or internal documents. If you can't find the answers on your own, reach out to others around you.

# 2. Be curious

Being curious is an internal drive to wanting to know more; use that curiosity to guide your own learning and development. If you hear or read something that piques your curiosity, see that as a possibility and you might learn things you wouldn’t have otherwise. Being curious is about keeping an open mind; if you don’t hold it back, your curiosity will leave you open to trying new things.

# 3. Be resourceful

As much as we encourage being fearless and curious, it’s also important to be resourceful. Besides trying to solve a problem on your own, it can also show that you’ve taken the time to reflect on a topic and form your own insights and point of view. It’s very valuable to show that you are independent and do not stop and ask questions at every obstacle.

# 4. Take notes

It is easy to believe that you’ll remember everything and sometimes people also take pride in their ability to memorise information. But the truth is, that is not how our brains work. No one expects you to remember all you see or hear, especially if you’re new in your field.

# 5. Build relationships with colleagues

One of the reasons why internships are so important is that they provide you with the opportunity to build relationships with industry leaders. Have you heard the saying ‘it's not what you know, it’s who you know’? Who you build relationships with might be beneficial to further your career. They may decide to hire you, recommend you to others or provide you with a glowing reference. This is not to say that you don't also need the right skills, but it is a good complement to any CV.

# 6. Communicate your expectations clearly

There is so much you can learn during your internship about the role and the industry. Your new colleagues are the best people to learn from. Take advantage of this and make sure you share your expectations. It’s likely your internship is for a short period only, so try to be as clear as possible on what you want to learn, what skills you want to develop and what experiences you expect to gain.

# 7. Have fun!

Last but not least, do not forget to have fun along the way! Or as we like to say in Signicat:

Run, but have fun!

Signicat has many year-round internship opportunities in different locations across Europe, as well as our annual summer internship programme. Keep an eye out for our available internships on Signicat’s Careers page and on LinkedIn. For more information, feel free to reach out to us at hr@signicat.com.