What to Look For in an Internship
Knowing what to look for in an internship and how to ask the right questions will help you determine if this internship will meet your learning goals and expectations.
-
 An Ideal Internship Offers:
- An established program, committed resources, and an involved supervisor or mentor.
- Exposure to various departments and/or functions (e.g., the opportunity to attend staff or client meetings).
- A "start to finish" project and a resulting product (a report, a paper, a presentation).
- An opportunity to be considered for a full-time, professional position at graduation.
- Clearly written duties and responsibilities that you may review before you agree to accept the position.
Ensure your internship will provide you with a quality learning experience by asking for a description of the intern duties and responsibilities before you agree to accept the position.
-
Questions to Ask in an Interview:
- What will be the top three priorities for me in this internship?
- What projects, reports, or presentations could I be assigned?
- Will I have an opportunity to work on a start-to-finish project?
- What are the challenges that an intern might face in this role?
- What sort of training and supervision will be provided?
- What career-specific skills can I expect to learn from this internship?
- What strengths should an intern have to succeed in this role?
- What percentage of my time will be on clerical tasks?
|
