Hate your internship? Here’s 7 ways to make it A.W.E.S.O.M.E.

However, not all internships are created equal. While there are internship programs that offer real learning or project management work, I’m sure you’ve heard of nightmare stories of interns being given work like data entry, or worse just making calls or maybe even just serving coffee or organizing the office backroom. If you’re one of them who’s had a bad experience or you’re currently going through a bad time, keep calm. These next 7 tips will be a life-saver to jetset your dreary days to make for an kick-ass internship!

 

1.   Take Your Time

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Look around, try to understand the system, corporate culture, who are the people and how things are being done. Learn about official rules as well as established customs and non-formal leadership. This will give you a better understanding of how things operate and what is the expected code of conduct through the actions of those around you. It’ll also help you apply context in why certain things are done the way it is in the company that you’re doing your internship in.

 

2.   Identify What You Don't Like

 

 

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Is it the culture? People? Or perhaps it’s the nature of the work? Clarify the reasons you feel are causing this unhappiness and be absolutely honest about it. You might realize that the reason is something about you. Then, think of solutions to solve it. No point feeling awful about something if you’re not prepared to do something to make it work for you. Try speaking to your immediate supervisor to address these concerns and find a way to work through it.

 

3.   Ask For A Challenge

 

 

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If it’s way too boring and you have no other tasks to do except scanning documents, data entry or god forbid, bringing coffee, be proactive and dare to ask for more responsibility. You came to the workplace to learn things, so tell your supervisor that you’d like to be more involved, offer to take up tasks that you’d like to learn, and show that you are genuine and reliable. Most people appreciate a good proactive attitude; so, don’t sell yourself short just because you think you’re an intern.

 

4.   Deal Well With People

 

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If you feel that somebody doesn’t like you, be the bigger person and talk to the person directly about it. It could grabbing a cup of coffee to just having a chat. Everyone hates politics in the office, so it’ll help put you in good light if you step up to resolve any issues or misunderstandings. Be friendly and genuine in wanting to understand where he/ she is coming from. Most of the time, you’ll realize that the reasons have to do with preconceived perceptions or rumours. By showing you are sincere, this should nip the matter in the bud.

 

5.   Showcase Your Skills

 

 

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If you have any unique skills or talents, introduce it to the team. Don’t be afraid or shy to “blow your own horn”, but remember to be courteous and respectful, not boastful. Maybe you’re good in dealing with numbers, strong in analysis, love writing, or perhaps you enjoy organizing events - feel free to communicate these skills to your superior and team and position your individually unique talents as your personal asset to the team and company.

 

6.   Set Goals

 

 

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Goal-setting on a daily basis is one of the most important habits that all successful people share. It sets the tone, manner and focus of how you go about your day to achieve things that matter to give you the results you want. It could be learning how to write effectively, or perhaps learning to code or even helping to plan and manage a project. It’s best that you work directly under your supervisor who you should use as a resource to guide and mentor you. Use this as an opportunity to learn not only new skills, but the leadership and experience from your mentor. Remember, ask questions. And, take notes.

 

7.   Be Open & Flexible

 

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Perhaps one of the most important advice we can offer is for you to be open and flexible to learn new things and soak up all these new experiences like a sponge. Use your internship as an opportunity to find your passion and refine your current skills or even learn new skills. Equally important would be how well you get along with your colleagues and work in a team setting. It’s helpful to always be positive - just think, if you’re already good at doing things you don’t like, imagine how good you’ll be at things you actually like.

 

At the end of the day, even if you didn’t have a particularly enjoyable internship, you would’ve gained new experiences and insights about the industry, your role, the company and most important, yourself. Use your internship as a time to discover more about yourself - your strengths, your likes and dislikes, and see where you may need to improve. Be grateful that an internship will help you know yourself better thus helping you be clear on what you feel may suit you better.