Starting a new internship is an exciting accomplishment – but as many fresh interns know, it can also be overwhelming. Stepping into a new workplace, whether corporate or casual, can be highly intimidating. Especially when you’re new to the scene. Within the first couple of months, interns often begin asking themselves, “am I good enough for this?” For students and mint graduates, there are a handful of attributes that will transition us from good interns to great interns.
“I would love to help.”
Being the ultimate go-getter can elevate not only your value to the agency, but also your value from the agency. We’ve learned that when an intern is constantly taking the initiative by asking to be a part of projects and tasks, brainstorming ideas and voicing their skills, they are setting themselves and their team up for success.
At its core, being a go-getter is about looking for opportunities instead of waiting for them to come across your desk. We’ve made sure to fill our time in the office by offering up our hours to others who need the extra help. This can also be a great learning experience considering the more hands-on practice you receive, the better you will become. This tip works both ways as well; when being asked to take on tasks, always say yes! Don’t forget that you are there to learn and you want to absorb as much as possible. This way, you can finish the internship feeling like you’ve maximized all your skills and tried a little bit of everything.
“What is next on my list?”
A proactive intern isn’t just enthusiastic about new opportunities; they are already predicting the next steps before they occur. When we first started at the office, we were given all of the resources filed into the cloud on our laptops. This was the best way to practice and get to know the systems and processes for writing pieces and useful platforms. On top of one-on-one training, we were able to head back to our desks and get to know the protocols that may differ at an agency.
Make sure to optimize all tools given to you, so if you know there is an online platform that is utilized quite often by your team, get the office login, hop on and plug and play to get familiar for when you must use it in real time. Doing foundational research is key to understanding how to fulfill tasks and complete required work correctly. This is something that can’t be taught in classes and you’ll need to be in the corporate landscape to learn, so don’t psych yourself out when it takes some time.
A translated tip from the classroom to the office that has kept us together is the consistent use of our agendas. You aren’t given a syllabus when you step into corporate so this one falls on you. To plan ahead, make sure to keep a paper agenda, an online calendar and/or a whiteboard at home to keep track of deadlines and important dates. You don’t have to go that far and obtain all three, but it’s something that’s helped the two of us stay ready for anything. Things can easily get hard to keep track of and this happens quicker than you think. You want to know off-hand if you have the capacity to take on another pitch or if you’re free to attend that client-facing meeting.
By writing everything down and noting when and where things need to be done, we stay on top of everything and ultimately continue to impress our upper management team. You don’t want to be the only person missing their piece of work at the weekly internal meeting. This tip not only alleviates any anxieties, but it allows you to fully grasp the fast-paced environment and excel in the field by remaining prepared.
Don’t be afraid to…
What they say is true: you learn from your mistakes. As interns, we quickly realized that making mistakes isn’t something to fear – it’s part of the process. When working in a fast-paced setting like an agency, there’s no time to guess. And when you’re feeling unsure, remind yourself that as an intern you are not expected to know everything — you’re expected to learn.
Don’t beat yourself up over minimal mess-ups or oversights. Just remember to remain accountable and inform the team when and if you notice an error you’ve made. Staying proactive allows your colleagues to quickly recuperate and fix the issue before it swells. From there, you can go back to your mentor, or the drawing board, and identify where the issue started and how to avoid it for next time.
Your team is aware of the experience you are there to have so don’t be afraid to always ask questions. There’s no such thing as a stupid question. In tandem with a hustler mentality and proactiveness, you’ll stay on the right track towards success. At our office, each of us are assigned a mentor on our first day. This colleague is meant to aid us in our journey throughout the internship and is there for all questions and concerns. If you aren’t assigned a mentor, take it upon yourself to ask for one! Having this guidance is essential to succeeding and correcting your learnings.
Dust yourself off and try again!
You want to feel like you were able to get the most out of your internship and the only right way to do this is to fall sometimes, as long as you pick yourself right back up. Feelings of discouragement are natural. Just understand that plenty of fresh graduates go through imposter syndrome, and that experience is not unique to you.
Our greatest piece of advice to date? Keep trying, again and again. Stay persistent and keep moving forward until you gain the confidence to thrive in your career. Remember, this internship is meant to be a starting point, not a finish line. From two grads who’ve been there, good luck and trust that you’re exactly where you need to be!
Shahd El-Gozouli and Emma Calliou are enthusiastic interns at Brookline Public Relations. Both bring a fresh energy to the office and a shared passion for creative writing. Driven and ambitious, this duo is committed to excellence and eager to take on the latest task. They never settle for the bare minimum and always aim to go above and beyond. Grateful to Brookline for fueling their progressive spike in confidence, they continue to rise to every occasion with grace and determination.