Got a summer internship? Here are 5 tips to help you convert to a full time offer
From a Ex-Blackrock, KPMG and Willis Towers Watson Intern
It’s summertime now, which only means one thing for many students across the country - internship season!
Many of you in the community and thousands across the country are currently kickstarting their internship, where the goal is obvious
Securing that golden full-time return offer
How you perform over the next 8-10 weeks will play a big role in achieving this, so I thought it would only helpful I offer some unsolicited advice on how to navigate this.
I was fortunate enough to secure and complete internships with BlackRock, KPMG and Willis Towers Watson - where I made many mistakes and did a lot of good work - so hopefully I can provide a balanced view
1. Set clear targets upfront + develop a cadence for touchpoints
Your first week of the internship should be used to set you up for success across the next 8-10 weeks. This means setting clear targets on what is expected of you in order to secure a return offer. This will give you a benchmark to work against in order to ensure you’re on track.
Furthermore, developing a regular cadence for catch-ups with your line manager is critical to make sure you’re continually in the loop on how you’re progressing and keeping your line manager informed on your progress and wins.
2. Maintain a high standard of work
Your first impressions from colleagues and employees will be heavily influenced by the quality of work you do.
And once first impressions are made, they’re very hard to shift. So make sure every single piece of work you do - no matter how small it is - is to a high standard. You want to ensure you develop a reputation across the team for competence, and that is built through the work you do.
3. Be open-minded when it comes to opportunities
Some of the best work I did on my internships came from being open-minded to help on a simple admin or ‘boring’ task which turned into further, more exciting work.
I remember during my KPMG internship, I was asked to manually validate figures on a spreadsheet for a partner on a project. This was literally just cross-referencing the screen with a page. Having helped the partner, he asked me to join a new $2m project he was just starting and take notes in a kick-off call - an opportunity I wouldn’t have got if I didn’t help with that boring task.
4. Get regular feedback
This one is so crucial.
The worst thing you can do in your internship is not get feedback from your colleagues you work with and your line manager.
It’s like walking blind in a maze.
Navigating your internship is tough enough, but not getting feedback means you won’t know what you‘re doing and - more importantly - where you need to improve.
Make sure after every piece of work, you gather feedback on what you did well and where you could have improved. Make sure to document it and get it written down so you have an audit trail.
Feedback is your guide to getting that return offer - make sure to use it!
5. Network with everyone within your team
Yes, make sure to network outside of your team. But also make sure to network with everyone on your team.
When it comes to making decisions, the more people in your team who can vouch for you, the better. Don’t just stick to your line manager, make sure to try and do a piece of work with everyone on your team so they are able to give a reference for you.
The best way to do this? Book a coffee catch-up or grab lunch with everyone within your team so you can actually get time to know them.
Hopefully, this advice can be a bit of help for those of you about to navigate an internship!