10 Must-Dos During an Internship to Make a Great Impression

If you are trying to land a job in a specialized field, at some point, you will likely be presented with the opportunity to participate in an internship program. When that day comes, we want you to be at the top of your game.

In lieu of Anne Hathaway, we spoke with Nicole Picton, the owner and founder of Precisely Careers, to find out exactly what you can do (and potentially avoid doing) to make a great impression during your internship. Now a Certified Talent Management Practitioner (CTMP) and Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP), Picton started her business by helping fellow recent graduates revise their resumes and gain the knowledge they needed to thrive in today’s work environment.

Not sure where to start? We got that covered! Follow along as we run through 10 things you must do to make a great impression as an intern.

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Get active on LinkedIn

It’s time to dust off your resume and digitize it!

If you are only starting to hunt for internships, Picton recommends networking on employment-focused social media sites like LinkedIn. By following companies you admire, you can get a sense of their workplace culture and values. Following, connecting and meaningfully engaging with people that work for the companies you aspire to work for will also give you more insight into possible opportunities.

By building professional connections with people that work at your preferred organizations, Picton says you can eventually approach someone with your interest in participating in their internship program. Getting to know the organization’s culture as well as some of the people that work there will also let you know whether or not it is the right fit for you.

A contemplative woman sits atop a desk with papers scattered and a computer before her.

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Be resourceful

Picton says she remembers a time when she had no idea how to structure an email. She recalls one of her internship supervisors having to walk her through the basics. In hindsight, Picton says, “before you go ask your manager about something, did you Google it? Did you go to YouTube University to figure out how to merge a cell?”

Recounting her personal experience as an operations intern in a quaint office in Nova Scotia, Picton says the experience taught her “how to do a lot of work with fewer resources.” Ultimately, if you are motivated to get the work done, a little pressure can spark your creativity.

Picton also underscores “the benefits of working in a small market for a big company,” saying, “that allows you to go to a big market very quickly because you learn all of the skills you need.”

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Use the experience you’ve got

Do not disparage yourself or underestimate the value of your abilities. Picton says you should make your work experience work for you and refrain from underselling yourself.

Picton cautions interns to frame their experience favourably when they get to crafting their resumes. Without embellishing, Picton suggests interns clearly outline their projects and/or activities and use any alternative titles they might have had rather than the term “intern” when describing the position on their resume.

Two women have a conversation around a table.

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Talk to your peers

Picton greatly emphasizes the importance of building and maintaining your professional connections. She suggests chatting up some of your peers or classmates that are further along their academic or professional journey.

Asking them about their experiences as interns might offer you some new insights, and it could open doors for future opportunities. At the very least, hearing about other people’s experiences allows you to learn vicariously, through their experiences, while building relationships with your peers.

A woman stand, notes in hand, in front of a projector screen.

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Don’t fear failure

When asked if she’s made any mistakes during her internships, Picton chuckles, “Oh! So many.”

Picton encourages interns to challenge themselves to take on new and possibly intimidating projects even if the tasks required of them might be slightly outside their comfort zone. Still, Picton says interns should reach out when they are truly stuck. When it comes time to showcase their work, she encourages interns to explain their thought process and request constructive feedback.

“If you get assigned a project that makes you feel as though it's outside your skillset, I want your first thought to be: ‘This is something that I haven't done before. But let me try it out,’” Picton coaches. “You can pretty much recover from everything, like a mistake is not the end of the world or your career.”

A woman presents at a whiteboard while another woman watches attentively.

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Be teachable

Simply put, be mindful of how you respond to feedback. When you care about your work, you might be susceptible to taking criticism personally, but Picton says it is important to adopt a growth mindset. That is to say, taking on the belief that you can always learn and grow, can lead to numerous well-documented positive outcomes. It might not be easy, but being receptive to constructive criticism will undoubtedly improve the quality of your work.

Picton says that something can be assimilated from the worst of experiences and that we are best to focus our attention on the lesson rather than who is right or wrong in a given situation: ”If you have a manager who micromanages you, you at least learn, you know, ‘when I get to that point in my career, I do not want to be that kind of manager.’”

Picton prompts us to ask ourselves: “How can you apply what they're saying to make you better?”

Two women chat seemingly enthusiastically with a computer between them.

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Communicate your desires

Picton encourages interns to “be forthcoming with some of the projects that they want to work on.” She says communicating, not only your desired learning outcomes, but also your current abilities as well as the areas where you might need support, will better equip your manager to work with you.

“If you're trying to secure a position at that company, from day one, you need to start building those connections,” Picton says. “So, you know, at month three, when your internship is ending, you could start a conversation about a full-time position.”

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Learn to take quality notes

Picton says, when all else fails, interns should focus on quality note-taking and the subsequent sharing of those notes with their internship supervisor. She says even the busiest of work environments will surely appreciate someone who can take quality meeting minutes.

Though the jury is still out on whether or not it is best to take notes on paper, note-taking in any capacity has been correlated with improved information-processing and achievement. If nothing else, good note-taking practices help with active listening, greater overall comprehension and information retention. Those are all skills your future employer will undoubtedly appreciate.

A woman in a lab coat shows another woman something on a computer.

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Make use of your manager’s time

Picton says many interns have much to learn about workplace culture and that failing to take the time to connect with managers constitutes a missed opportunity. She warns that “interns might miss out if they are not making use of their manager’s time to learn from them.”

The career coach suggests using your own curiosity to build a rapport with your manager because, as she learned in journalism school, “people love to talk about themselves.” Picton encourages interns to start by asking their internship supervisor about their professional journey as a way to break the ice.

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Be on time (no, seriously)

When asked if there are any unspoken rules or protocols that interns must follow, Picton says: “be on time.” You might be disappointed to find out that this tip is sadly backed by science.

A 2018 study, published in the Journal of Physics: Conference Series, identified a positive correlation between effective time management practices and academic achievement. Needless to say, showing up on time truly matters. On a fundamental level, punctuality shows your employer that you are living in integrity with your personal and professional commitments.

One final piece of advice for prospective interns: If — in the context of an internship — you have to take the New York City subway in the middle of July, do not forget to pack deodorant, or your editors might pull you aside to have a chat. And if they do, you will survive that conversation. Trust me.