JobInterships

Delivering Excellence Everyday: The New Interns' Guide to Achieving Success on the Job

Congratulations! You're in, you did it � after all that hard work, the 42 rewrites of your resume, the hours preparing for interviews � you landed your internship.

Now, before we get too carried away and start sending ourselves flowers or calling the Pope, let us remind ourselves why we worked so hard for this internship in the first place:-

To Get Work Experience � The reason most students apply for internships? Unquestionably, it's because they know that a good internship provides relevant, career building work experience that they need in order to land a job after graduation. Whether it's experience in a certain industry (automotive, for instance) or functional area (marketing), an internship provides tremendous learning opportunities for students who take advantage of them.

To Apply Your Skills and Learning � As anyone who has studied French knows, it's one thing to conjugate verbs in a classroom. It's entirely another story to try to say, �More cheese with that, lease� to a waiter inside some quaint Parisian cafe. The beauty of your internship is that it allows you to take what you've learned in the classroom and apply it in a real world, real-time setting. Rather than simply discussing ideas or theories, you can receive terrific on-the-job training that allows you to see how real decisions, projects, or programs can impact the bottom line of a company.

To Explore a Specific Career or Company � Like it or not, many of us rely on hunches or 'notions' to guide our career choices, particularly when we're starting out. For instance, maybe you've always had a feeling you'd enjoy working in advertising, or you had a sense that you'd like consulting�but you couldn't exactly say why. As a result, many of us begin internships feeling 89% certain that we've made the right choice for ourselves, and we use our internship experience as an opportunity to help us further define our professional selves and to see how we fit within a certain type of company. Whatever the reason, your decision to pursue an internship was a smart one, and now that you've landed a job, it's time to take advantage of the terrific opportunities in front of you. And while it may seem like you've got all summer to figure things out, the truth is that your internship will be over before you know it � so it's time to hit the ground running. The question is � where to begin? After all, most of us starting out have little to no work experience, with many of us beginning our internships in completely unfamiliar territory.

Set Goals for Yourself � To make the most out of your internship, it pays to know ahead of time what you specifically hope to accomplish while you are on the job. Before your internship gets underway, sit down and write out several measurable, specific goals that can realistically be achieved during your time at work. If you're not sure where to start, use the job description of your summer internship to help guide you. (If you were provided with a job description, it will outline your employer's priorities and expectations for the job.) Otherwise, think about why you wanted the internship in the first place � for example, if you wanted to learn more about marketing, one of your internship goals could be: �Have coffee/lunch each week with a marketing professional at my company .� Or, maybe you selected your internship because you wanted to strengthen your overall resume in preparation for your full-time job search: �Obtain 3 written letters of recommendation from my supervisors before I leave my internship this summer.� Goal-setting isn't brain surgery, but it is a critical step in helping you achieve your desired outcomes throughout your internship.

Finally, keep your goals in perspective with the larger goals of your supervisor, team, and company. Most likely, your supervisor will outline the objectives, expectations, and priorities of your internship with you during your first days on the job. With a clear understanding of what is expected from you, you'll be better able to balance and prioritize your goals with the broader set of business objectives set by your company.

It's All in the Attitude � Consider a comment made by Bill Judy, Vice President for global insurance company AIG when asked about what constitutes an 'ideal' employee: �I can teach an employee about our business, or help him or her develop the technical skills needed to succeed. What is much harder to find is the employee with a good attitude. It sounds simple, but you'd be surprised at how hard it is to find." As you begin your time with your company, think about how you can demonstrate your good attitude to your supervisor, your fellow employees, and even other interns. Staying positive and enthusiastic about your internship and the company and avoiding negative talk are obvious ways to show a good attitude. Other ways to show you're glad to be at work? Demonstrate your willingness to go the extra mile and help out to make someone else's work life a little bit easier (even if that means photocopying and stapling more than your fair share). Simply asking the question, �Is there anything else I can do to help you?� and following through is often all it takes to show that your attitude isn't something you're faking � it's a real reflection of your commitment to your internship and to the people inside your organization.

Ask Questions� Inside the classroom, we're given ample opportunity to ask questions and get answers. In the working world, that's not always the case. Supervisors can be extremely busy and have deadlines of their own to manage, and may assign you work without giving you an opportunity to ask all the questions you'd like. Rather than ask for clarification or help, interns can sometimes feel like their questions are excessive, or dumb, or that they are simply being a bother to their bosses, so they clam up, deciding to just figure it out on their own. Now, there's nothing wrong with being a problem-solver, but if you've got questions, and didn't get a chance to ask them, you owe it to yourself to get the help you need to get the job done right. Don't try to be a hero and do it all on your own if you're stuck. After all, you're new and you've probably never done this kind of work before, so give yourself a break.

However, there is an art to asking questions: First, respect for your supervisor's time, and make sure you've done your homework first and exhausted other channels (reading through company information online, asking less-swamped employees for help, etc.) before you approach him or her. Next, be organized with your question. Make it short, sweet, and get to the point. But finally (and most importantly), ask questions and offer solutions at the same time. Don't simply kick a ball into your supervisor's corner and expect them to do the thinking for you. It's up to you to show that you really have thought the issue through and done your work first before approaching them.

Have Conversations � We frequently hear about the importance of networking when we're looking for a job, but it's just as important to build and develop your network while you're on the job, starting now. By building relationships with a broad range of individuals inside your company, you'll be able to learn much more about your organization and your job than you could ever do on your own.

We also know that networking isn't a one-way street � by building relationships with others inside your company, you can also offer to assist them in some way � a terrific way to show you genuinely care about the relationship, and a good way for you to demonstrate your skills and abilities to others inside your organization.

How to begin the networking process? Start by deciding to have as many conversations as possible. Now, nobody is suggesting you gab on the phone all day or gossip by the water cooler for hours on end. Instead, embrace the fact that getting to know the people you work with is part of your job, too. You might begin by scheduling a weekly appointment with your supervisor to meet. Find someone you admire within your organization and ask them to be your mentor during your time on the job. As you set goals for yourself this summer, make sure to include networking among them.

Go for the Subtle Sell - Now, don't get the wrong idea -- selling yourself at work isn't about developing a new personality, becoming an obnoxious self-promoter, or being untrue to who you are; instead, think of it as employing some simple, sincere tactics so that others will be more aware of your already terrific self. The reality is that many interns would love the opportunity to work for their respective companies on a full-time basis after graduation, and companies have limited opportunities or full-time hires.

Learning how to make others aware of your contributions is letting your company know how much you'd like to work for them once the internship is over.

How does the subtle sell work? For starters, advertise! In order for people to buy what you're selling, they've got to know you exist and be reminded of this fact. In order to raise your profile, consider joining a committee at work (how about helping out with the upcoming blood drive or joining the softball team?) or writing the office newsletter.

Volunteer at the next big event, or invite your boss out to lunch. Create opportunities to

1.	Meet new people within the office and
2.	Demonstrate your skills and competencies on the job.
3.	Give people the chance to see you in action and they'll remember you long after the softball team win the big game.

Sure, there's a little schmooze and gloss involved here, but selling yourself isn't about fancy gimmicks or slick promotions. More accurately, it requires taking some risks and above all being persistent and being true to yourself in the process.

Graduating and No Job Offers Yet? Don't Panic!

7 Strategies for Job Seeking Graduates

Despite the fact that the job market is looking up and graduation is right around the corner, plenty of upcoming grads will find themselves with a diploma in one hand�and the Help Wanted section in the other. The reality is that nearly 1.3 million students will be graduating over the next month, and today's economy, despite promises of 'recovery,' continues to challenge students and new professionals, making it even tougher to stand out, get noticed, and land a job after graduation. Despite this news, now is not the time to panic. There are plenty of great jobs are out there for savvy, enterprising grads.

Consider implementing any of the 7 Strategies for Job-Seeking Grads below to give your job-search a jump-start:

1.	Start with the basics. In case you were too busy studying (or partying) furiously while you were in school to write a resume and cover letter, now is the time to get cracking on these job search basics. Check out free resources online to get you started, or visit your school's career centre�many offer free or low-cost support to job-seeking alumni.
2.	Look for a job right away. Momentum can play a big role in your job search success, so fight the urge to �take the summer off� before you look for a real job. Let's face it � it's a heck of a lot easier to get off the couch when you've only been watching TV for a week straight rather than for the entire summer. Plus, try explaining that summer-long gap on your resume to an employer: "I was catching up on my Jerry Springer, sir�." So enjoy yourself for a few days, and then begin your job search process.
3.	Do something job-related - then get a life. Ever heard the saying that �getting a job is a full-time job�? Instead of looking for a job all day, every day (which is depressing, difficult, and counterproductive), give the job-search a focused amount of time each day � and then take time to exercise, enjoy your life, make a few bucks working at the local grocery store, practice your interviewing skills, go to a conference, attend a local meeting of an association that interests you, volunteer, work on a project, or do whatever you need to do to recharge. Promise yourself that you won't spend every waking moment sitting in front of your computer searching for a job. Give you job search a few of your best hours every day, and then move on.
4.	Keep sharp. Keep up your reading to get new job search ideas and information that keeps you one step ahead of the game. Read trade journals, newspapers, magazines that relate to your career goals, and include some inspiring business 'classics' that you were too busy to read while you were in school, like Steven Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" or the job-seeking guide, "What Color is Your Parachute" by Richard Bolles.
5.	Know what it is you're looking for. Despite the fact that you've invested a lot of time and effort (not to mention, money!) into getting your degree, far too many of us don't really know what we want to do after graduation and we're hoping that we'll just figure it out along the way. You don't need to have your entire life planned out, but not having any kind of real answer to the 'what do I want to be when I grow up?' question can definitely get in the way of your job search. Since you're not sure what you're looking for, you run the risk of applying to anything and everything that seems halfway decent. The result is that you get off track and waste precious time and energy applying to jobs you don't really want or feel strongly about. Instead, embrace your new mantra: Less is more. Repeat this anytime you feel the urge to send out your resume to anyone with a heartbeat.
6.	Forget about networking. Think relationship-building. While networking is probably one of the toughest and most important aspects of the job search, there is good networking and bad networking. Here's one bad networking scenario: A student contacts an alumna from his business school and speaks to her about her company, a place where he'd really like to work. The alumna spends 20 minutes of her time over the phone with the student, and tells him that, unfortunately, there are no open positions right now at her firm. The student, dejected, hangs up, and eventually moves on to the next alumnus. In the meantime, he's never sent her so much as a thank you note. That's impolite, and gives all of us networkers a bad rap. Starting now, instead of networking, think of relationship-building � and your new goal is to have as many conversations with as many people as possible. That's it. Unlike some networking, which ends once you've gotten what you want from the relationship (i.e., a job), having conversations with as many people as possible will help you build real, genuine relationships. Think about it: If you were working at a company, would you automatically help someone get a job there that you hardly knew?
7.	Not getting results? Take Your Job Search Temperature on a Regular Basis. Got a fever? Take some aspirin. If you're looking for a remedy to unemployment, stop for a minute and take your job search temperature. Give yourself a moment to slow down, get honest with yourself, and really figure out what isn't working for you. When you assess and diagnose your situation accurately, you can pinpoint the specific job search areas you need to work on, and better identify solutions for doing so. For example, if you've applied to countless jobs but have yet to land an interview, your resume may need some work. You may be applying to jobs for which you simply aren't qualified. Are you only applying for jobs online? If so, you're making things tough on yourself, because you're competing against lots and lots of people for a single opportunity. Those are tough odds, where a fantastic resume may get buried or lost in the clutter. Finally, don't panic. You will land a job � it just takes time, so don't make yourself crazy when your dream job doesn't land in your lap after a week or two. Keep plugging away at it � after all, a job search takes practice, like everything else. The more you do it, the easier it gets, and (best of all) the sooner it ends.