7 Tips & Tricks for Turning Your Internship into a Job

What is an internship?

An internship is undoubtedly an important stepping stone in the career of many people. It gives young and usually inexperienced people a chance to be in a position where they can learn a lot about what they can experience during their practical life.

As an intern is considered as the middle milestone between your education and job and people usually start their job after it. It bridges the gap between theory and practice. Given the cut-throat competition that exists, It is a requisite feather in your portfolio nowadays.

What to Expect?

A lot of companies offer their interns a job after the internship. This means that in many cases, and it is just an elaborate interview procedure. It gives the employers a chance to examine you closely before entering into a formal contract with you and it is the perfect opportunity for you to showcase your talent and commitment. This means that an internship is a win-win situation for both parties.

If you get well-adjusted in the workplace, getting offered a job after an internship can be your best shot at beginning your career on a high note. Some firms conclude the internship with a formal interview while others might decide to offer you an opportunity to work there, based solely on your performance as an intern.

A study based on the performance of interns (Mihail, 2006) shows “Nine of the 11 respondents interviewed felt that practical field experience made them more marketable as “ready to work” employees.”

What Goes Wrong?

We see a lot of employers being disgruntled with the performance of their interns. This happens because many interns are more interested in the next steps after the internship concludes. For them, an internship just means an experience certificate. What needs to be understood is that above all, an internship is a learning experience.

The intern needs to show intent and an eagerness to learn. This way even if he fails to capitalize on this internship and does not succeed in getting a job after internship, the experience itself will propel him through in his future career.

A big reason why interns fail to materialize their internship into a job is that interns slack off and shirk away from their responsibilities during an internship. Internship, per se, is not supposed to be a bonded labor and you should be engaged by your employer only in those activities which give you a learning experience.

Casual and unprofessional attitudes can also obstruct your chances of turning the internship into a job. Interns are usually newbies so the employers usually cut them some slack when it comes to professional ethics, but a constant display of unprofessional ethos can make the internship an undesirable experience for the employer.

7 tips to convert your internship into a job

1. Display capacity and flexibility

When you are doing an internship, you can imagine being under a magnifying glass. Now, this should not make you nervous but cautious, because getting a job after an internship is probably the best result an internship can yield. What any supervisor loves to witness in an intern is the ability to excel and malleability.

Students straight out of educational institutions might not have top-notch and experienced workers, but if they show promise and ability to learn, the employer will probably give a second thought to offering you a job after the internship.

Another thing that catches the eye of a supervisor is an intern’s ability to work under different circumstances. For this, you might get rotated through different departments, just to probe as to how versatile you can be. A great idea for an intern is to always be curious and try to practice whatever new thing you learn.

2. Show eagerness and keenness

Doing an internship means getting hands-on experience. Like any other learning activity, eagerness is a prerequisite. Always be on your toes and try to exhibit your eagerness and interest in things. Most of the people who are unable to get a job after internship are those who were not eager participants during the internship.

Be a proactive learner and try to acclimatize yourself with the working of an office.

Research shows that “the positive relationship between internship experience and labor market success is more than just a correlational one (Nunley et al. (2016).

3. Demonstrate Professionalism

Nothing is a bigger turn-off for an employer than an intern being too casual and unprofessional. Professionalism means respecting the office decorum, always turning up on time, and exhibiting a willingness to work hard. Supervisors will give you a certain set of instructions and you should try to apply yourself.

Dressing properly and observing office norms is also very important. Always dress according to the nature of your job and present yourself well. Wherever you get a job after an internship, professionalism will help you excel in every field.

4. Develop Professional Contacts

Job-hunt is usually the next step after an internship for many people. Even if you somehow fail to get offered a job after an internship at your workplace, the contacts you will develop during the course of your internship will help you go a long way.

Get to know people and deal professionally with them. This includes, but is not limited to, developing good relations with your supervisor and co-workers.

You will also have a chance to meet a lot of new people. Get acquainted with them and it will surely help you in your future.

5. Build a rapport with your supervisor

While doing training, interns are usually placed directly under a supervisor. Your supervisor will mentor you throughout your training. If the company decides that it needs to hire interns as permanent employees, the next step after internship for an employer would be to seek the response from the supervisors.

Again, you should not engage in a master-slave relationship with your supervisor but try to be an avid learner and efficient worker. Demonstrate your capability to him and hopefully, he will put in a good word for you.

6. Exhibit your creativity

As an intern, you might not get involved in high-profile assignments but try to think outside the box wherever possible. Display your ingenuity and always try to come up with clever solutions and new ideas.

If you are constantly improvising and coming up with novel and practical ideas, you can earn a good place for yourself in the eyes of your supervisor or employer.

7. Punctuality

Let’s admit if an intern is always turning up late to work he automatically earns a position in the bad books of his supervisor. Always try to be on schedule and follow the timelines. In a professional work environment, being on a clock is very important and those who will be evaluating you will register this thing.

If you are given some clerical work, make sure you turn it in when it is due. Avoid being unnecessarily absent from work and leave for the home only after the closing hours.

Nothing beats getting a job at a workplace where you are already settled, so we hope these tips can help you land your dream job. But that’s only one of the many advantages of doing this.

The hands-on learning experience is ultimately the best takeaway and if you made your internship worth it, chances are you would get an even better job somewhere else if not there. Just try to make the best use of your time and you will be all set to roll. Also, You can Get Your Free Ticket For Our Upcoming Tech Jobs Fair