Feb 5: Advice to Future Interns

When I was writing my iPOL presentation, I thought it would be nice to finish by giving the visiting sophomores internship advice. So, for this prompt I’ll tell you all my bullet points and let you know my thoughts behind them.

• Intern somewhere you think you would want to have as a career

The best way to see if you would like something is to experience it. You may find that your dream job isn’t as glamorous as you think it will be, and it’s easier to figure that out after one month of unpaid internship than two years and a college degree into a career. I didn’t really keep this in mind when choosing my internship, but that’s where my next point comes in.

• Intern doing something that interests you

If you think what you’ll be doing at that internship sounds boring and you have another option available, take the other option. You’re going to be doing this for a month, which may not be a long time in terms of a career path, but it’s still a lot of hours. For me, I chose this internship because I would be working on something of value to the company and because I had never worked in a professional non-school environment, two things that interested me.

• Start looking for internships as soon as you can

The sooner you start looking, the more options you have. One of my classmates got an internship working in Denmark secured before most people started looking, and if she had started looking last-minute that option wouldn’t have been available.

• Don’t worry if you can’t get an internship immediately

On the other hand, it’s not the end of the world if you can’t get an internship immediately. You’ll have less time to look for the perfect internship, but there are companies willing to accept interns last minute. Another student in my grade got an internship two days prior to her first day because her old internship cancelled on her last minute. Personally, I didn’t get my internship fully secured until weeks after the site visit, and I still had multiple options available to me.

• Apply at multiple places

Things happen. Make sure you have a backup plan. I’m mentioning this based on no personal experience whatsoever.

• Be professional when applying

Sure, you may be applying to a dog shelter or a surf shop, but you should still keep your communications formal and show up to your site visit or interview in a button-up shirt. Most companies think it’s charming that high school students maintain the same levels of etiquette as applying adults, and you want to make a good first impression with the company. Once you start interning, take your cues from your fellow workers, and follow their lead. If everyone else wears t-shirts and jeans, so should you. If nobody eats in the office, you shouldn’t either.

• Be adaptable and polite

Once at internship, be ready for anything. Your company may want you doing something other than what you applied for, and you should be ready for that. The important thing is to be polite. Thank them for teaching you, and keep your mind open to learn.

• Follow up and keep in touch

Before your site visit, give your mentor a heads up. After your site visit, thank your mentor. Before starting internship, give your mentor a heads up. Stay in contact with your mentor! Being an adult is busy, thankless work, and it’s always good to give reminders.

• Companies understand that you’re young

Adults love teaching. Most people think it’s really neat that a high schooler is working at the same level as they are, and they often want to give you advice they’ve learned on the job. Keep your ears open!

• Don’t stress!

Internships sound like a lot of work, but I promise it’s not as scary as it seems. Most skills you’ll learn on the job, and companies know you’re underqualified. You’re a darn high schooler, so they don’t expect a working-level resume. Being nervous about internship is normal, but there’s no need to stress over it. You’ll get one no matter what, and you’ll learn the skills you need while you’re there. Until then, relax. Play some video games or somethin’. You can worry when you have to get a job for real.

(Pictured: In other news, I went out to lunch again with Mykel, Evelyn and Leon).