5 Steps to a Great Internship - Identify Your Goals - CareerAlley

5 Steps to a Great Internship - Identify Your Goals - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. This article in the CareerAlley Internship series focuses on identifying your goals. These are not your life goals (although they could be) but are your goals for your internship. Defining these will help you understand what you would like to get out of your internship so that you get the most value for your time spent. Tweet This Ideally, your internships should be aligned with your college major and your career goals. While having any internship on your resume is better than no internship, your focus should be those internships that will provide the most value. Set goals that allow you to learn about your likes, dislikes, and perceptions. This is your audition for the real world, treat it as an opportunity to get a job offer when you graduate. Define your goals: Career and Internship Goals Defining your goals is key to helping define your internship opportunities. Self-Assessment Take a hard look at yourself and make a list of your strengths and how you might leverage those strengths in your career. Your Major If youve declared a major, then you have a really good idea of what you would like to do as your line of work. Internship Goals Make a list of what you would like to accomplish during the internship. This will help you select the right opportunity as well as help during the interview process. While some internships offer a built-in cohort of fellow interns, most sites host only one intern at a time, which can lead to lonely, boring days at work. Even if your full-time co-workers are warm and personable, talking with people in your exact stage of life is irreplaceable. Forbes.com Industry Goals Based on your major and career aspirations: Select an industry that will offer internships that are aligned with your college major Use the opportunity to determine if you truly like your preferred industry Select a company within your chosen industry that is a leader and well regarded Internship organization notebook Diary | Log | Journal Price: $7.99 It is more practical to note and write with internship notebook, internship notebook journal is Ideal to memorize your internship activities and the main concepts. Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 Define Your Goals From the outset, you should define your overall goals, this is key for your interviews. To gain experience To gain an understanding of the industry and markets To learn about working relationships in an organization To leverage your skills in the real world Responsibilities Take on some real responsibilities and key deliverables. This is your opportunity to show your temporary employers what you can do and what you can deliver This is your audition for the real world Skills Select an internship that will allow you to enhance the skills you have as well as the opportunity to learn new skills Include specific skill-related goals Focus on your weaknesses include goals that will allow you to improve your weaker skills Learning Links Price: CareerAlley links to our learning resource partners. Learn New skills We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Feedback During Your Internship Take the good with the bad. This is your opportunity to learn what others think of you. Request constructive feedback on a regular basis. Dont confuse peoples perception of you (which is very important) with your ability to achieve superior results. Build Your Network An internship is a perfect opportunity to build your professional network. Make an effort to make connections with individuals who have the experience and skills to help you in your career Learning About You Your internship will change your perception of the working world as well as your likes and dislikes. Create goals that will allow you to: Confirm what you like to do (and what you dont like to do) Experiment with things that are outside of your comfort zone Test your communication skills (written and verbal). Setting internship goals is key to not only landing a great internship but also helping you get the most of your experience. TopResume Free Resume Review Price: TopResume writes and analyzes more resumes and LinkedIn profiles than any other service in the world. Let our resume experts provide you with objective feedback and personalized recommendations to improve your resume and land the right job sooner. Get a free, confidential resume review from TopResume Get Your Killer Resume We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to launch your career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search