After Your Internship: The Do’s And Don’ts

During the next several weeks, many of our members will finish up summer internships and get ready to head back to school. With moving, roommates, last-minute errands and vacations distracting us, it’s easy to lose focus by the end of an internship. However, it’s important to leave a lasting impression with your coworkers — one that will define you as a hard worker and a dedicated employee. Here are some tips for making the most of your last week(s) as an intern and ways to keep in touch with colleagues.

Do:

• Keep in touch with your colleagues, even if you don’t want to work there full time. The public relations profession is closely knit and leaving a positive impression with your coworkers might help you in the long run. Before you go, make sure your coworkers have your contact information, and if you feel comfortable, keep in touch with them through social networking sites. If you are unsure about this, check out Mashable’s tips on when adding coworkers to Facebook and Twitter is appropriate.
• Send thank you notes to all your coworkers. It will probably take you a long time, but even if you helped a colleague with just one project, a note will help you be remembered by many people in the company and will increase the likelihood of getting hired when you graduate.
• Try to meet up with your coworkers if you will be at conferences, networking events or in the same neighborhood. While technology makes keeping in touch easy, an in-person meeting is still a great idea to keep the relationship growing.
• Ask for a final evaluation to elicit feedback. While you should be getting feedback on the projects you are assigned, try to schedule a meeting with your supervisor at the end of your internship to talk about how things went, what you can work on and how you can improve. On your end, be prepared to offer feedback to the company. If you have suggestions or ideas to improve the internship program, go ahead and offer your advice — it will demonstrate maturity and willingness to contribute.

Don’t:

• Add colleagues on Facebook or anything else if you don’t have a clean profile. When you add someone to view your profile, they can and will look through your pictures, wall and notes. If you want to keep your personal life away from your work life, don’t add coworkers to these profiles. You can still use e-mail and hand-written cards to keep in touch.
• Be afraid to take on a new project even in the last week. Think of it this way: Does the company stop when you leave? Be ready to take on anything, even in your last week, to leave a solid impression with your coworkers.
• Get “senioritis” at the end of your internship. Sure, you might only have a week left, but the rest of your colleagues don’t. If you give your best effort from start to finish, you will be remembered as a hard worker. Skimping on the last few days will leave a bad impression.
• Think you are guaranteed an offer. If you have been working with the company for the past several months, you should be able to tell how the company is performing financially. You should also be talking to your supervisors to see if the company is hiring for full-time positions. At the end of your internship, be prepared to talk about the things you accomplished and how you helped the company.

How else can we end our internships on a high note? Anything to add to the list?