April 2010 Archives

It's April which means baseball, tax returns and internships are in full swing.  I have teamed up with Gen Y Career Expert, Heather Huhman, to compile a list of tips to ensure you're making the most of your internship and inching closer to a full-time offer.

Heather and I met via Twitter (of course!) and have gotten to know each other well over the past several months.  In March, she invited me to participate on her Business Advisory Board for ComeRecommended, an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers.  Heather is an accomplished career columnist with the Examiner.com and has written several books and e-books including #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle.  You should check out her blog, bio and follow her on Twitter.

Here are our top 10 tips for converting your internship into a full-time offer!

   1. Become indispensable. Don't tell them you want the job, show them. Show them by taking on extra tasks, being curious, and offering to do projects that fall outside the typical intern duties. You want your team to view you as an integral part.
   2. Act as if. Act as if you're already a full-time staffer. Dress professionally. Show up early and be the last intern to leave. Take pride in every project you work on, after all it has your name on it. Have an energetic, positive attitude even on the most chaotic days. Keep your social activities on the weekend, so you're fresh and ready to go each morning.
   3. Perception is reality. You might be a star intern, but if the big boss walks by your cube and sees you on iTunes or playing solitaire, you're brand is ruined. Be disciplined and focus on work while at work!
   4. Be flexible. Nothing wins over a team like offering to come in early or staying late to help meet a client demand. Sure, you may miss out on a dinner or movie with friends, but you'll win a lot of points.
   5. Go the extra mile. After you work with a team for a few weeks, you should be able to anticipate their questions and needs. Get into the habit of doing more than expected and demonstrate that you can think a step ahead!
   6. Find a mentor. If you want to move up within an organization - whether it's from intern to full-time employee or from junior level to mid-level - you need to find a mentor. After all, this person (or people) will help you align yourself with the decision makers. Sometimes, being in front of the right people is all it takes.
   7. Keep track of your accomplishments. At the end of each day or week, be sure to jot down every accomplishment you've had. Be as specific as possible, and include numbers when you can. Proof of results is a great way to move up.
   8. Ask for feedback. Sure, Gen Y is often criticized for asking for too much feedback. Knowing that, approach getting the feedback you need with an "always be learning and improving" attitude. Walk that fine line between rock star and annoying, and your supervisor(s) will have a hard time saying "no."
   9. Know the company inside and out. Your knowledge of the company and its products, services, and clients/customers needs to go well beyond the Web site. This seems like a no-brainer, but know what the organization is looking for and how you can fill that need.
  10. Solve a problem that's been stumping the organization for a long time. Just because you're "only an intern" doesn't mean you don't have the solution to a problem plaguing the company. Be creative and a strategic thinker. If you can solve the company's issue(s), they will be begging you to come onboard.

Do you have any other ideas?

10.  Recruiting is an action.  It's proactive, not reactive.
As a job seeker, you MUST drive the job search process.

9. It's all about momentum.  My searches tend to stall when I get away from them for a few days.
Ditto for networking...

8. I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. (courtesy Thomas Jefferson)
Just trust me on this one!  If you work hard, good things will happen. 

7. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
I typically need to identify a slate of 5-8 strong candidates to fill a job; you should seek to interview at 5 companies you really like.

6. The recruiting process can speed up, slow down and stop altogether with little warning or reason.
This is why you need to follow #7 and investigate multiple opportunities.

5. Technology provides us with unbelievable tools.  But people still hire people.
So why are you spending 99% of your time on job boards, Linkedin and email?

4. A "one size fits all" pitch to candidates does NOT work.
This isn't direct mail or television advertising.  You can't scale caring (Thanks Gary Vaynerchuk).  You need to approach each company in a unique, personalized way... and CARE!

3. You better do your research.
If you're not prepared, you're wasting everyone's time, including your own.

2. If you can't find someone's email address or phone number, you don't want to speak with them bad enough.
This one speaks for itself.  The people who land "dream jobs" do whatever it takes along the way.

1. Ask prospective candidates good questions and listen before you sell.
It's not about YOU.  It's about the COMPANY.  And what THEIR unique/specific challenges are.  And what YOU can do to solve them.