Making the Most of Your Internship

Written by: Cassidy Waldner

There is no feeling like scoring your first big internship. At first, there is the feeling of pure excitement and curiosity surrounding what your work term will have in store for you. Then, a feeling of anxiety may creep in as you wonder if your schooling has prepared you enough for a hands-on role and the pressure of impressing the employer to ensure they ask you to come back. All-in-all it is an overwhelming experience. I know because I went through it. I got my first internship after my first year of business school. I applied for a position with Bank of Montreal thinking there was no way I would get the role. However, I did, and I learned many things through the experience. Below are five tips to make the most of your internship based on my experience.

Become a sponge

I have found that a key to success in my internship was becoming a sponge. Listen to your coworkers, manager, mentor, and even the customer base you may be serving. Soak up as much information as possible. The entire premise of an internship is to learn. Likely, during your first work placement you will be surrounded with new procedures and techniques to getting a job done. As a student, take in as much as you can so you can quickly learn about the processes and fill your intended role. 

To fully become a sponge, you must remember that questions are a key to understanding. Ensure you are asking your colleagues meaningful questions whenever your do not fully understand how or why something is being done the way it is. Asking questions ensures you have a well-rounded knowledge base that allows you to reach your performance potential.

Network, Network, and Network some more…

Those that you work with during your internship are going to become lifelong connections, friends and even mentors. By having in depth conversations with my coworkers about their experiences in the banking industry and what their role consists of enabled me to eliminate possible career paths. I may have found their work-life balance, the level of customer interaction, the lack of customer interaction, and the duties of their role were not something I desired in my future career. Additionally, ensure you get multiple perspectives for different roles as many have had unique experiences getting to where they are now. 

As a student, you should attend all the events that are made available to you. During my first summer with Bank of Montreal I had to opportunity to fly to Toronto for 26 hours and take part in a conference with every BMO intern from across Canada. I was able to make some amazing friends that I am still in contact with today. Additionally, I was able to put faces to the names of the recruiters I had been communicating with in the prior months and learn about everything Bank of Montreal has to offer students. You never know when you will meet someone at an event that will be the connection you need when someday looking for your “dream job.”

Accept that you will make mistakes

Perfection is an unrealistic goal. This has been an exceedingly difficult lesson for me as all my life I have strived to be perfect in all I do. I did not allow myself to make mistakes. During my work placements I came to realize that making mistakes has only made me better at my job. It has allowed me to have a full understanding of why things are done the way they are done and has pushed me to continue working hard towards being the best employee I can be. If mistakes were never made, where would the motivation to improve be or to work harder? Most people will tell you that the best way to learn is to make mistakes. Your manager will expect mistakes to be made and they will be willing to help you fix them. Likely, most mistakes you will make in your first work term will be fixable.

Do not be afraid to share your thoughts

As you get to know your job role and the procedures your workplace follows, you may find yourself thinking “hold-on, I think there is a better way to do this.” One way to impress your employer is to voice your ideas on how the team can improve and become more efficient. This will signal to your employer that you are a knowledgeable and motivated employee. Additionally, if you make a process more efficient for your employer you will be memorable. It will make them want you to work with them in the future. 

Even if your idea is impossible to implement, it will give you a deeper understanding of why things work the way they do and will still show your manager that you are an eager and hardworking student.

Follow-Up

Thank-you emails and cards are not something students do enough. At the end of your work term you should be sending thank you emails to the team you worked with that summer. I have found it rewarding to craft unique emails to each team member thanking them for one thing they may have taught you during your work term. Having meaningful relationships with your team members will allow more opportunities in the future. Of course, it is important to thank your manager in person, but a follow up email including your next available work term will allow your manager to offer you a job in the future. The last follow-up that needs to be done is for your recruiter. Depending on the company you work for you may be able to meet with them in person, but in some cases, they may be working in a different province. You should inform them when you will be next available to work and if there are other positions or lines of business that you would be interested in trying out. Let them know! They likely will be able to put in a good word with hiring managers in those lines of business and direct you to the right people to reach out to.

To conclude, enjoy your first internship. As daunting as the position or duties can be, it will likely be one of the most rewarding jobs in your career.