The 5C Pyramid of Interning

 

I have spent many months of my life interning, exploring what the working world has to offer, allowing me to develop my skills in a professional environment. During this time, I began to gain an in depth understanding of just how the work environment operates. What I ultimately learned was the importance of putting as much in to an experience in order to take from it. The more you throw yourself into an internship, the more likely you are to gain from the opportunity, and this will help substantiate your overall character and what you can personally offer to a company when applying for a permanent role. When I think about my time working abroad, I categorise my overall presence and manner in terms of the 5C pyramid, a structure that is both easy to remember and useful to refer to when guidance is sought on how to remain an invaluable intern. Below I outline each stage of the pyramid, coined so for obvious reasons illustrated in the diagram above, which provide insight into how you can keep your professional manner in check during your interning placement.

Care
You may only be working within a company for a short period of time, and it’s therefore understandable one may adopt the attitude that there is little reason to care about the work you do and what impact you leave – it’s just for your CV after all, right? Well actually, for more reasons than one, this way of thinking is very wrong and potentially damaging. Firstly, to the owners, managers and staff working in a given organisation, this workplace is their playground in which to put their passion to effective use, build upon their careers and develop their skills within a field. It’s therefore imperative that you remain respectful at all times, and illustrate through hard work and determination that you care about what you’re doing on a daily basis. Further, it’s not unheard of that internships have the window of opportunity to lead to full time roles or recommendations within a given industry. Even it if your stay at a company is only a few months, ensure your care and passion are illustrated at all times through the work you do and your personal attitude.

Curious
One thing I learned from the onset, during my time as an intern, was the significance of asking questions – both in regard to my responsibilities and objectives in addition to taking an interest in others within the organisation. Obviously I’m not recommending you present a daily lengthy list to your manager and colleagues, but if there’s a quiet moment, take the time to ask about the company, the different positions available and staff member backgrounds. This interest is another way to demonstrate that you care. It’s especially important you ask questions if you’re unsure on certain aspects of your work load as it’s sensible to ask a few times and complete a task correctly than submit work with errors, ultimately wasting time longer term. Your manager is aware you are in a new environment where growth and learning are key and therefore should set aside time to show you around the office, explain your responsibilities and set some objectives of the internship. Just remember, curiosity can be good in the correct dose!

Courteous
It may sound obvious, but remaining courteous to those in the office, and others you may encounter along the way, is extremely important. Companies are fortunate to have applications piling on desks for internship requests, but they have selected you! Remaining polite at all times and gracious for the opportunity will highlight your appreciation for the work placement, only helping your potential future with that company or business area. Industry expert circles are small, no matter where you go in the world, and people continuously talk. You absolutely do not want to gain a reputation for being difficult, rude or unappreciative. These are all qualities that can potentially damage your future career. Alongside this, I would also recommend going the extra mile during your internship, whether it be staying on late to finish work, offering to run errands for your colleagues or helping pick up the slack with office tasks; these will highlight your positive approach and willingness to start at the bottom in order to gain the foundational skills on which you can build in the future.

Confidence
Alongside being courteous, it’s imperative to showcase confidence – this will instill faith in your manager that you are the best intern and they made the right choice in hiring you.  Set yourself the challenge to radiate self-assurance, without coming across as arrogant. Reassuring your boss that you can handle what’s thrown at you may result in higher responsibility throughout the internship. Don’t panic if you feel the workload is becoming too difficult; you can still remain confident but ask for help or advice with completing individual projects. Sometimes asking these questions demonstrates a level of maturity, demonstrating you’re not afraid to question yourself and learn.

Communication
The key to working well with others is excellent communication; this goes for all walks of life and can sometimes require the self-motivation to push yourself out of your comfort zone. When I was interning, I had to call and speak with PR professionals in companies and agencies across America – a rather daunting task for a 20 year old who had just landed in the States. On top of this, I was attending high profile events and interviewing influential industry figures on a weekly basis. I was challenged to rapidly adapt to my surroundings and learn to articulate and converse clearly with others, especially given the accent barrier! Communication is a topic that’s sensible to address sooner rather than later. Learning to talk effectively with others, and listening to what they have to say, is a skill that will definitely be useful for years to come, throughout all walks of life.

So there you go – the 5C Pyramid of Interning. What I’ve outlined is intended to provide a guide to help you when entering into the world of internships. I know all too well how nerve racking the experience is initially, but if you refer to these simple recommendations, I can assure you that in no time you will settle in and feel like a valued member of the team!

Until next time.

Leoni

 

 

we do more than make coffee

There’s a widespread circling cliché regarding interns, with them often being labeled as coffee makers, errand runners, and general office housekeepers. However, in recent years, these fundamental stereotypes have not only been disregarded as grossly inaccurate, but also couldn’t be further from the truth in many cases. With work experience placements gaining increased popularity, regard and value throughout a plethora of industries, interns are now identified as an invaluable feature in offices around the world today.

Yes it’s true that interns may face the prospect of long hours and a lack of credit for their work, but then again, more often than not I’m impressed by the range of responsibilities that are entrusted to the interns of today. I had the opportunity to interview a number of former work experience graduates, for my book, who spent time gaining valuable skills in a range of industries. Each and every one of them acquired an increased level of experience, giving thanks to their placements for helping them to achieve their current positions today.

My previous blog entry detailed some information about my first internship, including a selection of highlights and challenges. This time round, I’d like to share snippets from other interns’ stories in order to provide further insight into what internships can offer to your future. Let’s start with Jannet Kim, a born and raised Californian, who studied a Bachelor of Arts degree at UCLA. During her time at university, she completed three internships in marketing, PR and HR at three well known and highly regarded companies. She explained that completing these placements helped her to “funnel down my career interest”. She owes her time working in these internships to helping her develop capabilities and skills in terms of successfully completing tasks and projects in an efficient manner, aiding the transition between university and entering a full time role.

How about Divya Bishnoi, the landscape architecture student in her final year at the University of Edinburgh, who travelled abroad to invest time interning for a company in The Hague? She developed such a range of useful skills, and was learning so much during her placement, that she decided to extend her stay. Given the small structure of the company, she was able to form strong bonds with her colleagues and even learn a bit of Dutch! She believes her internship will benefit her future as she was able to work in a time pressure environment, truly understating the meaning and importance of setting and keeping to deadlines. She commented “I learnt so much on the job, in a way that was completely different from university. Even learning life skills like being more assertive in meetings, becoming more efficient and to learn from constructive criticism are things that I still value from it”.

Then there’s Charlotte Gibbs, a spanish and sociology student from the University of Leeds, who travelled to San Francisco on the BUNAC Work America Programme to intern. She was given control of a number of projects at the company with a high level of responsibility. She told me that “Employers find it really interesting to see that I completed an internship in San Francisco on my CV, and they always ask about it in interviews”. Further, Charlotte touched upon some of the skills she developed in her internship that have helped in her current role today including marketing and database management; areas she had little knowledge of before.

These case studies provide a level of insight into the benefits that can derive from internships. As the industry gains more credibility, and the intensity for internship placements increases, companies are utilising the skills of their interns and providing them with more tasks and projects that ultimately challenge them and are useful when entering the workforce for real.

Whether you choose to intern during school, after school, in university, after university, instead of university, abroad, in your home country, at a small, medium or large company – in whatever industry – make sure you are squeezing every last drop out of the experience. This is the time to learn, make mistakes, build on your skills and develop contacts for the future. It’s an incredible time to find out who you are and where you are most suited in the working world – go out there and enjoy it!

You can read the full range of case studies in more detail in #interns – we do more than make coffee: http://amzn.to/1s8Ayq9

Until next time!

Leoni