From Intern To Employee| 5 min read

From the very start, even whilst applying for an internship, make it known that you are looking to be permanently employed. If the organization placing you, like ImmerQi, knows this, they can find you an experience where this is more probable. Also, the company will be looking out to see what you will bring to the work place if they know of your desire to work in a full-time position.

Take Every Opportunity That Comes Your Way

As internships are often a period of learning, it is to be expected that the jobs one is given might not be as big as you would hope. Despite possibly being assigned what seems like less valuable tasks, it is extremely helpful if you accept every task with a good attitude. If you establish yourself as one who is happy to do whatever is needed, people will enjoy asking you to accomplish the task they give you, because they know you will be happy to do it no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Along those same lines, always be willing to help out, even if it is not your job, just as long as it does not interfere with your main work or another task already assigned. Remember, every employee is a cog; a part of a large machine. Every cog must keep spinning for the machine to run efficiently.

Understand the Company

When you first start the job, make an obvious effort to understand the company and office guidelines. For instance, knowing how many sick-days you are allotted, how your leave and holidays work, the rules about personal phone and internet use and the dress code. It will not only help you to know more about how to approach the work place and conduct yourself there, but also will show your diligence to understand the company, which will stand out to the supervisor as you intern. Completing tasks on time and to a satisfactory standard is extremely vital; show your contribution to the company. A combination of getting things done on time and always having a good attitude, will establish you as an outstanding addition. Making good business and personal relationships is a good idea also, even if you do not get hired permanently, keeping up those relationships that you made can push you towards other opportunities.

Reputation is Key

Establish a good reputation from the start. When you meet with your supervisor, be sure to actively communicate with them. Tell them the issues you expect will arise for you and that you might have questions. Taking responsibility when something goes wrong is helpful as well, this will let your supervisor know that you are serious about your position. Most of all, be yourself! Companies want someone who is not only a hard worker, but also someone who brings light into the work place.

Take Initiative

It shows great potential when an intern takes initiative. For instance, whilst in a meeting, if you notice a list of tasks, ideas or jobs being discussed, jot them down in your notes. It might transpire that they will ask someone to start recording this list and you can show that you are ahead of the game by having already thought of that. Giving input when and where relevant is a good idea as well. If you see something that needs fixing or a way to do a certain task more efficiently, humbly make a suggestion, and even if your ideas are not used, the boss will notice your eagerness to help. Don’t be afraid to ask for more work when you have accomplished the jobs assigned that day, this will again show that you want to be as helpful as you can. When asking for more to do, make sure not to nag or sound like you are unhappy with the other tasks. Saying something like, “I am done with …. Is there anything else you need me to do?” is a good way to communicate, show you want to do whatever you can without offending anyone.

Even More Advice

There is another article that gives even more suggestions on increasing your chances of gaining full-time employment from an internship. Putting what you learn from both these articles into practice will greatly help you in your desire to be hired after an internship. There is also a great info-graphic that shows statistics about internships and jobs.