Organizing files, making photocopies and arranging meetings are not glamorous tasks. As an intern you’re sometimes hired to make other people’s lives easier, not to show off your talents.
Still, getting an opportunity to work for any organization is beneficial when to get a job after graduation you need experience, and to get experience you need a job. Hence why even getting an unpaid internship is so competitive nowadays.
It’s important to make the most out of your internship, even if you feel scanning other people’s papers is beneath you, just remember the exchange between you and them. You help them out and they give you exposure and work experience to put on your resume.
Be serious:
Excel at the boring stuff, if you are asked to file papers then you not only do it fast and correctly but also go a little extra and even organize the files in alphabetical order; that will show your supervisor that you are taking your job seriously. It can also lead to more rigorous work later on.
Be curious:
Ask questions. You are working and spending all this time in your field’s environment so make the most of it and learn all you can. Don’t be afraid to ask your co-workers how they build their careers and for advice. Also ask your supervisors for feedback on how you are doing, for any input can lead to growth.
Be assertive:
Ask for more work and let your supervisors know what you want to learn. If you are a public relations intern this summer and you are managing and updating your supervisor’s contact list, then awesome but don’t forget to ask to write a press release because that’s what you will need to learn later on.
Take advantage of the work environment you are in because it will be of value to you come the day you apply for an entry position.
