Three Ways to Make the Most Out of Your Internship

So this summer I began my first paid internship in food marketing. It's pretty cool, I basically work on creating the social media calendar for the school year on top of all social media promotions throughout the school year so that the office doesn't loose their mind during the year. Initially though, I completed all of my big projects within the first two weeks of my internship, and I was beginning to get bored. So one day, I decided that I was going to make my last 5 weeks worth something, and I got my internship extended because of it!

1. Do research on your company and determine areas of fault.

I work in the marketing division of my internship's department, but I basically work more with social media. Because of this, I went onto all social media platforms belonging to the office and compared them to competing locations in order to determine where there were areas of growth. I drafted these comparisons up, and presented them to my supervisor and we discussed how I can use my internship to implement changes.

2. Get up and NETWORK

You never know whose down the hall from you. Staring at your computer for a long time isn't all that healthy anyways, so take a break and walk around the office. My best friend has a big internship with a big corporation this summer, and she actually has made great strides to getting her face out there. Tag along on meetings, go to lunches, ask if you can work with another department. You never know who knows who.

3. Connect with other interns

My internship is actually though a program that hosts multiple interns. We have small classes that we have the opportunity to attend and learn something beneficial. But through that I am able to connect with the other interns and learn what they do and take note on how I can implement what they're doing, with what I can do.

So far I have used these tactics in my two past internships and have learned so much from them. I've expanded my job descriptions, and set the bar for the next generation of interns. Everything is a learning experience, so take this great opportunity and learn through it.