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- 5 lessons I learned from internships
Read Time: 5 min
Hi networkers,
Welcome back to The Leap Sprint, your newsletter for all things networking related.
Today topic will be my 5 biggest takeaways from my internships.
Whether you’ve done some of your own or not, I hope these lessons give you a heads-up for your next one!
🏁 Here’s the route for this week’s run:
🎙️ 5 Internship Lessons
💡 Time Blocking
📍 Go-To Networking Events
TOPIC
5 Internship Lessons
💡 Lesson 1: You won’t be busy all the time
When I was going into my first-ever internship, I thought my manager had it all planned.
Everything from my orientation to what I would be doing daily, I thought I’d be busy all the time.
But there were plenty of days when I barely had work because my team ran out of things to assign me to.
My advice to you. If you have downtime, always ask your manager if there’s anything you can help with. If there isn’t, use the time for self-development, and do a LinkedIn course or two.
💡 Lesson 2: Your job description is not accurate
From unexpected sick leaves to team restructures, my day-to-day didn’t always match what I read in the job description.
My advice to you. Be flexible, you might be assigned things you hadn’t expected but take it as a chance to explore them, don’t refuse the work.
💡 Lesson 3: You don’t get the work you deserve. You get the work you seek out
Interns get a fair amount of surface-level work and I was no exception.
But I wanted to make an impact by doing work the full-timers were. To get that, I had to repeatedly voice my interests.
My advice to you. Your managers aren’t mind readers, they won’t magically know what you want. Set up weekly 1:1’s with them to talk about your desired projects.
💡 Lesson 4: Your people skills matter more than your role
The real goal of your internship isn’t to become better at the job you do. It’s to develop connections with your team to leverage later on.
The greatest benefits I got from my internships weren’t from learning specific software or processes.
They were the return offers I got because I knew certain people!
My advice to you. Reach out to everyone on your team for coffee chats within the 1st month. Build those connections as early as possible.
💡 Lesson 5: No one knows what you want unless you tell them
Enjoying your internship? If want a return offer, you have to let your manager know!
In my last internship, I wanted to convert to full-time at the end of the 4 months.
I was told that if I wanted to make that happen, I would need to directly tell my leaders.
My advice to you. If you’re looking for a return offer, bring it up with your manager no later than 2 months in and phrase it as a curiosity so you don’t come off too pushy.
Here’s a way you can say it:
“I’ve enjoyed my time here so far and would love to continue making an impact. If I was interested in extending my term, what would that look like?
That’s all for today, next week’s topic is “Super Communication”.
Until next time, stay curious! 🔍
-Michael Ly
TIP/TOOL OF THE WEEK
Time Blocking
This week’s productivity hack is time-blocking.
Concept
How do we get more work done? The answer is discipline. AKA, doing the work even when you don’t feel like it.
But that’s easier said than done, so what’s a practical way to implement this? Start by putting time blocks on your calendar!
Actionable Steps
You already use your calendars to block off time for dinners and appointments, so why not use it for your self-development too?
For example, I block off 1 hour each morning on my Sundays and Saturdays from 9 - 10 am to write this newsletter.
Pick a goal, (it can be anything) and dedicate a small amount of time each week to it.
Check out this YouTube video for more.
Go-To Networking Events
📍Checkpoints📍
Inside BDO: Student Ambassadors Share Their BDO Journey
Time: Feb 27, 5:00 - 6:00 pm EST (Online)
Detail: Join BDO Canada's esteemed Student Ambassadors as they share their personal career stories and insights into life at BDO Canada. This session will cover a range of topics, from navigating career pathways to embracing the culture and values at BDO Canada.
TEI Toronto Chapter | Career in Tax
Rock Your Profile (LinkedIn Workshop)
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