As students navigate summer vacation throughout their high school years, it becomes important to consider two things when thinking about jobs, internships, research, community service, or other experiences: how to have a summer experience that is both meaningful and helps build a solid resume in preparation for college or a future job.
The transition from middle school to high school can be tough, and during a global pandemic, it can be even harder to navigate, with online classes and limited clubs, sports, and activities. Having summer fun is very important, but summer can be so much more than that. Here, we will explore one option for students – a carefully designed summer internship.
First, understanding the importance of an internship is essential to crafting ways in which a successful summer of work, research or community service can benefit you. The most basic benefit may be financial reward (although many internships are unpaid); for many students, it is deepening and widening knowledge in areas of strong academic interest. An internship can lead to rewarding self-awareness and a journey of self-discovery that will guide the student towards universities, majors, or career paths that resonate in a personal and targeted way. Getting a first-hand experience in the field you wish to study is pertinent and can demonstrate both dedication and knowledge down the road on your college applications. An internship can show adaptability, targeted interest, and maturity. For you, it gives a real insight into your chosen field and can help clarify the direction of your academic trajectory.
Once you have decided on the direction of the internship – work, community service, international/local travel – researching is your next step. There are some excellent websites with curated lists of options like Aralia, National Institutes of Health, and the National Society of High School Scholars. It is also important to be creative in your search for the type of experience that matters to you. Start locally in your high school’s guidance office. Many schools have college or career counselors with lists of summer jobs and/or internship experiences. Teachers may have good personal contacts in their field so talk to them and ask about any summer options they may be aware of within your chosen field. Libraries, boys’ and girls’ clubs, and community centers may carry or post flyers about summer programs and in some locations, city councils will provide summer internship listings. If you have a parent or other relative in your field of interest, ask about summer opportunities.
High school students need to take the time to really think about both who they are and what they want from their futures before considering their academic major in college. A summer internship can be a really fulfilling part of that internal dialogue. This opportunity can give you your first look at a 9-5 job in an office, a 6-2 shift in the hospital, an 8-6 day in a lab or a long day spent outside, and remember, one summer does not have to look like another. Vary your focus each summer. Start small and slowly widen your search horizons. A summer in a small local start-up, with no salary, might become a paid summer internship at a national tech company, with employment possibilities looming in the future.
Finally, it is important to be practical in your search. Consider ease of commuting, cost of travel, family commitments, and summer sports. Once you start your internship, you must do everything to complete your assignments. At the end of the summer, don’t forget to request a recommendation from your immediate supervisor. Look for ways to demonstrate commitment to your assigned tasks, mature interactions with colleagues and co-workers, responsibility and reliability, and offer intelligent contributions at meetings. This will all appear in the letter of recommendation and will impress your colleges.
As you start your final year of college, finding a job becomes an imperative. If you have already experienced a range of summer internships during both high school and college, you’ll have built up a significant number of contacts within an array of contexts and fields that may be the future connection you need to land that dream job.
From Columbia University Center for Career Education
10 Tips to Make the Most of Your Internship
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Introduce yourself to everyone in your department. Try to have contact with each person and get a sense of what they do. You never know when someone else in the company is doing something that might interest you later down the line. You may not want to work for your company past long term, but you will definitely want to get a recommendation from them. The better job you do and the more familiar your supervisor and other employees are with your personality and your work, the stronger the recommendation.
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It is always a good idea to meet with your supervisor at the beginning of the internship to find out what their expectations are for you. If your supervisor doesn’t set a meeting with you, you should ask for some time to meet. What are you expected to accomplish every day? Every week? Make sure to request feedback from your supervisor to make sure you are on the right track. Finally, keep in mind what your own goals are for your internship and what you would like to learn. Discuss your interests with your supervisor and ask if there are opportunities to get involved in those areas.
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Understanding and acting in accordance with the culture of an organization is important whenever you start working somewhere new. Watch and seek guidance from your colleagues and peers. What are the routines of the organization? Of the people? Read all organizational material, policies and procedures, etc. If it’s appropriate, ask to sit in on meetings or shadow other employees so you can learn the ins and outs of the business.
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Be mindful of how you present yourself to your co-workers and supervisor. What is the appropriate attire for your workplace? What is appropriate email etiquette for the person you are addressing? If you have a concern or there is an issue you are not sure how to handle, who is the most appropriate person to talk to? And don’t forget the basics of common courtesy – be punctual, say thank you, follow up and follow through.
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If things are slow for you, make sure your supervisor knows it. And then if things are still slow — read some trade magazines or see if it’s OK to ask another employee if they need help. Or, generate ideas about what you might be able to work on as a longer term project to fill down time, and present it to your supervisor. Everyone has to do grunt work at one point or another and the more enthusiastic and willing you are to do it — the better the chance of you’re being hired full-time and/or getting a strong recommendation. Plus, maybe there’s a better or more organized way to finish the grunt work.
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Take notes during all meetings and keep to-do lists of tasks and deadlines. Keep your work space neat so that your work is organized and out of the way when you are not around. Take care to observe data storage processes—if your organization keeps files in central locations, take note and observe and maintain records in accordance with policy.
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Always complete projects on time, and when one task is done – ask for another. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with projects, talk to your supervisor about prioritizing your work.
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Start a list of all of the projects you have worked on so that you can discuss your progress with your supervisor. It will also help you remember everything you’ve worked on to update your resume, add to a portfolio, or talk about in a future interview. Ask if you can keep examples of projects you have worked on for a portfolio. Remember that some of this information will be confidential, so always get approval before taking any copies of work with you.
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Either during your internship or afterwards, ask your supervisor and/or other employees if they have 15 minutes for a coffee and a chat. People like to talk about themselves and their path. The key is that everyone’s path is different, so try to reach out to as many people as possible. If you don’t get a response immediately, ask once or twice more. People are very busy, so often when you think they are ignoring you — it’s usually because they are overloaded and not because they don’t want to talk.
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If there’s no formal review process, be sure to ask your supervisor and coworkers for feedback on your performance so you can learn what you’ve done well and what areas need improvement. Reflect on the skills you’ve gained during your internship and update your resume with your experiences and accomplishments. Even if you decide that this career field is not right for you, the experience is still a valuable one.
