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HOW TO TURN YOUR COLLEGE INTERNSHIP INTO A JOB OFFER
Career Planning 

HOW TO TURN YOUR COLLEGE INTERNSHIP INTO A JOB OFFER

Lisa Jones

Internships provide a great opportunity to work in your related field and broaden your horizons. They offer multiple opportunities to gain practical experience and new skills.  Being able to turn an internship into a job offer takes a lot of hard work and rewards you with a employment right out of college.

Here are some ways you can turn your college internship into a job offer.

TIPS TO TURN YOUR COLLEGE INTERNSHIP INTO A JOB OFFER

  1. RESEARCH THE COMPANY

It is imperative that you thoroughly research the company before you apply for internship. It will provide you with an added advantage of understanding the company better along with how the company works and tackles its projects.

  1. ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY

Your boss is not going to assign you important work if they don’t trust you. The easiest way to build trust is to show them that you are credible. You can build your credibility by being punctual to meetings, being responsible, meeting the deadlines before time and putting in effort in your work. Don’t try to ‘get it over with’. Manage your projects with efficiency to make a good impression.

  1. ASK QUESTIONS

Asking the insightful questions not only ensures that your work is error free but it also shows your boss and team your willingness to learn and be better.  Always make sure your questions are task related and add to the meeting, rather than asking ill-timed or repetitive questions that take away from the task on hand. Be curious and proactive and remember the information you gain so you won’t have to ask again.

  1. TAKE INITIATIVE

Many companies will only relegate unimportant and tedious tasks to the interns. Those tasks don’t have the capacity to show your skills. Don’t just sit and do those tasks. Ask yourself how you can apply your skills to make that task more efficient and less time consuming. Add your own innovations to your work. Volunteer yourself to various new projects. It shows the employers your eagerness towards work. Create opportunities to show case your best skills, for instance, if your forte is organization then ask to organize the next team meeting. Make yourself noticeable and present yourself in good light.

  1. BUILD CONNECTIONS

For a company to call you back, it is important for them to like you. Thus, do not limit your interactions with other people. Build meaningful connections, not only with your boss but also with various members of your team. Offer to help your colleagues whenever possible. Don’t be irritating but be helpful. Talk with your team members about their lives. Ask them how they are, how their day went. Make yourself memorable without being imposing. It is also important that you are professional and respectful  in your relationships as well.

  1. SET GOALS AND BE PROFESSIONAL

Most of the companies look for the same traits in their interns that they want in their employees. Learn about the company’s rules and the characteristics which are important to them. Inculcate those traits in yourself.  Try to set your individual goals in meeting a deadline and doing a project. Try to go above and beyond to show your sincereness to work and the company.

If you and company you have chosen are a right fit, then put yourself forward. Make sure to let them know that you are already thinking about your career beyond the internship. For this, research diligently to choose a career and company that works for you!