5 Tips for a Successful Internship Experience

So, you’re finally here! After sending out lots of internship applications and attending various interviews, you have finally secured your first internship placement. Congratulations – you are now one step closer to crafting a successful career journey.

Regardless of how long your internship placement is, whether it is a brief 10 weeks or 6 months long, your internship serves as your first introduction to the working environment. Thus, it is important for you to fully utilise this opportunity to learn as much as you can.

Here are 5 tips for you to ensure that you can have a successful internship experience:

1.      Get a notebook and write down everything!

As an intern, you will most likely have a lot of questions. To make things easier for you, bring a notebook anywhere and everywhere you go during your internship and jot down everything that you learn. From official onboarding to internal meetings and conversations, make it a habit to write down information that you feel would be useful in the future.

Additional tip: You can also jot down names and positions of new colleagues you meet and what they do. This can help you to remember what everyone does and how everyone connects within the organisation. If you are bad at remembering faces and names, you can also include their pictures to help you remember who’s who.

2.      Keep track of your projects and progress.

Even if you do not have to submit an internship report to your university’s internship coordinator, keeping track of your internship progress for your personal development is still a good practice. Note the projects and events you participated in and what you have learned and accomplished. These will all come in handy when updating your resume in the future!

Additional tip: Don’t want to carry a notebook with you all the time? Utilise online apps like OneNote or Google Docs to keep track of your notes and progress wherever you are, just by using your phone. This will also allow you to easily capture voice memos or photos to help in keeping track of your work.

3.      Be open and flexible to learn new things.

You may be asked to participate in projects or activities outside of your job role. Consider this as your opportunity to explore other aspects of the company and how things work. Keep an open mind and support your colleagues while taking in as much knowledge as possible.

Additional tip: Remember all the charts and graphs in your MyNext profiling test results? This is the time for you to leverage on those findings! Your internship is a great platform for you to enhance/improve the areas which you are lacking in, be it communication/interpersonal skills, language/digital skills, or any other employability factor traits. Use this opportunity to improve on your knowledge, skills and abilities to become a highly employable graduate able to propel your career to great heights!

4.      Talk to senior leadership and management.

If you get the opportunity to meet and talk to the senior leaders. As an intern, you may feel intimidated to speak to these decision-makers. However, you can look at this as a golden opportunity to get advice for your future career and to build your professional network.

Additional tip: Get your line manager to help make the introduction and try to schedule one coffee session or meeting each week to learn from different senior leaders. Be sure to follow up after the meeting with a thank you note for their time.

5.      Be proactive in seeking out opportunities.

Don’t wait around for your supervisor to tell you what to do. Be proactive and take the reins on your own learning experience. Seek out opportunities to learn and participate in projects. Contact your supervisor to ask them to introduce you to key employees you should talk to. Talk to HR about potential training and development opportunities. It is your internship journey, so make sure you take ownership of the whole experience.

Additional tip: Start by assessing your competencies using the MyNext platform's Future of Work Test. With a clearer understanding of your strengths, you'll be better equipped to seek out opportunities that align with your development needs and focus on improving the areas where you are weaker. Follow the #KisahSiswa Telegram channel to stay updated on opportunities like the #WalkWithMe Masterclass. Also, keep in mind that companies registered under the National Structured Internship Programme (MySIP) can claim double tax deductions for approved internship expenses, including training and development fees. So, be sure to check with HR about any training opportunities that could benefit you!

At the end of the day, remember that this internship placement is your opportunity to build connections and gain a better understanding of your chosen industry. Make sure you leverage the strengths you've discovered through MyNext’s profiling assessments and turn your weaknesses into stepping stones for a smooth and successful internship journey.

If you are currently looking for an internship, don’t forget to hop on to MyNext Talent to hunt for your perfect internship opportunity! You can utilise the results from your profiling tests to help you find the right-fit internship for you. Check us out at talent.mynext.my today!