Tips for those starting internships

What's going on, y'all. It seems like forever since I've posted an entry, but it isn't because I've been ignoring the reader emails in my Inbox. It just seems that many of the most recent messages have been asking very specific things, so I've been giving individualized responses without posting them on the site.

After being away from the posting game for so long, I figured I should add a post so you guys wouldn't forget about me. Rather than using this space to post an email response, I thought I'd share some advice that I gave to a friend of mine who is about to start their MBA internship at a consulting firm. While this advice was geared toward someone going into consulting, some of you interning in other industries may also find it useful. For that reason, I've tried to make the tips more general wherever possible. Now that I'm reading the list again, I probably should have posted it a month ago, but I hope some of you still find the list helpful...

By the way, I've noticed that several people have been leaving me questions in some comments to entries lately, but I don't check the comments as often as I check the email account. So, if you have any questions that you'd like me to write about, please email them to me.

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(Possibly) Helpful tips for entering a summer MBA internship:

1. Be confident, but humble --> From the first day of your internship, you should exhibit confidence in your skills, intellect, and ability to perform the job for which you were hired. Displaying a lack of self-confidence in a professional environment can lead those around you to also lose confidence in your abilities, which can be catastrophic in a position that only lasts a few short weeks. With that said, being confident does not mean to give off the impression that you're stuck on yourself or believe that you're better than others. Granted, you might feel that way, but you've got to balance that with a healthy dose of humility to keep from turning off those around you. The key word there is "balance"...you want to make sure your colleagues know that you are a great addition to the team/company, but you also want them to know that you've got the humility to be coached, taught, and guided.

2. Get really good at Excel modeling (or any other core skill to your internship) as early as possible --> Depending on the industry/function/role of your internship, there will likely be some core skills that you'll have to use over the course of the experience. For example, a core skill during a consulting internship could be building models in Excel. During your background research on the job, you should be able to determine what these core skills are and, once determine, you should immediately work to develop some understanding/ability in these areas. Building on the consulting example just given, you could build your Excel modeling skills by developing models in your spare time and making them more complex as you get comfortable with Excel. You might start off with a simple model to determine your monthly budget with manual inputs for budget entries...then, you could expand it into a basic 12-month budget with manual inputs...finally, you could add to the complexity of the 12-month budget by making it dynamic and incorporating growth rates and other features. This isn't "THE" way to get good at a particular skill, but it's one that I found helpful as I was going into my own summer internship.

3. Always present the best "you" as possible --> OK, this one is basic, right?...well, it isn't exactly as basic as one might think. Of course, people should have their "game faces" on when they're in the office, but many forget about maintaining that sort of professional presence outside of the office during the internship period. Many internship programs include activities for the intern group and, while these are good for getting to know one's cohort and/or co-workers, they can cause interns to take it a little too easy, with sometimes disastrous results. An example of these kind of events are intern happy hours, where the alcohol is paid for and there is seemingly no limit to how many drinks one can get...once you mix in limitless alcohol, things can go really badly. I've heard stories about so many different ways that interns hurt their own reputations and credibility in "non-work" settings that I just had to add this one to the list. Keep in mind is that an internship is essentially a several-weeks-long job interview and, as such, you need to present yourself well at all times during those weeks. This tip is an especially important one, which I recognize because I lived it myself...

4. Be prepared to be pushed --> I'm sure that we've all either worked in or heard about internships that were a breeze and offered little challenge. In these cases, the intern might find it nice to earn money without having to do much, but he/she may not learn much during the time, which should be the most important value-add. The best kind of internship is one where the intern learns a ton because he/she is challenged repeatedly from the first day and can't help but grow in the process. In these best-case situations, the intern is constantly pushed toward maximum performance by his/her team in several ways, such as having his/her opinions and analyses challenged and pressure-tested, being asked to perform tasks beyond his/her experience level, and essentially being "thrown into the fire" all around. This can be difficult to handle if one isn't ready and requires a bit of a mindset change. Just remember that, if internships were always easy, you probably wouldn't get as much from the experiences, so be ready to be pushed to perform, learn, and grow.

5. Don't be afraid to seek help when needed --> This tip may cause some people to do a double-take because human nature often dictates that one should show little vulnerability in a professional setting. n particular, during an internship, you'd never want your co-workers to think that you can't handle the rigors of the job, right??? Well, I'd say that this is "almost" right, but adhering strictly to this mindset can cause many problems when you're truly stuck and need help to resolve a situation. This can range from figuring out how to complete a task to deciding on how to deal with a difficult client, but proceeding without help when you need it can be a recipe for disaster. When you face these types of situations, I'd advise you to spend some time trying to figure it out yourself and then ask your peers for their perspective. If the advice from your peers doesn't clear things up, move on to your manager and explain your confusion and/or need for guidance. I'm sure the manager would MUCH rather have you ask him/her for healp early on than have to deal with the effects of a problematic outcome because you were afraid to seek help.

6. Build a support network within your office as early as possible --> When I say "support network", I'm not referring to making a bunch of friends. Rather, you will need to find key people that you can rely on for REAL support (i.e. honest and direct feedback, advice, tips, etc.) during and after your internship. The friends you make could add to the "fun factor" of the internship, but the support network will add to the "learning factor" of the internship and provide much needed counsel during your time at the company. You'll want to start building these relationships early on and develop them through periodic contact during the summer. If you are able to get a full-time offer after the internship, the members of your support network should be very helpful in getting yourself re-acclimated to the company environment when you return.

7. Show enthusiasm and interest --> Over the course of your internship, there may be times when your energy fades a bit and the rigor of the work starts to wear on you. In these instances, it is important for you to fight through these feelings and show a high level of enthusiam for the position and interest in the work that you're doing. Similar to being in an interview setting, you'll want the people working with you to leave the summer seeing you as a positive presence who is energized by the work being done.

8. Always execute on deliverables --> This one is pretty basic, but I believe that it is worth mentioning. The biggest part of any internship experience is showing the ability to do the job and executing on deliverables is how one would do that. When assigned a task, ask several key questions upfront to ensure that you understand what is needed, what method you should take in completing the task, any interim or final deadlines, and anything else that might be important. As you make progress on the task, check in with your manager regularly and review that progress to verify that you're on the right track, ask key questions, and determine whether the directive has changed. Finally, you HAVE to make sure you deliver the final output on time, if not early...falling behind and not meeting deadlines are not what you want to display during your internship.

9. Don't be afraid to be active/vocal in team settings --> In any internship (particularly in consulting), one is hired for his/her intellect and, as such, the intern is expected to contribute to the work environment to the best of his/her abilities. That won't happen if the person is so shy/quiet/reserved in team or work settings that their "impact" is never felt. As an intern, you've got to go in there and make sure you voice is heard in team problem solving sessions, in meetings, and in exchanges with your coworkers. By virtue of hiring you, your employer will have demonstrated a belief in your potential contribution, so it is up to you to turn that "potential contribution" into an "actual contribution". Remember, as I said above, the summer is basically an 8-12 week long job interview and this is an important opportunity to prove that you're worth bringing back for a full-time position.

10. Sign up for frequent flier, hotel loyalty, and rewards credit cards as early as possible --> This tip is great for people who have internships that will require travel and likely applies primarily to those in consulting positions. If you're going to be spending a lot of time on planes and in hotels, then you should sign up for programs that would provide some extra benefits to all of that travel. I've known of interns who have been able to compile enough frequent flier miles to get a free plane ticket and enough hotel points for a week of free hotel stays in only a 10-week internship. Plus, the rewards credit cards can give you additional mile/point benefits if you use them to pay for expenses like hotel rooms, meals, and gas. You're going to be working really hard during your internship and (hopefully) getting paid, but there's no reason why you can't get an extra "bonus benefit" along the way, right?