50% of employers expect a college graduate to have completed an internship, of that 20% expect a college graduate to have completed two internships.

Companies don’t participate in internships programs to feel like they are being socially conscious, they participate in internship programs because it is one of the best recruiting tools available. Internships are like a test run of potential employees, allowing a company to decided if this is someone which we want to be a part of our team, and if it is worth investing in them.

I participated in what I consider to have been a highly beneficial and successful internship (I was hired full time and allowed to take a sabbatical to finish school). I learned a lot from my fellow interns on what to do, and more on what not to do.

Don’t worry about what others are doing. Many of my fellow interns would show up to work ten or fifteen minutes late, take extended lunch breaks, and leave early. They believed that because of their internship title they were immune from any actual responsibility and could not be fired. Treat your internship opportunity like it is a job, because it is.

If you are being paid to much to sweep a floor then you need a pay cut. Being an intern really isn’t glamorous for most. Coming into the workplace interns are lowest on the totem pole and tend to have the most menial and tedious tasks, like measuring sprocket diameters for two weeks. No one wants to do this, and chances are your coworkers will know that. While many people would like to see the concept of ‘paying dues’ vanish the truth is that most people still follow it and complaining about the work you are doing is not going to change this, it will only irritate your coworkers. Completing work which no one else wants to do, and doing it with a smile on your face will leave a positive impression.

Dress like the position you want. Our company had a vary lax dress code, but when it came to important meetings a majority of the interns would show up in jeans and dirty t-shirts while the rest of the department would be in proper attire. One intern told me that everyone knows we are interns so they don’t expect us to dress up, and it isn’t important to our job anyway.

What is that dohicer by the googlie gears? As an Intern you are expected to not know everything. Recruiters look for interns who can be molded and developed into exemplary employees. Companies expect interns to need help, guidance, and training; all of which they are (generally) more then willing to provide if they feel that it will be worth their investment. Don’t be ashamed to ask for clarification or assistance.

Want to babysit? Occasionally interns will be asked to partake in activities such as career fairs, professional development seminars, facilitating a group of customers or dealers which will be at the company. These are all fantastic networking and development events. While many older coworkers may express their dis-contentedness about these activities if they are required to be involved with them, they are not in the same boat as you. While it may not benefit them at all it may benefit you. I was assigned to ‘babysit’ some visitors one day and I ended up learning more about our machinery and development then I could have ever learned from listening to a lecturer or reading about it.

I worked with the students who made me understand why people call us generation me, or the entitled generation. If you view your internship with humility, that it is a fantastic opportunity that you are lucky to have, and you utilize it there is no way that you won’t take something from it. Internships are a companies first look at you, and how you behave on them will be what they remember if you apply to work for them in the future.