Not to scare anyone, but nowadays simply having internship experience doesn't set you apart. I've seen peers with four or more internships scrambling to find a job after graduation. Some of them spent so much time gaining experience that their resume suffered from a serious case of schizophrenia. Others just coasted through their internships and didn't leave much of an impression on their coworkers. Here's how to make your summer internship count.

1. If you aren't sure, ask. Once upon a time, I was a PR intern at a nonprofit and my boss handed me a stack of papers she needed faxed. "Send this to our distribution list," she told me. She'd asked me to fax a press release to our media list the previous week, so I assumed that was the list she meant. It wasn't. I should have double-checked before I sent the fax, but I didn't want to look like a moron. Well, I looked like an even bigger moron when she discovered my mistake. You don't want to bug your supervisor with questions every few minutes (it will drive him or her crazy and make you look clueless), so keep a running list of questions and ask them when you can grab a few minutes one-on-one. This will also show them you are organized and thorough!

2. Soak up everything you can, even if you don't think it will help you. You never know what information might help you later on. When I was interning at the nonprofit, we had a little media debacle that taught me about crisis management. Obviously, it wasn't my problem to solve, but as I photocopied and faxed I read every article I could get my hands on to see what people were saying about the organization. I sometimes used my observations during job interviews to demonstrate my knowledge of media relations and crisis PR. "Listen more than you talk" is a good rule of thumb in any new job.

3. Be willing to work on projects that weren't part of the job description. It happens all of the time: one department gets slammed with a project and they ask to borrow everyone else's interns. Or maybe it turns out that your boss doesn't have as much work as she anticipated so she asks you to help out in other areas. Sometimes the work is so menial it stinks and sometimes it's actually interesting. Use the opportunity to chat with people in other departments and try out tangential skills. Plus, you'll score points for your flexibility. You never know, you might discover that you're even better at doing something else.

4. Take home something tangible. It could be a brochure you designed, a chart showing the extra sales you generated, or a photo from an event you helped organize. If you're halfway through the summer and all you have to show for your efforts is a paper clip sculpture, then talk to your supervisor (or start doing what you're supposed to instead of slacking off!). Some bosses are reluctant to delegate "real projects" to their interns, so try to figure out what tasks they like the least. Offer to lighten their load and find a way to document your new responsibility.

5. Remember, even if you hate it, it's just for the summer. Lots of internships are good on paper and bad in person. If you find yourself in this predicament, then remind yourself that (at most) you only have three more months to go. Knowing what you don't want to want to do professionally can help you target your job search and find a better fit later in your career.