How To Take What You Learned In Your Internship And Apply It To Your New Job In The Company

By Victoria Robertson on May 15, 2015

This article is brought to you by Dream Careers, the largest global internship program for college students offering all-inclusive programs in 11 cities worldwide. To learn more about Dream Careers, please visit us at SummerInternships.com.

Internships oftentimes lead to a career with the company in which your bosses will expect you to take what you’ve learned and apply it to your new job. Because you are given such a quick start with a company you are already familiar with, this is an opportunity you are definitely going to want to take advantage of.

So to help you make the most of the opportunity, here are five ways to take what you learned in your internship and apply it to your new job in the company.

1. Utilize Constructive Criticism

Most internships are great places to gain experience, and a lot of this experience comes with constructive criticism. Whether it’s small comments here and there or bigger criticism that can be useful in all fields, criticism from an employer, even as an intern, isn’t something to take lightly.

While this may seem like obvious advice, everything an employer tells an intern is useful later on, so take all tips given to you seriously in your internship, especially if you hope to hold a job with this same employer later on in your career.

2. Mark The Differences

Another important thing to consider is that while you may be working for the same company, the job isn’t going to be the same as your job as an intern. In other words, be ready to adjust to a far more intense and fast-paced working environment.

Normally interns are provided guidance throughout the job and may not have as much of a demanding job description, but don’t forget that while there may be similarities between the internship and the new job, they won’t be the same, and so they shouldn’t be treated that way.

Of course, that isn’t to say that you should forget everything that you learned in your internship, but instead to say that you should be prepared to take what you’ve learned and be able to apply it to a job that may or may not be similar to what you’ve already been doing. Be extremely flexible and able to reflect on your past experience, but not let it inhibit you in your job performance as you move forward.

3. Determine What’s Expected of You

A new job, as stated earlier, demands new expectations. You won’t be working the same exact job more than likely, so don’t assume they’re the same.

Instead, determine what’s expected of you moving forward by looking at what was expected of you in the past. If the company had a strict deadline policy before, that will probably continue moving forward. If they expected something before, they’ll probably expect the same. So don’t be afraid to look back at your internship as a guideline for your career moving forward, as that’s exactly why you began there in the first place.

4. Always Work Like You’re An Intern

When you’re an intern for a company, you’re under much more pressure because you have a constant desire/drive to impress your employer. Oftentimes this drive is diminished when offered a full-time position, especially when there’s a sense of comfort that has been established over the course of your internship.

The best thing to do to avoid this is to constantly work like you’re an intern: work as if you have something to prove. This not only keeps you learning and gaining experience even as you work your way up in a company, but also to help you hone in on skills you’d otherwise gloss over.

5. Never Assume You’ve Learned Everything

The final piece of advice I can offer you is to never assume you’ve learned everything there is to learn in your time as an intern. Even as you move on in a company and get higher positions, there is always something to learn.

While being an intern is a good starting point, there is never a moment that you won’t be learning something new as you move forward, so don’t shut down to gaining new information. Again, always act like an intern and take in all information you get to help you become a successful employee at this company and as you move forward in your career long afterwards.

Working as an intern for a company is stressful, but in the end, it usually is worth the effort. So don’t let all that effort go to waste by forgetting what you’ve learned in your internship; normally, the point of the internship is to get you ready for the bigger picture, so make sure you’re utilizing what you’ve learned and making the most of the internship, as this is the best way to make it further in your career with the company.

Looking for a top internship in an exciting city? Enroll in Dream Careers and guarantee yourself an internship and a fun summer in your choice of 11 cities globally. To visit our website, please click here.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format