Internships and other forms of work experience can be a great way to see if you would enjoy working in a given environment, but if you play your cards right they could also be the beginning of something a whole lot bigger. If you like the company that you intern with, then you already have an advantage over ordinary job seekers when a position comes up for a permanent job. Your boss and their team already know you. They know if they can work with you, and they’ve had a chance to see your hard work and initiative in play. Have you thought about the kind of impression you’re making on these potential employers?
If you’re keen to impress, it’s likely you’ll have all the basics under control: arrive on time, never be first out the door at five on the dot, and if you don’t know what you should be doing – ask. Congratulations! You are now an average intern. If you want to take it to the next level, you’ll need to be a bit more sophisticated with your approach. Do some research into the company. Find out who started it, and what is their vision as a business. What are their core values, and how does that effect the way they work? What is their overall approach to getting the results they seek?
If you see someone in the team who’s doing the job that you would like to have somewhere down the line, make a special point of learning from them. Find out what they did to get where they are today, and what they do on a daily basis to fulfil – and exceed – the boss’ expectations. Let them know about the tasks you’ve achieved on your placement, and talk to them about the stuff you learned about the company. Hopefully, they’ll remember you when a recruitment opportunity comes up – it can be very rewarding for an employer to feel they have a protégé.
The infographic below looks at several such methods of getting a promotion within an organisation, and it also applies to young people who are interning or doing work experience. So before you show up, be sure to check out the best way to making a lasting impression at work – it’s about far more than neat hair and shiny shoes!
Do you have any tips on how to get a promotion? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo: Jiri Zuna / Flickr
I’m a freelance writer and I love what I do. My background is in human resources but I enjoy writing about different topics, such as leadership, self improvement and the importance of work/life balance.
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