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Andrew Arkley|June 21, 2017

How To Turn Your Internship Into A Full-Time Job

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Scored your dream internship? Great work! Now you’re probably wondering how to turn your internship into a full-time job…

But how exactly do you do that, beyond the obvious methods of working hard and doing your assignments well?

Whilst we can’t make any guarantees, the following steps should help you demonstrate your value and give yourself the best possible chance of securing a job offer at the end of your internship.

Establish goals

At the beginning of your internship, it’s likely your manager will sit down with you and lay out what’s expected of you during your time with the company.

Your manager may give you goals to work towards, but also be proactive in identifying aims of your own.

You may want to complete a project or meet certain targets, or perhaps you’d like to learn more about the industry you’re working in.

Be ambitious with your goals, but keep them realistic. That way you’ll have something achievable to focus on.

Get to know the whole team 

Being the right fit for a job isn’t just about having the right skills and experience. It’s also about getting on with the team and fitting in with the culture of the company.

To that end, try to get to know everyone you work with. Chat to as many people as possible and ask questions about their roles.

Not only will this help to ingratiate you with your co-workers, it will show that you’re enthusiastic and curious about working for the company.

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Show initiative and ask for more work

You will inevitably have some down-time during your internship when you don’t have much to do.

Instead of checking social media and chatting to the other interns, use this time to your advantage.

Ask your manager and co-workers if you can help them with anything, or even better, try to identify something that needs doing and pitch it to your manager as a project.

By helping out various co-workers, you’ll not only lighten their workload and get them on side, but you may also learn some valuable new skills.

Show an interest in the company and industry

You should have researched the company before your internship began – but don’t let your research stop there.

Over the course of your internship, try to learn as much as you can about the company and wider industry.

Ask your manager and co-workers lots of questions about the company structure, its customers or clients and its context within the industry.

If you have the opportunity to attend any events, attend them. Be inquisitive and proactive in learning as much as you possibly can.

Communicate with your manager

Your manager will be the single most important person in determining whether or not you turn your internship into a full-time job – so make sure you develop a good relationship with them.

Your manager will probably schedule regular catch-ups to check on your progress, but if they don’t, politely request to chat to them once a week or so.

Ask for feedback and make sure they know what you’ve been up to, and how far along you are with meeting your goals.

Make sure your manager knows you want the job

You may think it’s obvious that you want to stay on after your internship – but it might not be!

Don’t take any chances. Tell your manager you’re interested in working for the company. Even if there aren’t any positions available currently, this will make it more likely you’ll be contacted if anything comes up.

It will also demonstrate your passion and drive to succeed – which are attractive qualities to potential employers.

How to turn your internship into a full-time job: a summary

Turning your internship into a job is all about going the extra mile to show your passion, enthusiasm and dedication.

Be persistent. If there isn’t a job opening available immediately after your internship ends, get back in touch with your manager in a couple of months to show your continued interest.

With hard work and a little bit of luck, your internship may end up being a springboard into your dream career.

We hope our tips on how to turn your internship into a full-time job have been helpful. Don’t forget, to land your dream job, you’ll need the perfect CV. Why not use PurpleCV’s CV writing service to write one for you?

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