How is your summer internships going? You can share your story here to let other students know what your current or past internship experience has been.
I hear many excellent reports from students who are doing summer internships but now is the time that I also start getting negative feedback from students who are not happy with their summer internship and feel that it's not what they expected.
- Are you participating in the tasks previously discussed in the interview?
- Are you gaining new knowledge and learning relevant skills required on the job?
- Are you assigned tasks that keep you busy for the majority of the time?
- Is your supervisor approachable and willing to adapt tasks relevant to the skills you hope to learn on the job?
If you answered yes to the above questions, it is most likely that you consider your internship a success. Gaining new knowledge and skills are what internships are about and your summer internship experience will provide a definite boost to your resume.
If you answered no to one or more questions, it may be a good time to review your internship and schedule a meeting with your supervisor to try and turn things around. Your supervisor may not be aware that you are not getting all that you need from the internship experience. He/she may not be aware that you feel ready to handle more difficult tasks in order to gain additional knowledge and skills in the field.
Supervisors are usually happy to speak to their interns about their internship experience and really do want to know if there's something they can do to make the experience better.