The summer is quickly coming to an end, and if you’re like most students, you spent a significant portion of it putting your skills to use through an internship of some kind. You gained a lot of knowledge, enjoyed yourself, and hopefully got a better idea of the type of career you want to pursue in the future. If not, you learned about some career paths you don’t want to pursue. In either case, I hope your experience gave you a clear understanding of what comes next and a series of worthwhile challenges.
Most employers will conduct an exit interview whenever an employee leaves an organization. This is advantageous because you can learn information from the worker that might enhance the experience for your current employees and any future hires. Maintain the same routine all summer long to gather information about you and your work performance. This criticism can help you recognize your blind spots, gain understanding of your strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately help you get better.
To do this, request a private exit interview with your mentor, supervisor, and coworkers you worked closely with. If you’ve already left, I’d advise getting in touch with everyone again and scheduling a brief phone call with each. Give them a list of the questions you want to cover as far in advance as you can so they have time to prepare thoughtful responses and examples to share. Avoid asking yes/no questions and try to be as specific as you can when asking for feedback. Finally, prime the conversation as an important learning opportunity. Tell them that you appreciate any and all constructive criticism they may have.
In addition to providing you with direction on your skill sets and potential career paths after graduation, this crucial information will also play a significant role. Although it can be difficult to hear suggestions for improvement, it’s important to be aware of them. Avoid the temptation to protect your ego; internships are meant to help you learn and develop as a young professional.
The main reason I believe internships are so important for students’ career management is because they give them the chance to try out potential jobs and investigate various career options. In light of this, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t take some time to think back on the summer and evaluate the various aspects of your experience.
Don’t forget to take notes about the work itself, your manager, and the culture of the company. What aspects of your manager did you like or dislike? What kind of boss would you be proud to work for? What core principles would you want your future employer to uphold? Was there anything about the company culture that improved or worsened your experience?
Any internship has the universal advantage of boosting the “work experience” section of your resume. You’ll have a better chance of landing a job if you can demonstrate that you have professional experience (or at least exposure), a basic understanding of a particular industry, and the necessary fundamental skills.
Set aside the time now to update your resume. Don’t just list the information that was copied and pasted from the job description, such as your job title, the company you worked for, and your responsibilities. Instead, emphasize your most significant contributions, include information about the extensive projects you worked on, and show how you improved the company.
Additionally, gather relevant work samples for your portfolio (of course, first getting the go-ahead from your employer). Included here should be speeches you delivered, writing you did, campaigns you worked on, or designs you made. Make a list of the technical abilities you acquired, such as understanding of the industry or proficiency with any particular software. Create a list of instances where you used the soft skills you have developed, as this will be helpful in future behavioral-based interviews.
Include a copy of your performance evaluations at work in your portfolio. You can refer to these and use them to demonstrate your performance throughout the program. Finally, request a brief reference letter from your managers and other close coworkers. These enhance your resume and provide prospective employers with information about your abilities and working style.
Naturally, LinkedIn is a fantastic tool for this, but make sure to also get their phone number and email. Make a note in your calendar to check in with specific people frequently. Sending lessons from the classroom, sharing an article you think they’d enjoy, letting them know how you used something they taught you, asking for an update on a significant project you were working on, and wishing them a happy birthday are all examples of ways to stay in touch. Additionally, keeping in touch and demonstrating your concern for them will keep you top-of-mind for opportunities as they arise.
The Best Way to End an Internship
Why is the end of your internship important?
After your internship is over, your employer might have fond memories of working with you. This might be especially true of your final months working for the company and the decisions you make as you part ways. Important decisions, such as whether you receive a return offer of employment, may be influenced by the impression you make while serving as an intern. A successful internship experience may also enable you to obtain a strong letter of recommendation or reference for your subsequent internship or position. Positivity exercises at the conclusion of your internship can also help you form constructive routines for situations in the future where you might lose your job with a company or organization.
How to end your internship positively
Here are some actions that may be helpful if you want to leave the best impression possible at the conclusion of your internship:
1. Establish goals
First, establish your goals for the end of your internship. Maybe you’ve been working on a project that you’d like to finish before your last day, or maybe you want to pick up a new skill before you go. You might even want to practice a specific quality or behavior before the internship is over. Create objectives that are precise and measurable that you can work toward in the final weeks of your internship with your company or organization.
2. Commit to a positive attitude
Set a goal for yourself that includes keeping a positive outlook all the way through your internship. A positive outlook can help you make the best impression possible on your employer by demonstrating your dedication and reliability at work. Additionally, it can help you enjoy the remainder of your internship and maintain good relationships with your coworkers, some of whom may later play significant roles in your professional network.
3. Ask for feedback
Next, solicit feedback from your employer or mentor. You might already be doing this during your internship, in which case you could request summaries of any feedback regarding your overall effectiveness during the internship. Consider requesting a preliminary and follow-up review session during the final phase of your internship if feedback hasn’t been a regular part of it. Consider how you can use that advice to improve both your performance during and after your internship.
4. Maintain professionalism
Keep up the highest level of professionalism at work throughout the remainder of your internship. Make sure all of your communications are professional, and up until the end of your final day, keep producing your best work. This can demonstrate your commitment to high performance throughout your entire employment with a company and help you project a sense of consistency in your demeanor, which may help you land a second offer or a recommendation for your next position.
5. Do something great
Try to achieve something noteworthy before your internship ends. Try to find a way to go above and beyond what is expected, such as by taking on a challenging project and finishing it quickly or by significantly contributing to an ongoing project. You can help yourself make a good impression after you leave your employer by leaving them with a concrete, quantifiable result of your time with them.
6. Develop network connections
Make sure to maintain the networking relationships you built during your internship while also attempting to forge new ones. Later in your career, the supervisors and coworkers you worked with during your internship might prove to be invaluable resources, and you might even be able to help them out. Now is a good time to use professional social media and networking events to establish connections.
7. Show your appreciation
Next, send a thank-you note to the internship provider to express your appreciation for the opportunity. Even though an email may be sufficient in some professions and with some employers, it is frequently preferable to send a handwritten thank-you note to express your gratitude. This is a decent illustration of the time and effort that everyone involved put into your internship. Depending on your relationship with your employer and their policy regarding workplace gifts, you might also want to think about giving a small token of appreciation.
8. Express interest in a job
Make sure to let your employer know before your internship ends if you would be interested in a return offer. Supervisors are frequently busy, so it might be helpful to mention your interest in returning to them. If your company has a formal process in place for processing intern return offers, make sure to follow it to the letter before your internship expires.
9. Revise and update your resume
Before your internship ends, make sure to update your resume as well. This is generally a good idea because your responsibilities and contributions are still fresh in your mind, whereas if you wait until later to update your resume, you may forget some details. Think about asking a dependable coworker or your internship mentor to review your resume and even your cover letter while you are still there and offer feedback. Accessing these resources prior to the conclusion of your internship may be simpler.
10. Request a reference
You might want to ask your manager for a reference or letter of recommendation as you are updating and revising your application materials. For these requests, some organizations might have a formal procedure; if this applies to you, make sure to carefully complete each step of the request process and follow up as needed. If the process is less formal, make sure to make your request using proper etiquette and business communication protocol.
11. Make a plan
Create a plan for your career’s next steps as you near the end of your internship transition. This could entail following a planned course of action to find a full-time, permanent job. If you are still a student, it might also entail looking for more internship opportunities. A plan for locating and completing additional training and development that could aid in your job search could also be made.
12. Maintain connections
Be sure to maintain the networking relationships you created during your internship after it has ended. Think about setting up regular coffee dates with your connections, either in person or via video conferencing. Consider giving them updates on your educational and professional development if it makes sense given your relationship with those connections.
13. Practice confidence
Finally, work on projecting confidence as your internship draws to a close and after your last day. Having successfully completed an internship is a feat to be proud of. Believe in your abilities, and use that self-assurance to get you through the remainder of your internship and the first few weeks of your new job.
FAQ
How do you say end of internship?
I wanted to express my gratitude to you on the last day of my internship for being a fantastic [teammate/mentor] and support system. I’ve really enjoyed our experience together, and I can’t wait to apply what I learned from it to my upcoming role. I’ll especially miss [some memorable experience you had together].
What happens when an internship ends?
Create a plan for your career’s next steps as you near the end of your internship transition. This could entail following a planned course of action to find a full-time, permanent job. If you are still a student, it might also entail looking for more internship opportunities.
Is the end of an internship a termination?
The internship has ended. In response the recent edit, simply select resignation. It’s closer to reality. Although it doesn’t exactly reflect what happened, their choice is the closest to reality you can get.
What should I do on my last day of internship?
Showcase Your Learning Complete all tasks with attention to detail, participate in meetings and brainstorming sessions, and go above and beyond for each final assignment. Show everyone that you listened, picked up tips, and developed while working as an intern so they know you’re prepared to handle the responsibilities of a permanent position.
