Communication matters: Be direct, clear, and write the important stuff down! By now, many of us have adjusted to Zoom and learned the online etiquette. However, joining into an already established team can be hard. As you are trying to learn the culture and dynamics of the organization, you are also being evaluated in many different spaces. Therefore, it is important to be direct and ask for what you need as body language can be difficult to read online. Be clear with your actions and intentional with your words so you know when you can continue talking and when it is time to allow space for someone else. Lastly, make sure you are taking notes so can always reference back to them when you are unsure what to do.
Connection: Starting at a new workplace with new people is a lot of change. It is important to invest in relationships with your cohort, supervisors, and other team members. The more disconnected you feel from the team, the more isolated you could feel. So get invested and connected with the people you are working with. Some may even be willing to meet up for work related (or non-related) gatherings. Ultimately, spending time up front to build connections with your cohort can pay dividends over the long-haul of your internship.
Always check in on your learning goals: No matter what setting you are in, the learning goals with which you began internship can sometimes get forgotten as the year goes on. One helpful hint is to set a reminder in your calendar sporadically throughout the year to remind yourself to check in with your supervisor. No one wants to be at their mid-year review and realize that they have made no progress towards their goals.
Be flexible: This quality is important during internship, especially, during a pandemic. Our best laid plans can run headlong into the realities of working in the midst of a public health emergency. Sometimes we just need to adapt and we learn different things than we anticipated. However, if something is super important to you, then make sure to communicate and fight for it! The how you get there may have to change.
You are not alone: Internship is a stressful, chaotic, and rewarding experience. In many ways if feels like school as you are learning most of the time and constantly being evaluated. But in other ways it feels like a job (because you are finally getting paid)! One of the most important take-aways I have learned over internship is that others feel the same way I do. Sometimes I am stressed, tired, happy, annoyed, or excited to start the next phase of my career. Others at the site often feel the same way. So do not be afraid to talk about what you are experiencing. Images: