Opportunity is what you make of it. An internship abroad is an opportunity – the success of the experience depends on what you put into it. Investing time, hard work, and energy into an internship abroad will yield positive and career-changing results. Apathy, laziness, and sloth, on the other hand, will lead to a disappointing experience. If you’re keen on making your international experience work for you, commit yourself to the internship, stay focused, and follow these helpful tips on how to make the most of your internship abroad (and eventually land that dream job), whether you're doing a long-term internship or a short-term internship.
First and foremost, you must take the initiative to get what you want from your internship. Say “yes” as much as possible – this is not the time to be shy, tentative, or nervous. Take on challenges, new tasks, and responsibilities at work, but also be proactive socially. Engage with your coworkers and the people you meet abroad as much as possible, ask them questions, and get to know them. This is your opportunity to be an international professional – don’t hold yourself back because you’re afraid. Don’t let your fear have a say. Being proactive in this case also means finding a mentor during your internship and networking to learn even more about the industry you want to go into. You should also aim to research as much as you can about the company you're interning with before and during your internship. It will help you build a stronger connection with the organization, making it easier to collaborate with them.
Maximize your observation skills. Pay close attention to the details of your internship. Watch and take note of how your colleagues interact with your boss. Listen to the words used to describe different work tasks and be aware of expectations. What’s the difference between doing a “sufficient” or an “excellent” job? Absorbing all of these details – both personal and professional – will help you adjust to expectations and cultural nuances within the company and culture. They’ll also be useful for professional contexts in the future – like your first job. A valuable employee not only knows about their own job but understands how each employee contributes to the goals of their organization or company. Take advantage of your internship by spending a little time each week looking in on what other coworkers are doing so you can get a better idea of how your workplace and industry work. The more you know, the bigger your value.
As an intern, your role at the company may evolve as your supervisors recognize your abilities. It’s your job to prove to them that you can take on more to help you achieve your professional goals. As you complete these assigned tasks and projects, you need to recognize the value you add to the workplace. This is important in any work context – knowing your role in the company and what your contribution is adding. Being aware of this will come in handy for future job interviews, as you will need to know and demonstrate how you could fit into a company in a permanent position. Ask your manager or mentor for tasks you can do that help them and could help you reach your goals too, this way, both of you are getting what you want from the internship experience.
Playing to your strengths is important in any work setting, which is why it’s a good idea to identify them early on in an internship setting. Taking on tasks and challenges that accentuate what you’re good at is great because you’ll be able to impress your superiors with your skill level. That being said, don’t be afraid to take on some work that will improve your not-so-strong suits. Figure out what specifically you find challenging and how to minimize those struggles. If you're not sure what you do well and what needs work, don't be afraid to ask for feedback or a performance review. Feedback is a vital tool for professional development to improve your work quality and be a better professional. Learning and growing through feedback is an excellent way to ensure that you’re making the most of your international internship. Additionally, you can write down your weekly accomplishments so you can keep track of the things you're doing well at.
Be friendly. Try harder than you ever have at making friends and being social and it will pay off. Not only will you learn a lot about different cultures and people, but you’ll also make some work contacts that will serve as references and people to bounce ideas off of when you’re further along in your career. Similarly, you’ll make some international friends with couches that you can crash on around the world. It takes extra effort when you come from different cultures – but that’s also what makes these friendships and connections more rewarding in the long run. One way to build connections with your coworkers is to have lunch with somebody new at least once a week. It will create a more positive atmosphere among your colleagues and will serve as a form of networking. Celebrate their victories even if you weren’t part of making them happen! You'll look forward to going to work once you're friends with your coworkers, as you'll genuinely happy to spend time with them.
This one is pretty straightforward. Don’t say “hold on” to your boss, just do it. Email back as soon as you can, and get work done by the deadlines that they have set. Respect their authority and be as swift and communicative as possible. You need to treat your internship like it's a fulltime job, which includes responding and acting quickly to messages and tasks, dressing the part, and turning up to work on time. Not only is it good practice for the future but it will show your colleagues and your boss that you are a reliable and forward thinking person who wants to get the most out of your internship.
Take the differences in culture as positively as possible and give people the benefit of the doubt when they do something that you find strange, or even rude. Consider, genuinely, the way they are approaching an issue or situation, not just out of respect but also because it might help your process in the future. People solve problems in many different ways – they can all be right.
Hopefully, you’re already interested in your internship subject – since you chose it to begin with. Try to find what specifically, within the career field, interests you the most. Volunteer to take on projects that motivate you and your passionate about. You’ll be more likely to work harder and do a better job because you find the subject interesting – it’s not just a job anymore, it’s a passion.
If you’re staying out late and arriving exhausted to work, chances are you’re not going to be working at your full capacity. If you want to crank out your best work – which is what will ultimately make you a better intern – you need to be operating on at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Besides getting enough sleep, it’s also important to be eating healthy and getting enough exercise. Your brain needs healthy food just like your body, to have the energy to work to its full potential. Exercise will also keep your stress levels down and your mood up. Another way to take care of yourself is to ensure your work space is comfortable and organized, this will allow you to stay feeling mindful and relaxed during your work day.
Evaluating the internship experience is important so you can appreciate everything you've learned. Realizing how you contributed to the team and grew as a professional is also crucial for when you’re filling out job applications and interviewing. Talking about your internship abroad isn’t enough – you have to talk about what you learned and how that has prepared you for a full-time position. Make a list of all the various tasks you're carrying out throughout your internship. While this may seem excessive, later on, you could struggle to remember everything. You can then think about all the skills these tasks have helped you develop. This will make your resume stand out to future employers. While people will recognize the benefits of an international internship, by clearly explaining them you can demonstrate your strengths.
Now that you’ve done the internship abroad, reflected on what you’ve learned, and headed back to your home country, it’s time to get a job. Search for jobs similar to your internship, and reach out to colleagues from your internship in case they know of openings somewhere near you or have work friends in your area. Make sure to highlight your work experience on your resume, being specific about your duties and how you contributed to the company. Practice your interview with someone before the real thing to ensure that the anecdotal evidence of your time abroad backs up your work experience and matches what the job is looking for. If you’re active and persistent during the job search (just like at your internship), you’ll get hired in no time!