Internship Skill Assessment

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a handful of coffee chats—some with professionals, others with interns and students currently navigating their internships. One question kept coming up: What can I do to secure a return offer? I’ve been there, and I know how much that question weighs on your mind, especially as you hit the midpoint or start thinking about how to wrap up strong. When I interned at AWS, a few intentional moves helped me turn that experience into a return offer. 1. Get clear on expectations Have a direct conversation with your manager about what success looks like. Set goals, schedule midpoint check-ins with mentor, manager and work backwards from a clear plan. 2. Track your progress Keep a running doc of what you’re working on, who you meet, feedback you receive, and lessons learned. This helps with final presentations, and reflection. 3. Ask for feedback early and often Don’t wait for your exit review. Ask what’s going well and what to improve while you still have time to act on it. It shows committed to growing and gives you time to make real adjustments. 4. Stay organized and manage your time It’s easy to get disorganized towards the end of your internship and you start to lose track. Use a system that works for you—calendar, task list, Notion, etc. Stay on top of your work so nothing slips through the cracks. 5. Be proactive and add value Say yes to new opportunities and look for ways to contribute beyond your project. Leading a task, supporting a teammate, organizing a team building activity. Just be intentional—impact > quantity. 6. Build meaningful connections Network with people outside your team. Schedule coffee chats, quick intros, staying after meetings to ask questions. This all counts, follow up, and stay curious. These relationships often outlast the internship itself, they can become mentors, advocates or even friends. 7. Show your growth, not just results Speak up in meetings, and reflect on how you’ve grow not just what you’ve done. Let your team see your progress in real time. How have you adapted what you’ve learned? Growth over time is just as valuable as the final results. 8. Work on both technical and soft skills Yes - master the tools, write clean code, build the dashboard. But, also practice communication, time management, collaboration, and self-awareness. These skills will set you apart. 9. Build your personal brand on LinkedIn Connect with the people you meet. Share what you’re learning, showcase your journey. A thoughtful presence can leave a lasting impression and open doors. 10. Keep your resume updated Make weekly updates to your resume, write down your wins and impact while it’s happening. This saves time later and keeps your achievements accurate. Finishing strong isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It means being thoughtful, consistent, and intentional with how you show up. Let me know which of these help and share your own tip.

Making the most of your internship Excited to see so many students gearing up for summer internships! I've noticed that many asks questions like what should I learn to prepare, maybe some new language, maybe some new framework, but they are missing the key point by thinking only in that direction. An internship is not just about the code you produce, far from it. The point of it is to get you familiar with the company and test that you are able to learn and see how you learn and accomplish things. Many students forget to think about the big picture and worry too much about the projects at hand. While those are very important, your company does not expect you to know it all and solve it all. But for a standout intern, it does expect to see this: 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭: - Research your company's recent projects, news, and industry position - Connect with current/former interns on LinkedIn to gather insights - Set 2-3 clear learning objectives for your time there - Create a system for documenting your work and achievements 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸: - Schedule 1:1s with your manager to align on expectations - Identify key stakeholders beyond your immediate team and how the teams are connected - Ask thoughtful questions and take detailed notes - Understand how your work connects to larger company goals - Think about how you can positively contribute to the team and what you can learn from your team - Make sure to talk to your team a lot, as they know the product and surrounding organization very well and are always happy to guide you Remember: your internship isn't just about technical skills—it's about building relationships, demonstrating your work ethic, and understanding organizational dynamics. Go thrive and remember to have fun this summer (it's summer, after all!) ✈️🌴

So you've been working at your internship and converting to a full-time offer is top of mind for you. After working in big corporate and startups, these are the steps I would take if I was an intern: ⭐ Be explicit with your goals and intentions Have this conversation in week 2-3. It doesn't have to be long-term at this company, teams are rarely expecting this. In fact, people are more likely to support you when you explicitly state how you want to learn in this current team and how it fits into your bigger vision. Example: "I eventually want to launch my own marketing agency. That's why I'm so excited to be here. I want to understand the structures and processes that make an agency successful. Specifically, I'm hoping to learn how you manage client relationships, structure campaigns, and track ROI at scale." When you're transparent about your goals, managers often go out of their way to give you relevant experiences. ⭐ Set up a halfway check-in with your manager Come prepared with specific questions: 💙 "Based on what you've seen so far, do you have any reservations about converting me to full-time?" If a company can't convert you, it's usually budgetary, not personal (unless you are responsible for a dead body). 💙 "Are there any growth opportunities or side projects I could support for the rest of my internship?" 💡Tip: before this meeting, journal about what skills you want to learn. List 1-3 specific skills and why they matter for your career. This helps you ask for relevant projects, not just busy work. ⭐ Set up a halfway check-in with your manager's manager Schedule it about a week after your manager check-in. Questions to ask: 💙 "Where do you see the team growing in the next year?" 💙 "What skills are you looking for in your entry-level hires?" 💙 "I'm really motivated to convert to full-time. What recommendation do you have for me?" 💡Tip: Their answers often reveal upcoming projects or team changes that create new opportunities. I've seen interns get offers because they learned about a new team forming and positioned themselves perfectly. ⭐ Make an action plan and share it After your check-ins, synthesize what you heard into a simple plan: "Hi [Manager], based on our conversations, here's my focus for the remaining 5 weeks: X, Y, Z" Then actually follow up every other week with a brief update: "Quick update: Completed 3 client call shadows and documented key learnings. On track with the competitor analysis" ⚡Takeaway: Converting to full-time is a team sport. You need advocates within the company, so having frequent conversations with your manager, team, and leadership are crucial to knowing where you stand. 💬 Anything that I missed that helped you convert to a full-time offer? Drop in the comments 💾 Save this for future reference 💛 Follow Sondra Y. for more Gen Z job search advice, tips, and stories #earlycareer #intern #recentgrad #forward #careerresources #genz #careeradvice