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Top Five Strategies for Making the Most of Your Internship (part 4)

4. Network, Network, Network

Not only is an internship a great way to get experience, it is a great way to make connections in your field. You should try meeting as many people as possible while at your internship. Most likely, you will get to know your immediate supervisor and any co-workers in your working area. It’s a good idea to also try to meet people from with different roles and from other departments (with your supervisor’s permission, of course). A relatively non-threatening way to network with someone is to ask him or her to grant you a 15-20 minute informational interview.

An informational interview is intended to provide you with an opportunity to gain valuable information from professionals in your field of interest. There are two types of informational interviews. If you are not focused on your career search but hope to learn more about an industry, you will want to do research informational interviews. If you are hoping to make valuable contacts for a pending job search, you will want to perform networking informational interviews.

Always remember that an informational interview should not be used to ask for a job. Rather, the interview should be centered on gaining industry insight and useful information. Also remember to observe common etiquette by being respectful of your interviewee’s schedule and staying within your proposed time guidelines. In many cases, people are more than happy to provide you with professional information and advice. However, do not be discouraged if someone is unable to fit you into his or her busy schedule.

Proceed to Strategy Number 5

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