Secrets to Summer Internship Success

Do you ever wish you had a crystal ball that you could use to peer into the future? For MBA 1s, today is your lucky day. The Hot Topics Blog team recently asked HCC MBA 2s about their secrets to summer internship success. Below we share their insights and wisdom.
 

What did you most enjoy about your summer internship?

• Learning about a new industry and all aspects of an HR function.
• The wonderful group of interns I got to know and learn from! Take the time to get to know others that have relocated for the summer. We had an amazing time.
• The opportunity to learn what HR really does and what they bring to the table.
• I felt like my internship provided an accurate snapshot into what a full-time position with the firm might look like - from client obligations, to firm initiatives, to the performance management process. I was given challenging work and was expected to perform at the level of a senior consultant but was also provided with a tremendous amount of support and encouragement. I felt from my first day that those with whom I worked wanted me to succeed.
• Getting to live in a new city, working with new people, and learning about a new industry. There was so much to learn, and 10 weeks wasn't enough!
• I enjoyed the following things: 1. Getting to know members of my cohort 2. Understanding what it meant to work at a large organization 3. Understanding how HR works in a large organization.
• The exposure it gave me to senior leadership at the firm (and in general the opportunity to network internally).
• Getting to meet people from different MBA programs and getting to know the organization better. You really get a better sense of it when you are immersed in it every day!
• Responsibility: Having the opportunity to work on an important and strategic project with the freedom and autonomy to do the project how I see fit.

How were you most challenged by your summer internship? Or what was one of your growth goals and how did you accomplish that goal?

• Challenge: Feeling confident enough to speak my mind since I would only be there for 12 weeks; I like to build rapport first and then provide insights, but I was being asked to provide outside perspective and speak up instantly which was more difficult than I thought.
• The biggest challenge was scoping my project. Some of the work had been done for me, but the majority was part of my responsibility. I had to jump right in proactively and really get to know the company, the teams I would be working with, etc. What made me successful in this was trying to get to know as many people as I could, listening and then asking smart questions, and treating all my work as a collaborative iteration.
• Learning how to define an ambiguous project. I was able to do this by not being afraid to ask questions and talk to as many people as possible to learn what was expected from me and what needed to be done.
• My biggest challenge was learning the business and becoming a contributing member of my team in just 10 weeks. Starting my internship was not unlike drinking from the firehose. Be prepared to learn a ton during those first few weeks so you can kick butt later in the summer.
• Challenge: Knowing how to build relationships on a team where a lot of people are remote and trying to figure out how things work in an organization where many people have been there for 10+ years. Goal: Not be afraid to speak up - accomplished by asking for more work and pushing back when I did not feel my project was fulfilling.
• My biggest challenge was adapting to such a large organization (200,000+ employees) and learning the reality of what stakeholder buy-in means, and how to start that process.
• I found that the pace of work was much quicker than I had been accustomed to in my old job. I mitigated this by arriving to work earlier than my colleagues. I found that having an hour in the morning while things were quiet helped me get a head start on the day. Somewhat related, I found that transitioning from an MBA schedule to an internship schedule was more difficult than I would have expected. I had really gotten used to setting my own hours and having my routine - adjusting to "regular" work hours took a few weeks.
• One of my goals heading into my internship was to be more influential when it came to my ideas, actions, and presence - especially within the context of a new function and company. My approach was to first learn as much as I can about the company culture and business strategy, then give myself some stretch opportunities - like present to my organization's entire leadership board - to share my big ideas and grow personally.

What’s something first-year MBA students can do during the winter term to prepare themselves to be successful during their upcoming summer internships?

• Set an alert to read all news articles that tag your employer. Also, begin networking ahead of time so when you get there you already have friends/mentors/cheerleaders.
• Take the time to figure out all of the logistics early! That takes the stress off when you're actually relocating. Also, try to find a book or blog post on the company - or even better, the team you'll be supporting - so you can be as familiar as possible (we know you did this for interviews, but trust me, it'll feel like ages ago and you'll forget tons by the time you start!).
• Read HBR articles on leadership and those touchy-feely topics.
• If you're going into HCC and really uncertain about your PowerPoint skills, I would find opportunities to get some practice. MAP is an awesome opportunity to do just that - offer to be the lead on presentations for your team, and if there's a former consultant or someone on your team with a lot of PPT experience, get tips and tricks from that person.
• Take advantage of MAP. Practice those communication, leadership, and teamwork skills that you have been working on your whole life and at Ross. MAP is an opportunity to take risks, experiment, and push yourself outside your comfort zone in a safe environment. Don't pass up the opportunity and remember that it's OK to fail.
• Think about what they truly want out of their summer internship in a larger sense (validating industry/function/company etc.)
• Practice your PowerPoint and Excel skills!
• Network! Reach out to people at the firm and begin to understand what types of projects an intern might be placed on. Make a list of people you might want to connect with this summer.
• Figure out what your core responsibility will be in your internship and prepare accordingly now. Are you mainly excel modeling or are you facilitating design thinking workshops and interviews? Preparing for those responsibilities in business school - whether it's from in or out of the classroom - will help you shorten the learning curve and give you a nice head start.

What recommendations do you have for being successful while in the summer internship?

• Be authentically you and have a great attitude. A positive attitude goes a long way in building good relationships and trying new things.
• Take advantage of the opportunity to learn from as many people as possible. Also, don't be shy about bringing what you know / think to the table! That's why they hired you. Finally, you have a strong ability to work in flat teams post-core and post-MAP - not all schools develop that, so find ways to help be a leader in whatever capacity is appropriate / comfortable in that context.
• Do not be afraid to ask questions.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate - you never want your manager to feel in the dark about how you're spending your time. Share regular updates on your progress, offer to help with other things whenever you have bandwidth, and ask thoughtful questions. Additionally, don't be afraid to ask for feedback on deliverables when they are still in draft form; the last thing you want is to get 90% of the way there, only to be told your direction has been off since the very beginning.
• Be open to new projects and experiences. Be ready to say yes and to do something that you've never done before. Keep a journal to write in at the end of every week, keeping track of your projects, what went well, and what didn't go well. This will help with your performance evaluations at the end of your summer and in case you re-recruit, will give you material to work with.
• Ask a lot of people at the company their experience and use networking to validate things (for example, I want to work with people in-person so I asked how often that happens to people I chatted with).
• NETWORK. And try to ask as many clarifying questions as possible about anything you are curious/confused about; you'll never get better opportunities to ask or better answers to your questions than now!
• Hit the ground running! A 10-week internship flies by! The first week is orientation, second week you are still getting the hang of the project/the systems/the culture, and if I am being honest, the decision about a full-time offer has probably been made by the beginning of your 10th week. That means you have 7 weeks (really 35 days) to make a good impression. Ask a lot of questions - particularly in your first few weeks. In general people are willing to help MBA interns with any questions, but after a few weeks, it will be expected that you understand certain things. Don't wait too long to ask those "dumb" questions!
• Be curious. Start to emulate and learn from the senior leadership at the firm. Schedule time with key personnel at your company and/or ask to shadow executives to see if you the work and culture is the right fit for you long term.

Do you have any additional thoughts or general advice you'd like to share with HCC MBA 1s?

• Your internship does not have to be your full-time post-grad job or long-term career. Think of this as one additional experience that helps you decide what you want to do in your future and build up skills!
• Enjoy the internship, and take the time to think about if the company, location, etc are what you want full-time! Not sure? Take the time over the summer to look around and reflect on that, too. It'll make your thought process MUCH clearer when you come back to campus.
• Network as much as possible in order to learn and build support for your project!
• You've already proved that you have all of the tools you need to be successful. Just commit to working hard and learning as much as you can!
• The summer internship is an opportunity for you to "interview" the company you are working at, just as much as it is an opportunity for the company to observe your working style. Look for things you like, make note of things you don't like, and know that it's okay if you don't enjoy the work or the company. It's better to figure that out during the summer than 6 months into a full-time role.
• Try not to put the internship on a pedestal - remember that jobs aren't always as fun as we hype them up to be as Ross. And remember that a 10-week internship may not be able to fully represent what a full-time position looks like so remember that when evaluating your summer (and try to speak to full-time people to get an understanding of what their day-to-day and projects look like compared to yours).
• It's okay if your internship sucks or you realize that HR/HCC isn't for you. An internship is a learning experience - no matter what happens, you'll grow from the experience and come back with a better sense of what you want in life.

Good luck!