Is the Company You Work for the Right Fit?
If you have earned the opportunity to become an intern for the company or organization you have had your eye on, you also have the opportunity to self-evaluate throughout your role to consider if it is a place you want to stay long-term. The following tips can help you evaluate if the company is a good fit for you throughout your internship.
What stress levels can you handle?
The source of stressors varies for each individual. Some may feel stressed from their commute, whereas others may find it from having to multi-task and meet deadlines for their company. If you find that you cannot handle the pressures of your daily work, be sure to take this into consideration when deciding to stay with the company long-term. Determine if the work itself, in your new field, is the causation of your stress, or if it is the company culture. Furthermore, if the stressor is an area that can be developed through training, I strongly suggest you partake in such training activities for professional growth and overcome such challenges.
Personal Requirements for Productivity.
Prior to accepting the role, you should self-evaluate and determine if you perform best in an environment that is less routine and more creative, or an environment that has a strict organizational structure. Questions you can ask yourself include if you wish to work in an office space setting, in person and hands-on, or from the comfort of your own home. If the company that you are interning with is on par with what environment you feel your performance will be the most productive in, then it seems that this organization is a great career choice for you!
Established workplace culture?
You should be somewhat aware of the established culture in your company prior to taking the internship, and this will evolve as you do throughout your internship. Be sure to keep culture top-of-mind and determine if it matched your professional needs. Professional needs can include personal development, growth of knowledge with regards to the businesses’ specific realm, and also advancement within the company.
Responsibility for Things That Matter
Even as an intern, a strong leader will present you with the opportunity to take roles and initiatives for important projects of initiative within the workplace. By your boss giving you autonomous responsibility for certain assignments, they are displaying that they find trustworthiness in your character and that you are a valued employee to that company. If they do not, then you more than likely may wish to consider another career path! The beauty an internship gives the individual within it, is the opportunity to experience a chosen career path. Meaning that if when in the role, you feel that this is not your preconceived idea of the position, then it is okay to move on once your internship timespan has run its course.
Company Impacts.
If you are partaking in programs that you are passionate about, you probably should consider staying with your company provided that they are the ones allowing this opportunity. Whether your passion lies in creating opportunities for economic development within a city or building roads and infrastructure for the public to use or even working with patients one on one to diagnose and treat their health conditions, it is imperative that you realize exactly what you seek from your career and ask yourself if your company allows you to make an impact in such realms.
Now that you know where you want to be, your next steps, if your company’s vision-mission and values align with yours, may just be the place for you! For tips on how to turn into a full-time employee, check out the following article!
