In today’s world, internships are a huge stepping stone in exploring the career path you might want to take after school. I have been lucky enough this past semester to have interned at FLIRT, where I have met some amazing people and learned a lot about working in the professional world. Here are some of the most valuable lessons I learned during my time at FLIRT:
- Use every opportunity you can to get creative
One thing that’s great about working at FLIRT, is that I get to spend every day around extremely creative people and a creative environment. This has given me the opportunity to learn so many new things, but also inspires my own creativity. Although the idea of writing a blog, coming up with a creative post for social media, or working on a company project can seem intimidating, it’s exciting. It’s an opportunity to let your talents shine, and go above and beyond what people are expecting - Don’t fret about mistakes, learn from them
It’s never fun to mess up, especially not in the workplace. But the only thing you can do in situations like this is learn from them and use them to grow. In the very first few weeks of my internship at FLIRT I was asked to order t-shirts for our team that was about to leave for an event. Little did I realize that all the t-shirts I had purchased were baby sizes. Probably not the best way to start off my internship, but it was an easy fix, and like I said, I learned from it that attention to detail is essential! Baby steps right? - Build relationships
Knowing the people you work with is an essential part of building a community in the workplace, especially at a company like FLIRT where the office is more like family than co-workers. Whether it means helping someone with a job, staying late after to work to play euchre, or going with the team to get shamrock shakes, building relationships with the people you work with is key. Also, love your fellow interns. There’s nothing better than having people in the same boat as you to help you come up with creative ideas, eat lunch in the park with, and to have by your side as you learn the dynamics of the office. - Work hard, and say yes
One of the most important things I’ve learned since I got here, is that yes should be the answer to most things asked of you at work, especially at the beginning. If someone wants help with a project, or for you to come up with a creative concept, or run down to pick up a package, the answer should be: yes, yes, yes. When we’re forced to step outside out comfort zone and do things we wouldn’t normally do, we grow as professionals, build relationships, and learn what really interests us at work. - Ask Questions
I’ve always considered myself to be the kind of person who asks too many questions. My first day of work I asked my boss how to tweet…probably not the best question to ask the woman who just hired you to help run social media for the company. But besides that, questions are good. Everyone is more than willing to help. And of course, when you’re doing a job for someone else, you want to make sure it’s done the way they want it. So ask questions, but also know that google is your best friend.