How to Turn your internship into a full-time job

How to Turn your internship into a full-time job by Michael Cheary Internships can be fantastic for bolstering your CV with skills and experience. Not to mention landing something full-time…In fact, by spending some time at a company for a short, fixed period, you’ll get to assess them and work out whether it’s the right career and place of work for you. At the same time, they get to assess you and potentially employ someone who already knows how the company works.So what’s the best way to impress? We sat down with Inspiring Interns to find out:  Establish targetsOften, companies will sit down with you at the beginning of your internship and establish goals for your time there. They could want to you to have completed a project or hit certain targets, but either way make sure you’re clear on what’s expected of you.If your new manager doesn’t lay this out, don’t be afraid to speak up and seek out some goals. That way you’ll know exactly what to focus on.Ask the right questionsAsking questions is all about h itting that golden ratio between being inquisitive and proactive -without becoming a burden on the person you’re questioning.Pick your battles and try to find out as much as you can, but if you’ve been told to own a project or manage your workload, demonstrate that you’re able to make decisions yourself.Also, be sure to differentiate between the questions that you can direct to a junior colleague and those that you need to reserve for your senior manager. Just in case.  Add value to the companyAlthough you’ll obviously want to make sure you get what skills and experience you need from your internship, be prepared to pitch in and do some jobs that aren’t ideal.The absolute best way to impress is to start adding genuine value to the company that will make hiring you at the end a wise business decision. And going the extra mile definitely falls under this category.Of course this includes doing everything that’s asked of you with energy and enthusiasm too. But ask what more you can do and don’t be afraid to pitch ideas. It will show initiative and that you’ve been thinking about the goals of the business.Keep learning about the companyWhile researching the company before you start is key to setting your expectations and understanding fit and company culture, make sure you keep working on this research as you progress through your internship.Do everything you can to learn more about the company structure, their clients and customers, and what people do in different roles.A more complete understanding of the business will help impress your employer, not to mention further your own understanding of where you might be best suited in a full time job.Be open about your aspirationsIt may feel like the company naturally assumes that you’d stay if given the option, but it doesn’t hurt to be clear.It might be as simple as opening up the dialogue, and your desire to stay may just flatter your manager as a positive reflection on both the company and their own management.Additionally, it shows your passion and drive â€" and could even help highlight what you can specifically do to stay.Identify the most overloaded person……and offer to help with their workload.You should always be looking to go above and beyond what’s asked of you, and one great way to do this is to help out the most stressed person in the office.It could be that some of their administrative tasks are getting in the way of their work, and by taking some off their plate, you’ll be in their good books when it comes to deciding to keep you on or not.Make sure you’ll be missedThe one piece of advice to finish off with? Make sure that you’ll be missed if they decide not to keep you on.Whether that means your manager’s workload suddenly goes through the roof, they can no longer utilise a specific skillset you provided, or simply that your colleagues will miss your energy and stories.Sit back and consider how you can become more indispensable, and you’ll leave them with no choice but to make you a permanent offer at the end of your internship.Inspiring Interns  and are the UK’s leading graduate recruitment agency having placed more than 5,000 university leavers in their first role. If you’re interested in starting your career journey, take a look at their  graduate jobs  today.Still looking for your perfect position? View all available vacancies nowFind a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the