A lot of you here have internships coming up this summer, and naturally your aim will be to secure that coveted return graduate scheme offer at the end of it.
But what do you actually need to do to secure that return offer?
Having completed 3 summer internships at university at BlackRock, KPMG and Willis Towers Watson - securing 1 return and 1 failure (BlackRock was first year so no return option) - I’ve seen the highs and lows and know what works when it comes to succeeding.
So here are 5 things you need to do during your internships to boost your chances of securing a return offer:
1. Get clarity on objectives and set up weekly calls with your assigned lead/manager
If your goal is to secure a return offer, you need to find out clearly from your manager what you need to do in order to secure that offer. This will give you a benchmark to work towards and measure your performance again, providing yoy.
You also want to set up weekly calls with your manager (ideally Fridays) to recap on your week, look at your progress and pinpoint anything you need to work on to ensure you meet the benchmark needed and are on track to secure
What you don’t want is to be working across the internship with no clarity on the standards needed to meet the return offer and not getting regular feedback to then be surprised on not getting a return offer
2. Develop a strong first impression - by doing quality work
First impressions count.
And they will stick once they’ve been made, so it’s critical to make sure you create a strong first impression of being a reliable person.
And the key to this is doing quality work.
Ensure any task you’ve been given is completed to the highest quality standard - no matter how boring it is. They will be basing the majority of their decision on how good you are at doing the work.
Once you’ve developed a reputation for doing high-quality work, you’ll naturally be given more work and opportunities across the internship, which will give you the chance to display your talents even more and more likely to secure the return offer.
3. Gather feedback continuously
After any tasks or piece of work you do with a colleague, make sure you gather feedback from them on 1) What went well and 2) What you could improve on. This is helpful for two reasons:
1 - Documenting your success to show your manager and strengthen your case for securing a
2 - Identifying what you need to improve on in order to quickly make improvements during your internships!
The worst thing to do on an internship is not to gather feedback, and thus not know what colleagues think of you and where you need to improve.
4. Network inside and outside of your team
While doing quality work is fundamental, you need to ensure you are building relationships with everyone in the team and outside of the team.
The team will be judging you on whether you’re a ‘culture fit’ and ‘can I spend 9 hours a day with this person?’. So, being personable and building relationships with everyone will significantly help you fit in with your team.
Also, there will be an expectation to network outside your team. If you’re interested in another desk or team, reach out to colleagues to spend an afternoon with them. If there’s a senior person you want to speak to, drop some time in their diary for an introduction call. This will also help build your case for a return offer.
5. Be open to ALL opportunities
You need to go into an internship with an open mindset and can do attitude. Being open to help on any opportunities will not go unnoticed and give the impression of being a team player and open-minded individual.
Being open to all opportunities will also give you access to unique opportunities and meeting people you may not have previously. Being open-minded allowed me to spend a day with the portfolio manager of a £800m portfolio during my BlackRock internship!
You’ve got 8 weeks there, so you want to make sure you make the most of it!
Hopefully, this has been helpful for all of you to succeed over the coming months! 🚀
