Julia+Carpenter

For many college students， landing1） a coveted internship is a feat. But making the most of the internship is the real accomplishment.

Lets be real. Free food galore2）， tantalizing perks3） and pay were definitely touted， but many students say these benefits are not the keys to a great internship.

So whats the secret？ We got the skinny4） from interns who say its all in what you make of it. Here are five must-dos for a dynamite5） internship：

Dont get caught up in money

Caitlin Beck， a rising senior at Fordham University， interned with MTV News—for no pay—this past spring. Shes working now as a restaurant hostess to save money for the school year. She says writing for the MTV News RapFix blog and coordinating guest segments in the “TRL6）” studio outweighed the pay issue. “It never really made me mad because I loved it，” she says. “When youre working somewhere like that， it validates you， so you almost cant get mad at them.” Beck received some financial assistance， including reimbursement7） for transportation， from Fordham to make her internship possible.

When students are interning with start-ups or small companies， sometimes the employer just cant afford to pay extra hands8）.

Hilda Adenjii， now a campus coordinator at Pace University， interned with event planning group DBD Social last summer. She was unpaid， but her employer covered all project expenses. When DBD Social merged with another company in the fall， they had the money to pay—and they hired Adenjii back as a paid intern.

“Internships have become the new entry level，” says Lou Gaglini， associate director for employer relations and recruiting at Boston College Career Center. “Employers like to know you can hit the ground running9）.”

Embrace program structure

No student relishes the stereotypical picture of “intern busy work”： sorting files， entering data—feel free to insert your most dreaded office task here.

In a structured internship program， theres considerably less room for busy work or （even worse） dead time10）. Interns schedules are instead packed with meetings， events or seminars.

Ayah Abo-Basha， a rising junior at Washington University in St. Louis， is interning this summer with Ashoka11）， a social entrepreneur think tank in Arlington， Virginia. “I would say theres just enough structure，” she says， specifically mentioning how weekly intern meetings can be educational seminars one week and informal socials12） the next.

Graduate student Max Huleurt is the only intern in the production department of CBSs “GameSpot13），” so he says he appreciates participating in activities with other CBS interns， such as the lunchtime “Intern Olympics.” After socializing and enjoying the free event， he returns to his department， where he collaborates with salaried team members “just like at a real job，” he says.

Find your role and claim ownership of your projects

The word “ownership” pops up again and again when students describe internship successes.

Tom Pae says this is what separates good internships from great internships. As a LinkedIn14） global sales operations intern， the majority of his time is spent collaborating with other interns on “meaty15）” projects and discussing his work with top leadership at the company.

Alex Forss is at eBay for his second summer because he says he feels encouraged to pitch ideas and network with upper management. Hes also seen his ideas successfully implemented later—and he gets credit， too. “It is a high-paying internship， but the responsibility is the most rewarding part of it，” he says. “I just led a conference call with a couple VPs on the phone. They let me do that.”

But its not just tech companies that value collaboration with interns. At CBS Interactive16）， Huleurt says he has unlocked the secret to internship happiness： knowing your work has value.

Shara Senderoff founded the website Intern Sushi to match students with good internship experiences. She says identifying your role is critical when later discussing an internship experience in job interviews or within a cover letter. “If you cant say why your company is doing what its doing， you dont know anything about the culture or the company，” she says. “You need to know the bigger picture of where your work fits in.”

Bond with your supervisor

At Ashoka， Abo-Basha says she doesnt have an “intern supervisor”—she has an “accountability partner，” a full-time employee also in her field. “Youre a partner， not just a lowly intern，” she says. Abo-Basha regularly meets with her accountability partner to give project updates， ask for advice on problems or learn about other opportunities within the company.

But the best supervisors dont just lead—they also inspire. When interning for Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson17）， D-Texas， in 2010， Anam Iqbal took particular notice of the congresswomans condolence card routine. Johnson sent personalized cards to the families and friends of recently passed Texans in her district. “Working in the office made me realize mailing some things puts a smile on peoples faces， whether you realize it or not，” Iqbal says.

Iqbal is now pursuing a masters degree in public administration—a decision she says was inspired by her experience working with the congresswoman. “Seeing her really care for her constituents made me think， ‘I want to be like that. I want to be her，” she says.

Leave with talking points18） for your next job interview

A stacked resume isnt only good for netting internships； it should ideally highlight those experiences to lure full-time employers.

Adenjii did exactly that after DBD Social. She parlayed19） her experience planning parties and coordinating events into a career as a campus coordinator at her alma mater20）， Pace University. There， she draws from her internship experience on a daily basis. “My internship was a major thing I was asked about on job interviews，” she says. Adjenjii says she frequently referenced her hands-on21） experience， while Iqbal says her internship was “a conversation starter” on her resume.

Lauren Berger of InternQueen.com recommends keeping a list of tasks completed. “It not only makes you feel accomplished， it helps you build your resume，” she says. “And on that list， I would pinpoint about two to three things youve learned personally as well as professionally.”

Senderoff says above all else， students should remember internships are temporary—they provide a chance to experiment with different responsibilities and work environments. “A great internship is an exploration of what you dont want to do，” she says. And once you know what you want to do， use the internship experience to jumpstart22） your next career move.

對于很多大學(xué)生來說，得到一個令人垂涎的實習(xí)機會很了不起，但充分利用好實習(xí)機會才是真正的成功。

實話實說吧，豐盛的免費食品、誘人的薪酬和福利肯定都是吸引學(xué)生的賣點，但許多學(xué)生表示，這些好處都不是一份成功的實習(xí)工作的關(guān)鍵。

那成功的實習(xí)有什么秘訣呢？一些實習(xí)生道出了秘密，他們說秘訣完全在于你如何利用實習(xí)機會。以下是做好實習(xí)的五大必殺技。

工資待遇，切莫計較

凱特琳·貝克是福坦莫大學(xué)一名即將進入大四的學(xué)生，今年（編注：原文發(fā)表于2013年7月）春天在MTV新聞頻道實習(xí)——沒有報酬。她現(xiàn)在在一家餐廳當(dāng)服務(wù)員攢下一學(xué)年的學(xué)費。貝克說，為MTV新聞頻道的RapFix博客寫文章，以及在“互動全方位”工作室來賓部的協(xié)調(diào)工作比報酬本身更重要?！斑@份工作從來沒有讓我真正生氣過，因為我熱愛它，”她說，“在那樣的地方工作，你能得到認(rèn)可，所以你幾乎不會因為沒有報酬而生氣?！睘榱耸箤嵙?xí)得以進行，貝克從福坦莫大學(xué)得到了一些資助，包括報銷交通費。

如果學(xué)生們在新興公司或小公司實習(xí)，有時用人單位根本就沒錢給他們這些臨時雇員發(fā)薪水。

希爾達(dá)·阿登杰伊現(xiàn)在是佩斯大學(xué)的校園活動協(xié)調(diào)員。去年夏天，她在DBD社交公司的活動策劃團隊實習(xí)。她沒有工資，但用人單位承擔(dān)了所有的項目費用。當(dāng)DBD社交公司在秋天與另一家公司合并后，公司有錢發(fā)薪水了——于是就雇用了阿登杰伊回去帶薪實習(xí)。

“實習(xí)經(jīng)歷已成為新的入職門檻，”波士頓學(xué)院就業(yè)指導(dǎo)中心主管雇主關(guān)系和招聘的副主任婁·蓋格利尼說，“用人單位希望你一上班就能一舉成功?！?/p>

實習(xí)項目，傾力參與

沒有學(xué)生喜歡“繁忙的實習(xí)生工作”的典型場景：整理文件、輸入數(shù)據(jù)——你最害怕的辦公室工作都可以加進去。

在安排周密的實習(xí)項目中，忙亂的工作或是（更糟糕的）窩工時間會大大減少。相反，實習(xí)生的日程排滿了會議、活動或研討會。

阿雅·阿波-芭莎是華盛頓大學(xué)圣路易斯分校一名即將上大三的學(xué)生，今年夏天在愛創(chuàng)家實習(xí)。愛創(chuàng)家是弗吉尼亞州阿靈頓的一家社會企業(yè)家智庫?！拔蚁胝f那兒的實習(xí)計劃很周詳?！彼f，并特別提到實習(xí)生的每周例會如何開展：這一周是教育研討會，下一周可能就是非正式的聯(lián)誼會。

研究生馬克斯·赫勒特是哥倫比亞廣播公司Gamespot生產(chǎn)部的唯一一名實習(xí)生，因此他說他很樂意和CBS的其他實習(xí)生一起參加活動，比如午餐時間的“實習(xí)生奧運”活動。在與他人交流并享受了這一免費活動后，他回到自己的部門，與領(lǐng)薪水的團隊成員們一起合作，“就像正常上班一樣”，他說。

找準(zhǔn)定位，勇?lián)厝?/p>

學(xué)生們描述實習(xí)成就時會反復(fù)提到“責(zé)任”一詞。

湯姆·佩依說，實習(xí)是“不錯”還是“優(yōu)秀”就取決于此。作為領(lǐng)英全球銷售業(yè)務(wù)的實習(xí)生，他的大部分時間都花在與其他實習(xí)生合作探討內(nèi)容豐富的項目上，并與公司的最高領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層討論自己的工作。

亞歷克斯·弗斯是第二次在電子港灣公司參加暑期實習(xí)，因為他說他覺得那里鼓勵他提出新想法，鼓勵他同高層管理人員建立人脈。之后，他也看到了自己的想法得以成功實施，他個人也因此得到認(rèn)可?！斑@是一個高薪實習(xí)崗位，但責(zé)任是最有意義的地方，”他說，“我剛剛主持了與幾位副總的電話會議，公司愿意讓我這么做?！?/p>

不過，不只是高科技企業(yè)重視與實習(xí)生的合作。在哥倫比亞廣播公司旗下的互動媒體公司，赫勒特說他已經(jīng)挖掘到了快樂實習(xí)的奧秘：明白你的工作有價值。

莎拉·森德洛芙創(chuàng)辦了“實習(xí)壽司”網(wǎng)站，給學(xué)生們提供好的實習(xí)機會。她說，以后在面試或求職信中談及實習(xí)經(jīng)歷時，明確自身角色定位至關(guān)重要?！叭绻阏f不出公司為什么從事現(xiàn)在的業(yè)務(wù)，那你根本就不了解公司文化或整個公司的情況，”她說，“你需要對自己在工作中的角色有更宏觀的認(rèn)識?！?/p>

實習(xí)導(dǎo)師，多多溝通

在愛創(chuàng)家，阿波-芭莎說她沒有“實習(xí)導(dǎo)師”，只有“責(zé)任伙伴”——一個和她同領(lǐng)域的全職雇員?！澳闶枪ぷ骰锇椋粌H僅是卑微的實習(xí)生?！彼f。阿波-芭莎定期與她的責(zé)任伙伴會面，以匯報項目進展、請教有關(guān)問題的建議，或了解該公司內(nèi)部的其他機會。

但最好的導(dǎo)師不僅會引導(dǎo)——還會啟發(fā)。2010年，阿難·伊克巴爾在給得克薩斯州眾議員埃迪·伯尼斯·約翰遜做實習(xí)生時，特別留意了這位女議員寫慰問卡的例行做法。如果約翰遜的選區(qū)內(nèi)新近有得州人去世，她會給逝者的親友寄去個性化的慰問卡。“在眾議員辦公室工作讓我意識到，郵件能讓人開心，無論你有沒有意識到。”伊克巴爾說。

伊克巴爾正在攻讀公共管理的碩士學(xué)位——她說自己與女議員一起工作的經(jīng)歷激勵她做了這個決定?！翱吹剿嬲P(guān)心自己選民的樣子讓我覺得，‘我想成為那樣的人，我想成為她。”她說。

厚厚的一沓簡歷不僅有利于獲得實習(xí)機會，還應(yīng)該完美地突出實習(xí)經(jīng)歷，以吸引全職工作的雇主。

在DBD社交公司實習(xí)之后，阿登杰伊就那樣做了。她成功地利用策劃派對和協(xié)調(diào)活動的經(jīng)驗，在母校佩斯大學(xué)謀到了校園活動協(xié)調(diào)員的職位。在那里，她每天都用得上實習(xí)的經(jīng)驗?！拔覅⒓用嬖嚂r被問到最多的就是實習(xí)經(jīng)歷?！彼f。阿登杰伊說她經(jīng)常提到親身實踐的經(jīng)歷，伊克巴爾則說在她的簡歷中，實習(xí)經(jīng)歷是一個“打開話匣的話題”。

“實習(xí)女皇網(wǎng)”的勞倫·貝格建議列表記錄自己完成的任務(wù)?！斑@不僅會讓你有成就感，還能讓你的簡歷更好看，”她說，“而從這張單子上，我可以準(zhǔn)確找出你在個人生活和職業(yè)生涯方面學(xué)會的兩三件事。”

森德洛芙說，最重要的一點是學(xué)生應(yīng)該記住實習(xí)是暫時的——它們提供的是一個體驗不同職責(zé)和工作環(huán)境的機會?！耙环莩晒Φ膶嵙?xí)能幫你發(fā)現(xiàn)自己不想做的事?！彼f。一旦你知道自己想做什么，就可以用實習(xí)經(jīng)歷來啟動下一段職業(yè)生涯。