5 Key Lessons for a Successful Summer Internship

Hello! My name is Morgan Minshew and I am a summer intern at Mojo Media Labs. I am getting a degree in marketing at Baylor University and will be graduating in Spring of 2019. I have now completed my first full week of interning at Mojo Media Labs! After this exciting week, I wanted to take time to reflect on five key lessons I have already learned and share them:

1. Arrive Early

Arriving to work early is one of the first lessons I learned when beginning my internship. While I am definitely not a morning person, I have come to find that my day tends to go much smoother when I provide myself time to get organized, focus in, and review my plan for the day before beginning on my work. Arriving early not only shows commitment to your internship, but also shows respect for your employer, allows you to develop stronger relationships with coworkers, and provides a basis of good work habits that will help throughout any career.

2. Set Goals

Setting goals is a top priority for every intern. Setting these goals provides direction, but you cannot stop there. In addition, weekly journaling should become a habit. These weekly journals are not only a great way to document and reflect on learning but are also excellent for tracking progress towards goals. With reflection and writing on a weekly basis, you gain a greater sense of ownership, accountability, and determination to fulfill these goals.

3. Take Initiative

Take part in every opportunity that becomes available. The wonderful thing about an internship is that you have the chance to learn in the workplace rather than a textbook. To make the most of this valuable experience, take part in every meeting, project, task, and any other type of opportunity that comes your way (even those that are not required). This past week, I was given the opportunity to join in on a client phone call which provided me with valuable insight into the content creation process and how brand journalists conduct these discussions with clients.

4. Speak Up!

As an intern, you are coming into a new workspace where you are working with many talented and experienced individuals. While this might be an intimidating experience, it is important to realize that these individuals want you to succeed and will support you. Questions are expected and encouraged. Each question allows you to gain a better understanding of the task at hand, as well as the industry as a whole. So, do not be afraid to speak up!

5. Document Projects You Work on and Skills You Learn

As you work on projects and develop your skill set, be sure to keep an ongoing list of these exciting achievements. Keeping track of these valuable skills and projects allows for better reflection on learning throughout the course of the summer while also providing the building blocks for a great resume and portfolio. Throughout summer internships you learn so much. Continually updating this list ensures that you do not leave any accomplishment out.

Placing these key lessons into practice will help any intern make the most of their internship. I can’t wait to continue learning throughout my internship and further develop my knowledge of marketing. As I continue to utilize the key lessons I have shared above; I am confident that it will be a great summer!