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.png "Questions to Ask During Your Internship")
August 09, 2024
Newsletter ArticleAs you start your summer internship, have you thought about what to ask your supervisor? Here are five questions to ask during your internship:
1. Can we talk about expectations?
One of the most important questions to ask during your internship: make sure you understand what your supervisor and coworkers expect from you. However, don’t forget about your personal goals as well. One major point of the internship is to make sure you get the most out of it. Use the experience for personal growth. If you ask this early on, it will help everyone establish a good idea of what all the expectations are so you don’t walk away from the internship down the road with it not meeting any of your own goals.
2. What are some areas I can improve on?
There’s a good chance your employer won’t fault you on your strengths, but will probably notice your weaknesses. Ask how you can improve! By asking your supervisor this, you are showing your willingness to learn. Feedback is the best way to figure out how you are doing as an intern. Being a coachable person makes for a great intern. Willingness to listen from the experts and use their advice to better your skills will not only benefit you now, but also later in life.
3. How did you get to the position you are at now?
You’re only at your internship for a short while, so this is one of the more important questions to ask during your internship. If your supervisor or co-worker is sitting in the chair that you want to be in, ask them how they got there. Explore what techniques or strategies they used to get to where they are today. Learning how they got to where they are can benefit you in planning your next steps. If that is where you want to be and they got there, most likely they will have some pretty great advice. Find someone in the workplace that can be a mentor for you to help you get to your dreams.
4. What do you do outside of the workplace?
Understanding what your supervisors and coworkers do outside of work can give you a great perspective on the career. If they live the lifestyle that you want, the career should work well for you. If they don’t have a lifestyle you desire, do you want to be in their shoes? If you want to have time with your family, find out if your supervisor and coworkers have family time. If they work overtime multiple times a week or even weekends, is that the same lifestyle you are ready for? It’s good to understand what kind of life the people you work with live because you’re essentially pursuing not only a career path, but a lifestyle you want for your future. Remember, this is YOUR future.
5. What was the most rewarding thing you have gained from this career?
Can the job produce the results you are looking for? If your pursuing a career, ask about the results. If your supervisor can’t tell you anything that was rewarding about the career, then maybe it’s not something you would want to pursue. Find out what people enjoy most about the job and see if it matches what you are after. Although everyone is after different goals, discovering what rewards the career path brings others can be important for your own goals or values. This will help you decide what your passions are and what motivations you have that help you reach accomplishments and success.
