The first few days, or week, orient you to the agency, its mission and structure and daily routine. During this period, you will normally be introduced to fellow workers, given a tour of the department or facility, and assigned some simple tasks. These simple tasks are VERY important. Assume them with great seriousness. Answering the telephone may seem menial, but remember that in answering the telephone, you are making the first impression of the agency for a prospective client. Similarly, delivering mail and messages are essential for office efficiency. Stuffing envelopes, typing letters, etc., may not feel very important, but all entry-level personnel and most managers will do what is necessary to get the job done.

So, remember that your attitude and aptitude the first week is the key to your success as an intern. By showing that you have mastered the first assignments, that you have become a part of the agency, and that you are ready for more complex assignments, the internship will become a learning experience.

By the end of the orientation period, you should be assigned projects that involve more complex skills or thought processes. Be sure to communicate to your supervisor that you are able to take on increasingly more difficult tasks. If the assignments suddenly overwhelm you, then ask for support or a discussion on the way to complete the project. DON'T simply say "I can't do this." Learn how to do it.

The first few weeks (or days, depending on the term you intern) are the perfect time to discuss with your supervisor a learning progression for the entire internship. Plan an agenda of tasks that increase in difficulty. In this way, you and the supervisor will have a clear and written chart of goals to be met.

MID-POINT:

By the mid-point of the internship, you need to get some formal feedback from your supervisor. Make an appointment to review your progress and confirm/amend the schedule for the remainder of the internship. Although you may work side by side during the internship with your supervisor, a thoughtful, focused discussion is necessary.

It is common during the mid-point of the internship to experience a feeling of letdown or drop in energy. The enthusiasm that you went into the internship with the first day seems to dwindle. It's okay. To get your energy and interest back, try some different ideas. Take a different approach to your assignments; ask to participate in something completely unexpected but relative. Take a colleague to lunch. Use your lunch hour to take a walk, go shopping, read a book. Be sure to address the feelings you experience in your journal.

ENDING THE INTERNSHIP:

Usually, the final weeks of the internship go very quickly. It seems that once you get the hang of it, the internship is over. That feeling means that you've accomplished your learning objectives. To end the internship properly, follow a few rules:

* Schedule an exit interview with your supervisor. In this meeting discuss your final evaluation of the internship and listen to your supervisor's final evaluation of your performance. Be honest. Offer solutions to problems you encountered. Ask for advice in developing areas of weakness. Accept the evaluation of your performance with grace and poise. 

* Ask your supervisor and/or coworkers (depending on their abilities) to write a letter of reference for you. This letter can be kept in your credentials file at Career Services or you can keep it yourself.

* Say good-bye and thank you. Don't simply disappear from the site and think that everyone knew you were leaving. During the last few days, express your gratitude to those persons who really made the internship beneficial. If you have developed a relationship with clients, be sure to let them know you are leaving and who will be responsible for their cases in the future.

* Make notes of the work you have started and will not be able to finish. This is crucial. By making sure that the next intern or office personnel will be able to quickly understand where you left off and what needs to be done next, you are making an excellent impression AFTER you leave.

* Within a week after leaving the internship, send a thank you note to the supervisor and/or staff. Again, thank them for the opportunity and time they gave to you.

* Make sure you have turned all necessary materials in to your faculty director.

* Complete the internship evaluation form and return it to Career Services.


JOURNAL WRITING:

Keeping a journal is usually required by your faculty director to receive academic credit. As such, you should find out when the journal must be turned in to your faculty director. However, it is the suggestion of Career Services that all interns maintain a daily journal whether or not it is required. IF your faculty director requires a journal, then the following suggestions might help:

1. Do NOT write in your journal during working hours. If necessary, make a list of activities or key words during the day to prompt your memory after work.

2. Be sure that your journal is legible. You will not receive academic credit if your faculty director cannot read about the internship.

3. Include more than a log of assignments or projects. Although it is necessary to indicate exactly what you are involved in, the purpose of the journal is to gauge your reactions and learning. As such, ask yourself: Did I describe the assignment, observation, and experience? What did I learn from this assignment or from observing this meeting? How does my course work relate to this assignment? Do I enjoy what I am doing? Would I like to do these things as a career?

4. Your journal MUST be turned in to your faculty director to receive academic credit for the internship.

5. Write in your journal every day.