Internships: Advice from a CrossFire Intern

An internship can be a great opportunity to gain invaluable experience in a field that would otherwise be difficult to get into. On the flipside, it can be an enormous waste of time and energy, if not handled properly by the employer or the intern. This blog entry is by no means an exhaustive list of what to look for or how to act at an internship, but merely a glimpse into the mindset that you should have before taking the leap into the life of an intern.

1. Find an Internship in a Field That You’re Interested In!

This is one of the most basic pieces of advice when looking for an internship. It’s so important that no internship advice would be complete without it. For example, if you want to get an idea of how working in a non-traditional legal environment works, don’t look for law internships at a traditional law office. If you want to get experience working at a news network, don’t get an internship working for your local paper.

2.      Know That You Are a Valuable Asset

Lots of times when applying for an internship, potential interns make the mistake of thinking of what the company can do for them. This is perfect when LOOKING for an internship, but few (if any) companies want hire an intern based solely on what the company can do for the intern. Companies want to see what you can do for them and the only person that can sell them that is you! Know your strengths and weaknesses to be able to show the company how you can be an asset to them.

3.      Ask Questions

Don’t make the mistake that because you landed an interview for your dream internship that all you have to do is nail the interview and you’ll be set. Use the interview as an opportunity to find out what kind of work you’ll be doing. If you want to get writing experience working at a newspaper, ask to see if you will have that opportunity. Make certain that you’re going to walk away from the internship having gained the experience that you want, not just work at the place that you wanted to work.

4.      Dress the Part

Once you’ve landed the internship that you want, don’t throw that away by coming into the office in your best pair of overalls from the farm (or come to the farm with your best suit, if that’s the case). Take note of what others are wearing and dress similar. Overdressing can also have a similar effect.  This gives the impression that you are overcompensating and people won’t take you seriously. Blend in with your work attire, letting your personality and work allow you to stand out.

5.      Take Your Assignments Seriously

Everything that you do for your internship has an impact on the company, no matter how large or small. Brushing off an assignment has the potential to blow up in your face and make you look incompetent. Bottom line, if you want others to take you seriously, you should take your work seriously.

6.      Stay In Contact With Your Supervisor

Often times in an internship, your supervisor can be hard to get in contact with. While it may seem like it’s your supervisor’s job to keep you up to date and on task, it’s not. As an intern, stay in contact with your supervisor and maintain a good working relationship. This will allow you to do a better job on your assignments, develop a better relationship with your supervisor, and ultimately allow you to get more out of your internship.

7.       BE ON TIME!

If there is one thing from this blog post that you should do more than anything else, it’s this last point. At no time should you ever be tardy to an internship. It undermines almost every other piece of advice in this post and can quickly deteriorate your work environment. And while few – if anyone – will take notice of your exceptional punctuality, they will notice if you are consistently tardy. If you’re going to be late, let someone know.

This is good starting point when looking for the right internship and trying to get the most out of that internship once you find it. Internships are a great opportunity to showcase your abilities in a field that you’re interested in, but the responsibility falls on you to make that possible. Remember: an internship is not just about the work -- it is about the opportunity to network and see how the "real world" works.  Think of it as an audition for your next  job.

Written By: Kenny Laskowski, CrossFire Group Intern

CrossFire Legal Staffing

While the economic turnaround is showing positive signs in many corners, traditional law firms have been slower to follow that same route.   Many firms have made the business decision to hire fewer entry-level associates and instead are using contract attorneys for overflow and project work.

While this is definitely not breaking news, what is news is how few resources there are for attorneys in their job search.   There are websites (both pay and free); there are law school career services offices; there is word-of-mouth; recruiters; etc.   On the hiring side, employers have a choice of internet and law school job boards as well as recruiters.  None of that changes the added pressure a candidate search places on the hiring partner or administrator in charge of placement.   A solid, well-connected local recruiter can be a valuable asset to those firms and companies looking to hire.

The small handful of staffing and recruiting firms with a local presence has just grown by one as CrossFire Legal Staffing introduces attorney Bill Szumanski as its new Director of Legal Resources.  Bill’s responsibilities will be to assist firms and companies in their efforts to staff permanent and contract positions, and to find the best candidates to fill those positions.  

Based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, CrossFire Legal Staffing is a division of CrossFire Group, LLC, a full-service staffing, consulting, and managed services firm.  And while CrossFire Legal is headquartered in Michigan, our clients can be found as close as next door and as far away as California.   

He can be reached at 866-839-2600 x101 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

After the Internship

Unfortunately summer is coming to a rapid close.  Back to school has become the current retail season, the days are getting shorter, and it seems like everyone is talking about when they are going to be moving back to school.  Hopefully everyone had a fantastic and productive internship to set them on a more focused course!   

If you have not already started talking with your supervisor and co workers about letters of recommendation, don't hesitate another minute.  If you have a final date for your internship, schedule an exit interview with the person(s) with whom you worked most closely.  This is your opportunity to crow about what you accomplished and how having you in this internship benefited the company.  Take some time to put these accomplishments into a professional presentation, be sure to refresh your resume with these accomplishments too.  Take some time to thank everyone you worked with over the course of the summer, hand written notes are a nice touch that leave a lasting impression.  With your updated resume in hand be sure to check in with the HR department as you check out.  Let them know your graduation date and that you would appreciate being considered for employment.  Keep all avenues of communication open, hopefully you have made some key contacts and built some strong relationships that you will be able to call on in your job search post graduation.

For those of you not headed back to campus, the above applies to you but you need to turn up the intensity of our quest for full time employment.  One intern recently told me some of the best advise she received this summer was from an employee that started as an intern.  The advise?  "Find something that makes you so valuable to the organization they will go out of their way to hire you."  I am sure what was meant   was honest hard work and benefit to the organization and not black mail.  What was your stand out accomplishment and how does it benefit the department or whole organization?  Take some time to package that accomplishment or series of accomplishments into a sales presentation.  This may be your sales pitch into a paid career.

Take Some Time Now

With Memorial Day and the "start" of summer less than  a week over,  it's easy to start relaxing into our cut offs and flip flop mode!  Don't get too comfy yet, deadlines for fall internship applications are quickly approaching.  Don't be left out on a great internship experience because you missed the date by a day or two. 

Make your search and application process your other summer job.  Dedicate at least an hour every day to going on line and researching companies and opportunities.  Can't concentrate or don't have the best internet connection at home?  Take your laptop to the library or nearest free wifi coffee shop and get busy.  Going out is more like going to work.

Where do you start?  Go back to the positions you applied for or considered applying for last round.  What do you have to offer now that you didn't have six months ago?  Look at the companies or organizations that do what you would like to do, check out their "open positions"  for internship opportunities.  Go to the job boards that are specific to your field, search on internships.  Don't forget to look for guilds and governing bodies in certain industries, often times internships will be posted through them.

Get creative, start asking everyone you come in contact with who or what they know about your chosen field.  In some jobs companies are offering "virtual" internships so you can intern from home or campus.  Whatever you do keep thinking of the next step in your career plan.  Interning is one of the best ways to set yourself apart from your competition when you're ready to start your career. 

Custom Resumes?

Customize your resume for each job you apply to?  You bet, especially if you are submitting your resume electronically.  Yes it's a hassle knowing what to change, or how to change it without loosing something but here is the rationale for doing it.  No one is going to read your resume until it passes through the electronic filter.  The job search landscape has a new tool and you need to know how to use it.

1.)  Look very carefully at the job post, what is it asking for?  You have many of those skills asked for and you think the job would be interesting.

2.)  Look at your resume, (yes the one you worked so hard on) .  How many words do you have in your resume descriptions that are the exact words used in the job description in the post?

3.)  Change your words to match the terms and phrases in the post.  (Make sure it actually makes sense and the descriptions are accurate)

Why?  Your resume and all other resumes sent in answer to this job post will be parsed electronically looking for the best matches.  Only the resumes that most closely match will be sent to the hiring manager.

Yes you may argue that your resume says the same thing in a different way, not good enough.  Remember the first round of selection is not with a reasoning person it's with a automated computer program.  No need to get sentimental about your carefully crafted resume, the reality sometimes in getting a job is how well you play the game.