5 Ways To Network As An Intern

By Elana Goodwin on March 15, 2016

Besides looking great on a resume, internships are a great place to make connections. There are lots of ways to network as an intern — whether you’re at a big company or small business —  so you can walk away from your internship not only with great experience, but great contacts.

Here are some ways to network as an intern.

Photo Credit: Sean Locke/digitalplanetdesign.com

1. Be Friendly. A smile goes a long way and one of the best and simplest ways to network as an intern is to simply be friendly — not only to your fellow interns, but to the other employees at the company. Say hello to people you pass in the hallways or when you walk through the cubicles.

When you’re eating lunch, engage in conversation with others around the table or invite fellow interns or colleagues to eat with you. Don’t eat alone at your desk — lunchtime is a great place to casually make connections, relax, and gab with your coworkers.

2. Go to Happy Hour. Most companies have some sort of happy hour, either through the corporation or organized by a group of employees. Even if your internship is taking place before you’re 21, it’s still a good idea to go to happy hour since it’s a chill way to get to know other interns and employees outside of work in a more relaxed environment.

Even if none of the other company interns are planning to attend happy hour, don’t be afraid to attend on your own. Not only will it show initiative, but it’ll show you’re mature, determined to hang out with your coworkers, and will offer you a discreet networking method.

3. Work on Your Memory. I’ve always been really good with names and faces but many people aren’t — and when you’re an intern, you’ll probably meet a lot of new people in a very short time and that can make it difficult to remember names, as well as what they do at the company. However, it’s much more impressive when you bump into someone and say “hi” if you know their name as well — even if you haven’t seen them around all that much.

Take the time when you meet someone to repeat their name and if you don’t remember it the next time you see them, ask, and then make a bigger effort to remember it. At a minimum, you should get to know the names of those you directly work with, your boss, the bigwigs at the company, and the other interns you interact with the most.

4. Be a Team Player. Sometimes an internship ends up being about doing scut work and getting coffee — and it’s okay to be disappointed if your internship ends up being that way. But even if your internship isn’t all you’d ever hoped it’d be, it’s important to still be a team player. When you finish a task, ask your boss or coworker what you can do next or how else you can be of assistance. Offer to lend a hand on projects that may not be directly in your job description.

If you are sent to get coffee, do it with a smile and good attitude. You’ll get a reputation as an intern for being a team player and a good worker, and that will help you network with others at your company as they’ll admire your commitment.

5. Grab A Coffee. Whether you fetch coffee as part of your intern duties or you’re down in the trenches with the rest of the company employees, a good way to network is by grabbing coffee. You can invite another intern or several to get coffee with you, or extend the offer to your coworker or boss. Depending on who you’re inviting, you can offer to buy theirs too, but don’t feel pressured to do so — especially if the internship is unpaid.

Grabbing a coffee gives you time to talk to the other person or people — on the way to getting the java, while drinking it, and on the way back to your desks. Besides being a friendly gesture, it’ll provide you with a way to connect to others and subtly expand your network.

Growing your network of connections can be just as important as your actual internship experience — so keep these tips in mind to successfully network as an intern. You never know who’ll end up being a great contact to have in the future!

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