Congrats! Your hard work, interviews, career fair dedication and preparation has paid off and you have an internship. You finish finals in the spring, embark to your summer place, and start working. Now what? How do you make the most out of it? The first and most crucial step is networking.
Natural curiosity, a desire to learn, and a quote from Dr. Henry Musoma, “your network is your net worth”, urged me to build a network aside from the one at Texas A&M. An internship is the best opportunity to do this.
You’ll be able to see into a lot more roles than just the one you are working on, and it will give you a strong base if you end up coming back to the company.
It can be difficult to put yourself out there and connect with people of all ages and all backgrounds, and even more difficult to connect with people from different schools, but here is a short list of best ways to build a network away from College Station and how it has helped me take my summer experiences to the next level:
1. Just like student organizations at school, your job is likely to have smaller clubs and organizations.
Odds are you will find people interested in similar hobbies as you, and they often host events that allow others to learn about what they do. Connecting with people similar to you is always easiest and a great start!
2. Use the Association’s “find an Aggie” tool. Look for Aggies in your company and shoot them an email for a coffee chat or lunch.
Old and young, Ags love meeting undergrads and learning about what Texas A&M is like now. They will give you a glimpse into their career and answer all your questions. From personal experience, they even check back with me whenever I go back to school. It’s truly fascinating.
3. Room with people from a different school.
Sometimes you’ll be working in a city away from home and end up with random roommates. Oftentimes you’ll access a list of interns for your company beforehand. Always reach out and introduce yourself. They will be needing roommates too, and I have learned that fabulous friendships start this way and last through entire careers.
4. Ask around for intern events, and if there are none, host some!
I was lucky my company had a well-structured intern program with events for people our age. I have heard of smaller companies that don’t but, with some help from the recruiting manager, an intern stepping up and having a weekly dinner can give you a family away from College Station.
5. Ask questions!
This is cliche and everybody has told you so, but if this is the case it must be for a reason. Full-time employees know that, as an intern, you are there to learn about the industry, the company, and what the future might hold. They will be extremely open to answer anything you’re intrigued about. My best recommendation is to respectfully tell them where you are coming from, what you are hoping to learn, and ask them about what they do and their company. People love talking about what they do. You’ll be able to see into a lot more roles than just the one you are working on, and it will give you a strong base if you end up coming back to the company. It’s a win-win.
Networking throughout the summer has given me friends that are 20 years older than me, friends that attend different universities from everywhere in the united states, and lessons about the industry I will work in that would have taken me years to learn by myself. I hope it does this and more for you!
Need help finding an internship, polishing that resume or handling interviews? Come by the Anadarko Engineering Career Center in the Zachry building.
