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What's Your Agenda?

by Annette Clemens, Assistant Director

It’s probably a safe bet that most business students understand the value of working an internship before graduating with their Bachelor’s.  Not to overstate the obvious, but the major-related experience and the pay should be enough to convince anyone that this is a worthwhile pursuit.  However, there is a more insidious reason, and more crucial one, for working an internship.  That reason is that students should always work the internship with an agenda.

What do I mean by “agenda”?  For better or worse, this word usually has a negative connotation.  But “agenda” here refers to how the internship can meet your long-term goals (not just the short-term goals of pay and experience).  The first question you should ask yourself is, what ultimately can this internship do for me?  You should be able to identify pretty quickly if this is a company you’d like to stay with after graduation (if that’s possible).  Identify whether the company has much growth potential.  Have you been checking out how the corporate stock has been doing?  Does the company have plans to open other offices in different locations, or have they cut jobs in the production area?  Keep your eyes open for these indicators.

If it doesn't appear that you have a long-term future with your internship company, then you can still begin your long-range planning right where you’re at.  It’s quite possible that your supervisor and other co-workers know of other professionals out in the field.  Chances are someone you work for knows someone who is looking for candidates.  And don’t be deterred if your first contact doesn’t turn out to be your dream job—networking takes times and patience.  So consider approaching your supervisor and co-workers toward the end of your internship to acquire contacts to start circulating your resume.  Squandering the potential contacts these people have would be a huge mistake. 

Lastly, keep in mind that finding a good mentor can serve you several years into your career.  Ideally, this person should be working at least a level higher than you in the workplace, and someone who knows the ropes both at that particular company and in your chosen industry.  Seek out someone who has a good track record with the firm and who is advancing in their profession.  Many of the big companies these days have formal mentoring programs that typically involve minority populations.  But whether you’re minority or not, having a mentor should provide you with valuable coaching that will serve you well for years to come.

So whether you’re working an internship right now or still seeking one, ask yourself—what is my agenda?  What do I ultimately hope to get out of this job besides the pay and experience?  As with most things in life, knowing and working toward what you want to get out of an internship will help ensure that you do.