So the first week at Symplify has passed. There is always a special feeling about being the new colleague at work. I was pleasantly surprised with a familiar face of another fellow classmate, who is also to be spending his internship here at Symplify. It is actually quite nice to have someone in your shoes working alongside you.  

This week’s main focus has been on our onboarding and getting to know Symplify from its core, getting to know colleagues, to start introducing ourselves to the platform and getting familiar with all relevant processes. Lots of meetings, lots of information to get through and more to come in the upcoming weeks. Symplify has been a really encouraging and  welcoming organisation, which helps a lot.

As this is my second internship, I have some prior experience in being an intern.  

I genuinely believe that one of the most important things when applying for internships is to make sure that your mentor at the company makes you feel like they actually care about their interns. Even though I do not have a clear picture of what the average experience for interns is, I believe that it is important to state explicitly that there is a special something that you have been assigned to do and that they will provide you with the support you need throughout the internship. 

As much as you would put expectations on your mentor, help yourself to put in writing what your goals are. What do you want to learn?

Symplify is an international company that applies a hybrid working model. Therefore, many of our colleagues are working remotely from other cities and even countries, and that is the new normal. It is great that we are no longer bound to the physical borders and can simultaneously pursue our professional career dreams and have the freedom of deciding where we want to accommodate. As a colleague mentioned; “I’m planning on moving to Spain this fall”, and he will be perfectly able to. 

Based on the assumption that you as the reader of this blog post might be curious on what it is like to be an intern, what to expect and maybe how to organise your thought process, I would advise you to just go with it. Take the challenge and have fun while it lasts. The ball is in your court, you decide in what direction to kick it.

• Make sure that there is a set plan for your internship. 
• Set goals for your internship and share them with your mentor. 
• Communicate and set your expectations you have on your mentor. What kind of support do you require?