February 2nd 2022, 8:32am, I was running in the streets of Amsterdam trying to be on time for the first day of my first internship. Tensions were high, I did not know what to expect. After having almost all my classes over Zoom for the past two years, the social aspect of corporate culture and the work environment had scared me. Diverse questions circulated in my mind on how I had to behave at the office.
Fast forward to today, August 3rd, 2022 – six months flew by very quickly and my internship has officially come to an end. I can now provide an answer to all the questions that I had back then.
First of all, the office is a place that is designed to motivate you. It quickly becomes your home; you find your favorite spots, get familiar with the view, get to know the workers of the nearest lunch spot etc… I know that going back to work in person seems like a big deal for many of us after the past two years but going to the office is important. We hear this everywhere from the start of our studies but- networking is indeed crucial and what better way of interacting with your colleagues if it is not by the coffee machine or at lunch breaks? Try interacting and sharing with your colleagues as much as possible, connections are very precious. My Monday meetings would all be filled with stories about what happened over the weekend, talks about how that week’s weather looks like, what I brought for lunch that day, what happened on the news that week etc… The list of small talk subjects before the start of a meeting is infinite.
Another advice that I would give is to try interacting with different departments and teams. Do not be afraid to go up to someone even if you have never worked with them or do not know their names yet. Try not to limit yourself to one department or one team only, you will learn from different insights from different profiles- the finance specialist may be able to give you different advice than your manager. Different perspectives would broaden your learning scope. Even if your office is very spacious and/or you do not work on the same floor as the other departments, try to catch opportunities to engage. An internship is also the opportunity to discover a wide variety of professions and in turn find out about your preferences.
Another point worth noting is your thoughts on the brand you work at. According to me, you should accept positions only when the company’s values align with your own. That way, loving the brand/company you work for will be easier, you will fit in more easily and you will feel like you belong to a community. Loving the products from your company facilitates your integration to the work environment. If you work at a shoe company, make sure to wear those shoes to the office, if you work for a makeup brand, make sure you have one of their products in your bag, if you work for a tech company, try not possessing any competitor product etc… These can be seen as small details but can make a difference in the eyes of your colleagues.
The corporate world is very diverse and social skills matter a lot. This mini guide is a compilation of some points that I have experienced/observed that made my internship more pleasant and enriching.
I have overall enjoyed my time at my internship and I hope you will too!