Essential Professional Skills You Should Learn from an Internship

Internships are often seen as a rite of passage for college students and recent graduates. They offer valuable real-world experience and a chance to apply classroom knowledge to practical situations. While you may need to make or fetch hot (or cold) drinks, make photocopies, and do some tedious tasks no one else wants to do like updating a database, your internship holds plenty of potential for learning soft skills in a real-world setting.

School prepares you with hard skills. These are the objective, measurable, and easy-to-demonstrate abilities and capabilities like writing code, speaking another language, or editing a video. What skills do you learn on an internship?

An internship can help prepare you with soft skills. These are the attributes and personality traits that you can develop that make you a more desirable employee in the future. Basically, hard skills are the resume bullets that get you through that interview, while soft skills are the attributes that get you the job.

What can you learn from an internship?

 

Effective Communication

Interns are immersed in a workplace where clear and concise communication is paramount. From drafting professional emails to participating in team meetings, interns learn to articulate their thoughts, ask relevant questions, and absorb information effectively. The ability to communicate seamlessly not only fosters a positive work environment but also enhances one’s professional image.

This isn’t just about absorbing the value of workplace culture like “circling back,” or “per my last email.” It’s more about learning to make sure that you stay on the same page as everyone else.

 

Adaptability

The dynamic nature of most workplaces demands adaptability. Internships expose individuals to diverse challenges, helping them develop the ability to pivot swiftly in response to changing circumstances. This can be done through giving you disparate sets of tasks or working with cross-functional teams.

Adaptable individuals can thrive in unpredictable situations, making them valuable assets to any organization. Through exposure to real-world scenarios, interns learn to embrace change and view it as an opportunity for growth rather than a hindrance.

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Problem Solving

In the real world, problems seldom come with predefined solutions, and the stakes are usually higher. The ability to analyze situations, identify potential issues, and devise effective solutions is a soft skill honed through practical experience.

This is why at job interviews you’ll often get asked about the biggest problem you’ve ever encountered and how you worked your way through it. Problem solving skills are among the most valuable things you’ll learn from an internship.

 

Professional Etiquette

Navigating the professional landscape involves more than technical proficiency; it requires an understanding of workplace etiquette — the unwritten rules. Internships provide a platform for individuals to observe and adopt professional behavior, from proper email etiquette to appropriate dress codes.

This is one of those things that you only really learn — or more aptly put, absorb — in a practical setting, and it contributes significantly to how you carry yourself in the workplace and how you project your credibility.

 

There’s more to internship than you think!

It may be hard to see what skills can be gained from an internship when you’re only ever sent out to fetch drinks, make copies and do tedious work. However, these experiences can help you cultivate a variety of soft skills that will complement the hard skills you have acquired in school. With these skills and experience, you’ll be well on your way to landing your first job.

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