Top tips: How to convert your internship into a full-time job

Are you always that intern who gets passed over when it's time to get hired?

Here's what you should be doing to get that job.

In the concluding part of an ongoing series, we asked Rishabh Gupta of Letsintern.com and Varun Aggarwal of Aspiring Minds how interns must do to convert their internships into a full-time job.

Also in this series

What to expect when you are interning

10 things we wished interns knew

How often has your internship not converted into a full-time job opportunity?

How often has your rival (and possibly less-bright) intern landed the job instead of you?

Being passed over cannot be a matter of bad luck all the time. There must be reasons why you've lost that job opportunity and why someone else has been picked over you.

Rishabh Gupta of Letsintern.com and Varun Aggarwal of Aspiring Minds, one of India's leading employability solutions companies tell you just what you must be doing to convert that dream internship into a full-time job.

Put your best foot forward

Varun Aggarwal of Aspiring Minds says:

• This might be a no-brainer but if you want to convert your internship into a job you really must impress your bosses.
• Go all out; put your best food forward.
• We've often seeing interns looking at their stint as a stop-gap measure.
• In such cases, their levels of commitment tend to be low.
• Such interns never get hired.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Often, as interns you tend to limit your role to the description you've been given," Aggarwal complains.

"If you're looking to convert that internship into a job, that must change.

"It excites us to meet an intern who shows initiative, tells us that s/he is ready to take up larger responsibilities."

Rishabh Gupta of Letsintern.com agrees:

• Every boss needs someone in their team who can manage without constant monitoring.
• Between an intern who is good at her/his job but needs to be instructed all the time and another intern who may not necessarily be as good but has the ability to work independently, I would rather choose the latter.
• How do you become that intern?
• Ask yourself what it'd take to get the job done if you were independent and had no guidance.
• If you aren't sure about your course of action, discuss your ideas with your boss.
• Besides initiative, it will also show you're open to feedback.
• When it's time to hiring people, any intern who doesn't need her/his boss to invest a lot of time in her/him will always be preferred.

Know that there may not necessarily be a vacancy at the end of your internship tenure," Aggarwal says.

• In which case, when you're at the end of your internship, discuss with your supervisor ways to be involved in any project that the company is working on.
• Ensure you don't go off the radar once your internship is over.
• Keep the company engaged and interested in you.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

When you are new in an organisation, it is easy to get swayed by the things around you, says Rishabh Gupta.

"What is important is to remember what your Key Responsibility Areas are and work on them," he says:

• Even though you have be en hired for a purpose, there will be a lot of random tasks thrown your way.
• You will be distracted by things happening around you and in other departments.
• Chances are you will volunteer to do those things.
• What will eventually happen is you'd have contributed several small things across sections but wouldn't have achieved your task at hand.
• Rather than getting swayed by office dynamics, focus rather on what you were hired for. And achieve that first before you take on any more responsibilities.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

You may not bring a lot of skills to the table. But know that employers don't necessarily look at that in the first place," says Aggarwal.

• What they do look for is an intern's reaction to feedback.
• Employers look at how much you've improved during your stint at the company.
• Rate of improvement scores over than absolute skills when it comes to hiring an intern full time
• If someone has pointed out a mistake ask yourself if there is a scope for improvement and work on that.
• It will help you as lot more than trying to defend your mistake.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

If you've been hired for a particular job, says Rishabh Gupta, it is crucial that you remain abreast of all the latest happenings in that field.

He continues:

• It is your job to be clued in to the latest happenings in your field.
• If you're into marketing and you don't know about the latest commercial, it doesn't leaver a good impression on your manager.
• Be clued in; and ensure you share your knowledge with your boss, not in an attempt to show-off as much as letting her/him know that you are indeed aware of the developments.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

It doesn't help if you aren't able to communicate what you have achieved with your supervisor," Rishabh Gupta says.

• You have to maintain cordial relations with your hiring manager.
• Keep her/him posted of what you've been up to at work.
• Communicate at all times; articulate your contributions.
• Don't expect your manager to know what you've done and keep tabs on you.
• If your boss doesn't know of your contributions or achievements, why would s/he be interested in hiring you?

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh