Making the Most of Your Summer Internship in New York City

New York City is the world’s business and finance industry hub. It’s a goldmine for students wanting to make the most of their summer internship experience. Is your aim to expand your network of contacts? To master skills in your chosen field? Or perhaps just to add an impressive company to your resumé? New York City’s bustling scene sets the ideal stage for all of these aspirations.

The city can feel intense. Feeling nervous? There’s plenty to prepare for.

We’ll go over the do’s and don’ts to succeed in New York this summer. Keep it simple and enjoy your time in the Big Apple.

Be Clear About Your Goals

Make sure you know what you want before you start interning. Do you want to learn some more skills? Or is it your aim to build up a network of new friends?

Remember why the company has an internship program in the first place. Most companies want to attract young professionals, and an internship program is a forward-thinking way to create a pipeline of talent. Congratulations, you’re if you’re accepted an internship, you’re in their pipeline. It’s up to you to decide if you want to be a stand-out prospect, or if you merely want to get some early career experience to decide if the company is a good fit for your career goals and personality.

Act the Part

Offices in NYC lean towards a more formal look compared to most American cities. Ask about the dress code and aim for a professional look.

Every business is a bit different. In the first days watch how your coworkers act and talk. Learn the unwritten company culture rules like how people talk and act in meetings. This can make fitting in at your new job easier.

Chat with co-workers. You’re lucky to be young, so lean into your naivete and ask stupid questions. Ask for a mentor. These bonds you are building might give you your next job.

When you meet someone for the first time drop them a quick email. Thank them for their time. Discuss something from your chat. This makes your relationship instantly stronger and helps them remember you.

Organize Your Time

Ask yourself what’s most important. Often we get sucked into things that feel urgent, rather than focusing on things that are important. You might have various things calling for your focus all at once. Figuring out what needs to be tackled first is important. Work smarter (and it doesn’t hurt to work harder).

Ask for Feedback

Avoid waiting for any official evaluation. Steady advice can assist with everyday tasks and boost your growth nonstop. Literally ask, “How am I doing?”

Also, a word to the wise: being too eager can have its downsides. Trying to take on too many tasks in an effort to look good often ends up in feeling overwhelmed or producing mediocre work. Therefore it’s crucial to keep things in control and turn down tasks when needed, so you can do your best work.

Show Up

Being on time should go without saying. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re early, you’re on time. Being prepared and early for meetings can make you stand out. Answering emails fast counts too. These are small actions. Yet they demonstrate that you care about your job.

Get a Good Location for your Summer Apartment

It’s important to find a place near your work in New York City. You can use sites such our very own HousingPanda.com which is perfect for locating medium-term rentals in convenient areas of the city. BEWARE of housing scams on sites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Even Airbnb has had scam listings.

Decide on your mode of transportation and be sure you know your average commute time for your summer internship. Tools like Google Maps are helpful for choosing your route and mode of transport.

Keep a Journal

Writing your daily thoughts will help in remembering what skills you’ve gained. It helps to be mindful and intentional throughout your internship experience. This is one of the pivotal times in your life, and the next few years will shape the direction of your professional life.

**Here’s a practical idea. Create two Google Docs: a journal and a FAQ. In your journal doc, write down all the things you did well, and the things you screwed up. Also what you learned, and feedback and guidance you got from your supervisors. In the FAQ doc, keep a list of questions you have, as they come up. As you figure out the answers, add those into the list as well. This will be a valuable document when you’re preparing for interviews in the future, since a common questions are about your prior work experience and what you learned.

Prepare

If it’s relevant, you can compile samples of the tasks you did during your internship. These can be beneficial when you need to show your abilities in upcoming job interviews or assessments.

Scoring a summer gig in New York City is a big step. Aim high and stay focused. Dive into all that’s happening around you. Sort out where you’re living (we’ve got your back). This will make your time worthwhile. When you push hard you win big so dive in. You’ve got this!