How to get the most out of your internship and actually learn something

How to get the most out of your internship and actually learn somethingInternships are great learning experiences. You get to dip a toe in your chosen industry, and either start working toward the future job you want, or decide that hey, maybe its elend for you after all. (It happens.) But how do you maximize your relatively short time at your internship? What are you supposed to take from it, besides a resume point? One word networking. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Networking, or gestalting relationships with people in your professional field, is one of the most important things you can do at every level of your career. And when youre just starting out in an internship, you have the opportunity to start building that network the right way. Here are 4 strategies you can use as an intern to get that network up and running.1. Dont blow off company events.Company events can be awkward and boring, sure, but they also have two things going for them 1) free food (usually) and 2) people congregating in one place. So if your internship company advertises any kind of group event thats open to employees, you should go, even if its not mandatory. Company softball game, and you cant throw? Go and sit in the stands and make friends. Book party for that executive who wrote a super-boring treatise on project management? Go, eat some cheese cubes, and chat with people from departments other than your own. Any event can be useful for networking, as long as youre up for it. And even if youre an introvert, dont let that stop you.2, Organize your own events.As an intern, it can feel like youre on the low end of the power scale, but that doesnt mean you cant try to make inroads with the people around you. You might not want to start by inviting the CEO for drinks, but you can try to organize lunches with your fellow interns, or some kind of after-work activity where you invite some of the people you work with.3. Ask for references b efore you leave.Dont be shy Before you wrap up your internship, ask key people if you can use them as a recommendation for future jobs. This way, youre not only cementing your network contact, but also setting up a framework for actually asking for a reference later. Most people will likely say yes, but if you get a no, dont sweat itjust move on to someone who might be more appropriate or willing to provide you a reference.4. Stay in touch.Before you leave the company at the end of summer or your internship period, send a thank you to everyone youve worked witheveryone whos helped you in some way. Get business cards or contact information, then make an effort to stay in touch. LinkedIn is a great way to do this, but its also good to drop an email once in a while, ask how things are going these days at Corporate Corp., and let them know what youre up to as well. Maintaining network relationships isnt that hard, unless you let them lapse and have to awkwardly start from the beginning when you need something later.Whatever on-the-job expertise you gain from your internship, the longer-term benefits are likely to come from the relationships you form while working there. Make sure youre making the most of your time at any company, no matter how you feel about the work.

3 Valuable Business Lessons I Learned As A Stripper

3 Valuable Business Lessons I Learned As A Stripper I called my parents and told them I welches taking a job as a stripper. I had just graduated college and was excited to share the news that I had landed my first job. They were excited for me, too after they learned that Id be keeping my clothes on. The company that Id landed a job with was a larger commercial printer, and my first job would be stripping film in the pre-press depspeciesment.Yes, it was an unfortunate job title, but my first job taught me incredible lessons that I still use today. Over the next two-and-a-half years as a management trainee I ended up rotating through 10 different departments in five different locations across the United States. Here are the top three lessons I learned from that journey1. How to suck at something.I came out of college thinking I knew a whole lot about a whole lot. Turns out, I was pretty clueless I had notlagelage learned how to really struggle and grind it out at something I wasnt go od at. School had been relatively easy for me I could swing As and Bs without much effort. My first job taught me that not everything would come easily and there were some things that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be good at. And that was okay. It was okay as long as I didnt give up and as long as I was giving everything I had. The experience of being really awful allows me to feel empathy when I see someone just not getting it at something I find easy I remember what its like to suck I also understand that you can take someone fantastic and crush her by putting her in the wrong role. We really do have to let people play to their strengths.2.Not everyone wants to lead.For as long as I can remember, I wanted to lead. If a teacher asked for a volunteer leader, my hand was one of the first to shoot up in the air. High school class president? Check. So I was surprised when I asked one of my new co-workers Lisa what she thought shed be doing at the company in a few years and she replied, This. She went on to share how much she loved what she did and how much she loved the company. She didnt aspire to mora she aspired to be great right where she was. Wow.I came to understand that there are more people like Lisa than like me. A lot of folks love what they do and want to stay just where they are. I learned my job as a leader is not just to create more leaders but also to create a place where people who want to stay in place can thrive.3. Your brand is made up of far more than just your results.The company that I worked for those first few years threw epic parties. Big budget, free booze, all out ragers. I saw more than a few careers ruined at those bashes. A good friend, who had been crushing it results-wise in each of his rotations, ended up having to quit after accidentally ruining a valuable piece of art at one such party.It goes much further than how you behave at the office party, though. I had a great mentor pull me aside and tell me that by answerin g the simple question Hows it going? with Ugh. Im SO busy I dont know how Im going to get all this done was NOT helping build the brand I wanted. I got a quick lesson that you are always on when it comes to brand building. Ultimately your career is made or broken by whats said when youre not in the room, and being known as the person who is so busy they might not hit their deadlines is not exactly what you want people saying about you I learned to frame my attitude and responses through the lens of what I wanted people saying about me when I wasnt around.Im still good friends with a core group of people from my first real job out of college. I wouldnt trade my experiences and the lessons I learned from those early days in my career for anything. And I have the added bonus of getting to say that I started my career as a stripper.--Mo is the Founder of The Moxie Exchange, a training and peer mentoring organization for companies who want to recruit, develop, promote and retain women an d create inclusive workplaces. Shes an advisor to CEOs of the nations fastest growing companies and is the founder 5 successful businesses. She also been known to sing loudly, dance badly and curse like a sailor.Fairygodboss is committed to improving the workplace and lives of women.Join us by reviewing your employer

3 Areas to Stretch for Workplace Flexibility

3 Areas to Stretch for Workplace Flexibility Flexibility is extremely important for todays average worker. Most people have numerous otzu sich commitments outside of the workplace family, friends, being members of organizations and clubs and, well just relaxing and enjoying life. Out of all the aforementioned activities, it seems like, for many people, the latter are the hardest to fit into busy schedules. We go into work at 7am five days a week and dont leave until 8pm. Once at home, its making dinner, doing laundry and tending to family and/or pets. Finally the weekend comes, but our days pass by faster than we can blink with classes and practices, family and friends events and gatherings, and finishing up projects we began during the week. Before we know it, Monday has arrived and, with it, the same stress-filled, hectic cycle.Most employees are on a set work schedule and a set timetable for wh en things need to be done. Flexibility in the arbeitszimmer is little to none for many workers. Yet, studies show that a flexible work life makes for a healthier life.Below are the three main areas that affect an individuals work experiencetime, location and benefitsand how to make each one more flexible.TIMEAs stated before, most employees have a set work schedule, such as 9am to 5pm or 8am to 4pm. A lot of workers, especially those on salary, have a specified start and stop time for their work days but typically go past those hours by coming in much earlier and staying much later. Many times it is an individuals work hours that restrict him or her the most. Why leid allow employees to create their own work hours? Certain situations (for example, those that are time sensitive like breaking news) may not allow this, but employers can try to be more flexible with when an employee must come into the office. Allowing a worker to set his or her own schedule, as long as either 40 hours ( or whatever is required) per week are completed or as long as the required tasks are finished each day can offer flexibility for someones crammed schedule. Certain required hours for team meetings can be put in place to still ensure proper weekly communication with staff.LOCATIONAside from the hours, physically driving to and from the office can be a chore. Add having to be in the same space (especially a small cubicle) each day risks having you wind up with disgruntled workers. Try adding the option of working from home. Employees can either work from home full-time or just a few days out of the week. A virtual work option gives workers extra time to handle other tasks they may not have been able to while in the office. They will also have the ability to take more breaks and unwind during the work process as opposed to constantly working with only one lunch break, if that.BENEFITS Vacation and sick time are very important for a worker because 1) everyone gets sick now and then and 2) every worker needs a vacation at some point. Many companies have the if you dont use it, you lose it policy when it comes to time off. Instead of an individual losing his or her vacation or sick time off, employers should give the option of donating. Perhaps you have a few vacation days left before the year is over and you dont plan to use them. Yet, a colleague would really like some time off to visit a sick relative but he or she has used up his or her vacation time. With a donation option, you can donate or give your vacation days to your colleague instead of the free time going to waste.Employers can also offer to buy back an employees unused vacation and sick time. The buyback funds would be added to the workers paycheck. This can be an incentive for employees to work more days out of the year, which could result in increased productivity for a company.Flexibility is not always an option in the workplace, but, if possible, employers should find a way to institute it more. Li fe situations can be unpredictable and often rarely adhere to set schedules and time frames. Being flexible when it comes to jobs shows workers that employers not only understand this, but are willing to do something about it.