FAQ | DIM4HE

BEFORE INTERNSHIP

Digital (often also called “virtual”) internship provides an opportunity to gain professional experience at local or international level without the conventional requirement of being physically present in an office. It allows students to work for organisations that they might not otherwise have access to because of geographical distance. Digital internships are like traditional ones in that you still have work tasks to do, a supervisor to report to and communication with your team.
An in-person internship requires you to travel to an office, store, warehouse or other company location, whereas you can do a digital internship in your home, dormitory or other space. With a digital internship, you conduct most business by email, online chat, video conferences or by phone and etc. Both internship types let you build connections with colleagues, clients, fellow interns and customers, though it can be more challenging through a digital one.
- Introduce yourself to internship requirements set by higher education institution (HEI)
- Find and/or decide on the receiving organisation
- Define your internship objectives
- Start to build relationships with your supervisors
- Have initial meeting with your supervisors
- Establish a dedicated workspace (in case of digital or hybrid internship)
Explore all the available information about the internship - be it documents or other resources provided by HEI. It is important that you know the objectives, duration, deliverables of the internship as well as your responsibilities as an intern. Do not hesitate to ask employees from HEI any questions important to prepare for an internship.
Some HEIs provide to students the list of organisations ready to receive interns, however, if that is not the case, you will have to devote time to look for an internship site that can provide an internship that is interesting and valuable to you. You should begin your search early and use every resource to find a suitable internship site.
Effective objectives share some commonalities: ● S – specific ● M – measurable ● A – action-orientated ● R – relevant ● T – time-oriented.

Examples of SMART objectives:
● > By the middle of my internship, I will be able to write a one-page long press release using AP style.
● > By July 30th, I will be able to troubleshoot Microsoft Excel questions with 95% accuracy.
● > By week 5, I will be able to identify 3 career paths in this field & 1 way to learn about each.
● Before the internship starts, think of a few potential learning objectives and to flesh out their objectives in writing.
● Present your objectives to your supervisor(s) and receive their opinion.
● When the internship starts, review learning objectives.
● After a few weeks, talk to your supervisor about how you feel you are progressing towards your learning objectives, what action plan you have in place to achieve them, and how you might want to modify your original objectives.
● At the end of the internship, review your progress towards stated learning objectives as part of your self-assessment.
You should contact your supervisors before the internship starts (in some cases, supervisors might be the first who initiate the contact). It might involve sending him/her an introductory email. It is important that the supervisor from the receiving organization receives the main information about you and the internship program before the internship starts.
During the initial meeting with supervisors:

● Agree on the objectives of the internship;
● Agree on the conditions of communication during the internship;
● Receive basic information about the organisation (with supervisor from the receiving organisation);
● Receive basic information about working conditions (with supervisor from the receiving organisation).
● Products or services provided by organisation;
● History, mission and objectives of organisation;
● Structure of organisation (e.g., organisational chart);
● Employees or team with whom you will collaborate;
● Resources where you can find out more about the organisation;
● Next formal or informal team meeting in an organisation where you need or may participate.

DURING INTERNSHIP

Regular face-to-face meetings with your supervisor are important to monitor your progress. Provide the supervisor with the outline and required materials prior to the actual meeting and have an agenda ready with a list of items you would like to discuss during the meeting. Prioritize topics that are time sensitive or urgent to ensure you address those first. Try to discuss all the important issues face to face with your supervisor, as electronic means of communication such as email are often inadequate.
Encourage your supervisor to provide feedback after an assignment so they know you’re interested in growing. You can initiate the conversation by saying something like this: “I would love to make the most of my internship, and in doing so, I would appreciate any thoughts or advice you have on what I could be doing better.” If the supervisor does not provide feedback, request feedback no later than 3 or 4 weeks into the position to make sure you're on the right track.
Tips for socialisation with co-workers:
• Ask for a mentor at work - someone besides your supervisor who you can go to with;
• Make the most of your meetings with your supervisor and your team. Use video resources as much as possible and don’t be afraid to ask questions and show interest in their opinion.
• Ask your supervisor if there are any virtual events for their employees to connect, such as virtual coffee breaks, happy hours, game nights, etc. If not, you can suggest or organize something.

Apart from communicating with your supervisor and co-workers, you should contact your fellow interns. For example, you might be active in group chat where you can share your internship experience, to address problems and suggest solutions

AFTER INTERNSHIP

Evaluate your performance and progress consists of:
– filling in the self-assessment form provided by HEI; different HEI might define different evaluation criteria; your self-assessment might be taken into consideration when assigning a final grade about your internship; evaluating to what degree your internship objectives that you and supervisor defined before the internship have been accomplished.
It is recommended to meet with your supervisor and thank him for the opportunity and let him know what you learned from the experience; to ask for/receive their summative feedback about your performance and growth, about what you did well and where you can improve; to discuss if the internship objectives have been accomplished; if you would like to eventually work for the organization, let your supervisor know that you would be interested should a position become available; to ask for advice they may have regarding pursuing a career in the field or if they have any recommendations of people you might connect with regarding your career interests.