5 Fast Ways to Prepare For Your Internship

3 min readAug 10, 2021

A person in a track suit preparing to run on a track.

Congratulations!

You’ve been accepted into your dream internship program. Now what?

Whether it be a ‘traditional’ internship or a Virtual Internship, it’s important to prepare and be ready for your first day!

We’ve compiled some handy tips and tricks to assist you in your preparations for your internship.

#1 Look over your internship description

Chances are you got your internship offer a couple of months ago. Go back and make sure you know what skills are expected of you and that you can confidently use them.

A little Googling and brushing up on skills you haven’t used for a minute will never hurt. Most importantly: check exactly what platforms and be required to use (e.g Word/Excel etc), and ensure you have an in-depth understanding of them.

Finally: Have an ‘elevator pitch’ ready for your internship.

Upon meeting new people (either in-person or virtually) on your first day, the most common question after “What’s your name?” is “So what are you going to be doing here?”. Giving a vacant stare and not having an instant response is not the best first impression. Be prepared with a direct, yet simple answer. And try to sound excited!

#2 Look over the company mission

On your first day you’ll be likely meet tons of new people and be thrown a ton of documents to read. This information may not feel vital initially. However, remembering the info you memorized for your interview will come in handy: You may be asked about the company and where you fit and why you chose it.

Remembering small details like this will play in your favor and showcase that you are passionate about the mission and excited to begin your internship.

Finally: Keep this in mind throughout your internship- everyone will notice if you are enthused about the company and what they’re doing. Maintaining enthusiasm will help you be a better team player and a better employee. While it can be hard to do, try to give it your best effort during the time you’re there.

#3 Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Don’t spend hours agonizing over the dress code or losing sleep because you can’t remember if you’re supposed to arrive at 8 or 9 — send an email to the person who hired you!

Chances are that part of their job description is to answer questions from new interns. You’ll get peace of mind, and they’ll be happy you’re preparing for your new job. Don’t be afraid to get the answers you need to be confident and happy on the first day.

Finally: On the flip side, don’t send a million different emails to the same person at once. Try to compile a list of questions to include in just one email.

#4 Make a ‘personal’ achievement list

You should get as much out of an internship and you put into it. Before beginning your internship, take a moment to write down some achievable goals that you wish to obtain during the program. Items to include could be as specific skills you want to gain or even to find a mentor.

Finally: Throughout the internship, keep your list in the back of your head — that is, don’t forget it. We recommend checking the list weekly, which allows you to update or reflect as necessary.

#5 Want to begin your internship journey but don’t know where to start?

Virtual Internships offers students guaranteed online internships in one of 18 different career fields. We offer prospective interns the opportunity to select three different global locations — options are available in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australasia.

You’ll be given the choice of duration and start dates to fit your schedule. Durations range from 1 to 4 months, with options of 10 to 30 hours per week, and start dates available every two weeks.