Wrapping up your Internship

Your internship is coming to an end and you’re wondering what’s the best way to wrap up so that you leave a strong lasting impression.  Here are six simple steps to ensure a successful exit.

Review the job description.  Check to see if you’ve completed all of the assignments.  If you haven’t, try to complete them before you leave.  If there’s something you cannot complete, alert your supervisor and let him/her know the reason why.  Leaders will appreciate the advance notice and your thoughtfulness.

Recap what you’ve accomplished.  Include items you were assigned plus any others that you took the initiative on.  For example, if you created an organization chart for other interns / new hires, list that.  This will also be useful when you are requesting a recommendation, preparing your resume, or updating your LinkedIn profile.

Transition your work by creating a brief document.  List any projects that still need to be completed and what the next steps are.  If you’ve created documents or other digital assets, list the file names and locations.  This shows good project management skills.

Recommend actions and/or next steps for projects you’ve worked on. This will show initiative and foresight. It can also create an opportunity for you to continue working with the organization after your internship ends.  For example, you can suggest writing an intern/new hire guide or suggest a blog or social media posts.

Meet with your supervisor, mentor and other leaders to review your performance and get feedback.  If you’ve done the prior 4 steps, you will be prepared for these meetings.  In addition to talking about what you’ve done, ask for 2 or 3 development items that you can work on.  These should be specific to your career goals.  In these meetings, you will have the opportunity to ask for recommendations, continue your mentorship and position yourself for future employment opportunities.

Thank everyone you’ve worked with.  A personal handwritten note to your supervisor that briefly summarizes how s/he has helped you and how much you learned; you can also include a line about future internships, employment and keeping in touch.  You can send out thank-you’s via email to your coworkers, fellow interns and other leaders.  See the “Keeping in Touch” blog post for more details, do’s and don’ts.

Always be positive and professional: do not bad mouth the organization, the staff, your assignment or clients.   Remember, even if you don’t want to return to the organization, you will want to secure a recommendation so be sure to leave on good terms.

Credits: Icons leveraged from PowerPoint clipart