A virtual workspace experience is easy for some interns and challenging for others. When you’re an intern in person, you have someone to report to and an area that is 100% dedicated to work.
But when you’re experiencing a virtual internship, it’s challenging because you’re the only one responsible for you.
You’ll need to cut out all distractions and be on your “A game” without needing someone to micromanage you. It sounds simple, but it’s a challenge for even the most dedicated interns.
How can you maximize your experience?
Here are 5 tips to maximize your virtual internship experience:
1. Creating Your Workspace
First and foremost, you need a workspace that is conducive to productivity and hard work. You can create this type of workspace by:
- Finding a quiet space
- Making a “no disruption zone”
- Remove all distractions
- Add in any equipment that you might need
- Furnish the space properly
- Consider headphones, if possible
- Keep drinks and snacks in the space
If your workspace has everything that you need to make the most out of your space, it will make getting work done much easier. You can’t expect to intern from your living room if people will constantly be distracting you the entire time.
Create a workspace where you can go and focus only on the internship tasks that you need to complete.
2. Mastering Remote Communication
Capital Placement states that one of the hardest parts of adapting to virtual environments is communication. You can improve your remove communication in a few ways:
I. Email Etiquette and Best Practices for Messaging Platforms
Following proper etiquette when emailing or messaging on platforms will help you level up your internship. These tips can help:
- Use standard formatting
- Ditch the slang
- Use clear subject lines
- Only use professional email addresses
- Always introduce yourself if it’s the first email
- Add an email signature
- Shorten links
- Don’t use all CAPS
- Reply to priority emails fast; all emails within 24 hours
II. Making A Good Impression and Engaging Effectively in Virtual Meetings
You’re an intern, so you won’t be in charge of meetings. But when given the chance, be sure that you engage and make a good impression at a meeting, which means:
- Asking questions
- Voicing your opinion
- Participating in any way that you can
III. Building Relationships Virtually
It may be challenging to build relationships in a virtual workspace, but it’s possible if you make small talk. Ask co-workers how their day or weekend went and always offer a helping hand when you can.
3. Achieving Your Learning Objectives
You must learn during your internship, and while it sounds easy, it’s not when you’re trying to make a good first impression, navigate a new environment, and find your “fit” in the company.
A few tips that can help are:
I. Setting Clear Goals
First, determine what your goal is for your virtual internships. Do you want to:
- Learn a specific skill?
- Learn about a new industry?
- Discover what areas of the industry you like best.
Setting clear goals will make the experience much easier for you.
II. Seeking Feedback and Guidance
Feedback is crucial to grow professionally and in your career. Ask your peers for feedback and take any constructive criticism seriously.
III. Leveraging Online Resources
The Internet is a vast resource that you can leverage to achieve your learning objectives. Take advantage of:
- Free online courses from platforms like Coursera, edX, or Khan Academy.
- Online libraries and eBooks
- YouTube content from credible sources
These resources are available whenever you need them and can be accessed from any Internet-connected device.
4. Navigating Challenges in Virtual Internships
A virtual internship offers many advantages, but it’s not without its challenges. Learning how to navigate and overcome these challenges is crucial to the success of your internship.
- To avoid misunderstandings between co-interns, make sure that you’re clear and concise in your communication. Ask questions and confirm details to ensure you fully understand an assigned task.
- Improve your time management and organization skills to ensure you stay on track no matter where or how you’re working.
- Remove distractions. Remote internships give you more flexibility in where you work, but it’s easy to get distracted by roommates, TV or social media. Do all that you can to eliminate distractions, so you can stay focused and on track.
Loneliness is another challenge of virtual internships and work environments. You can overcome this challenge by participating in virtual social events hosted by your company
5. Maximizing Post-Internship Opportunities
For most interns, the end goal is to receive a job offer at the end of their internship. To maximize your chances of receiving post-internship opportunities:
- Demonstrate initiative. To make yourself stand out as an intern, express your interest in developing skills that will help you complete your job responsibilities. If your schedule allows, you can also offer to take on additional work. Taking initiative will help you position yourself as a valuable asset to the company.
- Offer solutions to their problems. Problem-solving is a highly sought-after skill by employers. Leverage your skills to provide real, effective solutions.
- Network with colleagues and establish relationships with supervisors. Connections can open doors to new opportunities and job offers.
The right post-internship opportunity can jumpstart your career, so make sure that you’re putting in the time and effort to maximize them.
In Conclusion
Virtual internships are a great way to get your foot in the door at the company you want to work for or the industry you want to build a career in. Use the tips in this guide to maximize the experience, achieve your goals, overcome challenges, and ultimately, develop skills that will benefit you throughout your career.
