Internships are meant to help you gain experience, network, add people to your list of references, and get a job. Unfortunately, many companies do not have openings available at the time your internship ends. It’s not because they don’t want you; it’s because they’re simply not hiring at the time. There may be an opening in the future, which is why it’s important to stay in touch with your internship supervisor. Your internship supervisor is the person who navigates you through the experience, and is very often a person in a hiring or executive position within the company. Here’s why your internship supervisor could be the very person to help you land a job.
My current cubicle neighbor, Anne, finished her internship at my company back in Spring 2014. Unfortunately at that time there were no positions available. However, less than a year later, Anne’s internship supervisor was leaving and because the two stayed in touch, Anne’s name was mentioned as a great candidate to fill the position. Less than a year after her internship ended, she has now taken over for her internship supervisor, and is a full-time employee.
Is that not enough reason for you to stay in touch with your internship supervisor? Now that I manage my own interns and know from experience, I can vouch for how important and beneficial it can be to maintain this relationship. I still have thank you cards from my interns on my desk; they remind me everyday how important our relationship was, and that makes me want to continue to help them any way I can.
What are some other reasons to stay in touch with your internship supervisor?
Job Opportunities
Not only will you be the first name that comes to mind when there is a job opening in the office, but you’ll also be thought of whenever your internship supervisor hears of another job opening. I still send any job openings I come across to my past interns.
Advice
Your internship supervisors have been in your shoes. They know how hard the job hunt can be, and they want to help you. Ask them for their advice, to look over your resume, to have mock interviews with you. If you continue a relationship with them, they won’t mind doing it.
References
Internship supervisors are the best people to have as part of your list of references as they’ve seen your work ethic and know your skills better than anyone. You want them to give a glowing recommendation to any future employer whether that happens only a month after your internship finished, or a year. Staying in touch guarantees they won’t forget about you, and can further enhance their recommendation.
Networking
Sustaining a relationship with your internship supervisor is a great way of networking everywhere and networking for impact. You always want to add to you network, and having your internship supervisors part of it is beneficial. You never know when you may need a favor from them, or when they may stumble across an opportunity for you.
It’s key to always leave the door open with your internship supervisors. They want to help you, and they can help you. It may not always be instant gratification, and that’s why you need to stay in touch. Opportunities arise more often than you think, and you want to take advantage of them. Just look at my current cubicle neighbor – she actually took over for her internship supervisor all because she stayed in touch with her after her internship ended. That can be you some day!
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