So you have picked the field you want to go into, but now what?

You have that College degree but every interview you go to tells you that you need actual experience. So you’ve decided to become an Intern to get that experience that your resume is desperately lacking.

The above was and is my story. I have spent the last year as an unpaid Intern working with two different companies, doing the best I can to get the experience that I believe would prove to be the answer in getting a grasp on this ever challenging job market. As the second one is currently wrapping up and I currently continue to fight this crazy market, I have decided to share some advice I have for future Interns.

1. Get to know everybody.  This should be your first objective almost instantly.  Get to know everybody’s names and find out what their roles are within the company.  Just because you are an “Intern” does not mean that you will not be able to build on these relationships in the future.
2. Bring headphones.  My Internship experiences come from the marketing world so you can imagine the amount of time that I have spent in front of a computer trying to manipulate a document or a picture.  Good music or a good podcast can sometimes be that instrument you need to get through the day, but….
3. Do not forget to listen to everything.  As an Intern you are here for a reason, so pay attention to your surroundings and listen to what is going on.  You might not be the one dealing with the client(s), but there is a lot to learn from the actions going on around you.
4. Be prepared to do anything.  You are an Intern, this is not a glamorous position.  As an Intern you will probably be forced to do the most generic of tasks from cleaning an office to running things to the post office.
5. Share your thoughts.  Though you are an Intern, do not forget to share your thoughts on what you saw on Mashable or something cool you ran across on the Internet.  Conversation is a good thing and in sharing your thoughts, you might learn something yourself.
6. Put on your learning cap.  School is one thing and work is another.  Be prepared to learn new technology and hear words you have never heard before.  This is a learning process after all.
7. Give it your all.  When I entered my Internships, I figured they would just be part time activities I did on the side, I did not expect to spend late nights working on Social Media campaigns or researching link building, but I did, and I all the better for it.

There’s no doubt that the market for the Intern has picked up in the last few years, as the economy has worsened and people are struggling to find the jobs that they desperately want.  
So if you are either a college grad or someone looking for a career change take a look at these tips to help you survive your Intern experience.