Professionalism Two Weeks Later

I wrote a post on August 26 about what it means to be a professional. I read through the post and through the comments again (thanks guys) and decided that I needed to do a follow-up on my current ‘professional’ situation.

I arrived to work on the Wednesday morning after my post – ready to be a ‘professional’ and to tell you the truth I still don’t quite know what this means or encompasses, but nevertheless, I was ready.

Throughout the day I kept the idea of professionalism in my mind, but my mindset wasn’t completely changed. Maybe I was a little too ambitious in what I wrote. Alex and Sean were right with their comments – changing your mindset overnight isn’t that easy and it doesn’t necessarily make all your job problems disappear.

Although, I didn’t find myself counting down the minutes, there were still moments of unease and restlessness. It’s not that I don’t like my job, or really, my internship, but I’m still learning. As Bev commented, “Willingness to learn is very attractive to an employer.” Well I must be fascinating some people because that’s excatly what I’m doing here.

Part of the reason why I chose to take an internship after graduation and not a full-time, permanent job is because I wasn’t ready. I know that if I had chosen that road, I would have made it out fairly okay, but I wanted a smoother transition. With this internship, I have the luxury of using the first six months out of college to experience the ‘professional mindset’ before going into the real world.

So, you may be wondering did I learn anything two weeks later?

Yes, actually. I learned that professionalism is an abstract word that I am still trying to define; changing your mindset overnight is easier said than done and choosing to be a professional tomorrow is not the same as choosing to be a professional for the rest of your life.

-Aida

What it Means to be a Professional.

Carla was right when she wrote in her post, “Professionalism for Sale,” “What is professionalism? Wouldn’t it be great if you could buy it in a book, find it on the Internet or take it in pill form?”

I know what it means to be a professional. I can define it, thanks to the help of Merriam-Webster Online. I can identify when someone is being ‘professional’ and yet I still find it silly to write on a to-do list: Be Professional.

A professional and professionalism are two abstract terms that are hard to measure. If you break the words down more concretely, being professional could be defined as dressing the part, arriving on time and accomplishing all your tasks. But, anyone can do these things. There has to be more to being a professional.

I came across Lee Cockerell’s blog post, “Professionalism – Why Is It Important?” and something he wrote really stuck with me. He says, “The day goes by much faster for professionals than it does for people who just consider what they do as an eight-hour job.”

Light bulb.

Maybe this where I’ve been going wrong. I come to work at 8:30 a.m. dressed in my chinos and collared shirt, ready to tackly my newest assignment, but by 9:00 a.m. I’m counting down the minutes until lunch. To me, my internship is where I spend my time – it’s not a learning experience, just time.

The whole mindset that Cockerell discusses is about loving what you do and being a professional because you choose to be one. It should come naturally from there.

So, tomorrow, instead of writing anything on my to-do list, I will come to work at 8:30 a.m. dressed in my chinos and collared shirt, ready to tackle my newest assignment with a different perspective for my internship. Not as the 8:30 - 5:30, M-F, but as an opportunity to nurture and develop the skills I will need later in life.

Tomorrow, I choose to be a professional.

-Aida

The End of Your Summer Internship Marks the Beginning of a Relationship

The days are getting shorter and the smell of sweet summer is slowly funneling down the wire. While the days of your summer internship may be in the single digits, the work for your internship should not.

The end of your internship marks the beginning of a relationship. 

Whether or not you plan to pursue a full-time position with your company, maintaining a conversation and relationship with collegues is vital for your career advancement. Networking is essential to your career, and the relationships you form during the summer can be the start to creating a web of contacts. 

Here are some actions you can take after finishing your internship:

1. Write thank you notes. No, not thank you e-mails. Actual letters. Write about something that you learned, about a project you and that associate worked on together, about their mentorship. Be genuine.
2. Find your verbs. Write down everything you did. For your personal use, write down everything you worked on. Look at your summer calendar and write down what you accomplished each week. Use action verbs to describe everything you accomplished. The more verbs you use, the more accurately you can portray your duties and projects on a resume or during an interview.
3. Rewrite your resume. Now. Don’t wait until you apply to your next job to update your resume. Use those verbs in #3 and add your internship to your resume ASAP. Also, ask your employer if he or she would mind being a future reference.
4. Send update e-mails. Once you are back at school or pursuing other interests, send update e-mails. Tell your summer colleagues what you have been doing and ask what is happening around the office. I have kept in contact with co-workers from my last internship and have developed great personal and professional relationships- simply through e-mails and phone calls.

Tomorrow is the last day of my summer internship. I have had such a positive experience and I am sad to leave a thriving company with enthusiastic mentors, but I know through today’s digital world advice is only an e-mail away.

What additional guidance would you give to summer interns leaving their posts?

-Carla