How I Went From Intern to Employee

Proving yourself as an intern to ensure placement as a full-time employee after graduation is no easy task.

When I was an intern, my boss discussed me signing on to a full-time position after graduation on several different occasions. This, ultimately, was to be decided by our CEO. My boss would advise me to come to my meetings with our CEO prepared and ready to answer his questions, defend my work, and overall show him the value I added to the company. This was probably some of the best advice I received in my internship.

As he was beginning the process of creating a marketing coordinator position, he asked to meet with me to discuss what the job would entail. I thought, this is my shot to show what I can do and prove that I deserve this job. So I came to that meeting with the intention of leaving having made a strong case for my hiring with a lasting impression.

When I began preparing for this, I kept my boss’ advice in mind. I showed him the value I would add through demonstrating an understanding of what the company really is and what image it strives to show the community.

Our name is Heart. We pride ourselves on “innovative technology solutions” and “good old-fashioned customer service.” To me, the answer jumped out at me: Show our knowledge of and experience in the field while displaying our personalities and friendly, inviting mentality.

When I came to the meeting, I had listed everything I had done in my year of interning. I then created a second list that showed everything I could add to the previous list by being hired on full-time. I took aspects of the second list, such as writing blogs, and expanded upon it using thepremise of “technology with a human touch.” For our blogs, I provided sample topics that ranged from the latest and greatest in technology, explaining complicated technology concepts like the cloud, and showing day-to-day life at the Heart office to give our customers and potential customers a peek at what we do for them and for our community.

For marketing and community awareness, I detailed how we could grow our brand and company awareness in the community that we previously were not doing because of a lack of employees in this area. While my boss, our head marketing employee, was out sharing our message, I could be behind the scenes sharing videos, pictures, and insights to our social media accounts and blog. While she acted as the face and voice of Heart in the local community, I would act as the voice of Heart in the digital community.

I left unsure of what was to come, but knowing that I had given it my all. I was told I had given him a lot to think about, but there was no indication of what to expect either way. I continued to give it my all and hope for the best.

Almost one year ago to the date, I signed the papers and made my full-time employment official. From this experience, I learned the importance of showing your value. I am definitely one of those people who does not like to brag about themselves. I feel uncomfortable telling the mass audiences about how great I am, which is likely a reason why I commonly turn my successes into a “lessons learned” type of discussion. Regardless, there are times when it is appropriate–and some might argue necessary–to make others aware of the good you are doing and/or are capable of doing.