Making reflections on your overall internship is as important as the internship experience itself. But before you start your internship, there are certain questions you need to keep in mind because these will help you evaluate your progress towards effective internship. Questions to ask should cover your accomplishments on network building, career path, mentoring, understanding tasks and developing skills, as well as overall outcomes of internship. You can answer these questions by yourself or with the aid of your mentor/supervisor to get their perspective on your evaluation.
Reflections on network building
Some questions on your reflections to network building include the following. “How effective are you able to build relationships with the colleagues at your site?” These includes the relationship you built with the team and from other departments as well. “How are you going to create strong partnerships with them in the long run?” You should think of ways in which you can create lasting and positive impression at your internship site. This is vital towards your career development and the recommendations you can obtain as you end your internship.
Career Path
Write down at least three to four steps on how you can make your career goals. This is very important because as you start your internship, you will learn new experiences that are not encountered at school. This kind of development can be obtained through professional experience at internship site. Thus, if you are interested in the career path gained during internship, you need to list down the most valuable learnings you have.
Reflect on the mentoring experience
Having a mentor is a key relationship during internship. This person will guide you throughout your tenure with the company and although he/she is not directly responsible with your work accomplishments, he/she can help you in decision-making and answer certain work-related challenges or issues. As you reflect on this part, you should take into consideration if the mentoring experience is beneficial to your learning or help you learn more about the processes/systems of the organization where you conduct your internship.
Tasks and skills
This is part of the learning process because the tasks assigned to you are the ones that will determine if you are able to perform them well, allowing you to develop new set of skills. Some questions to ask include: “Are the tasks relayed clearly during internship?;” “Are you able to perform tasks accordingly?;” “What kind of tasks do you find very interesting/what type of tasks do you think you need further assistance?;” “What skills have you developed and how can you apply them in your future work?” Answering these questions allow you to evaluate your work and help you determine if you have learned new things during internship.