Many companies offer graduates and new professionals internships at the start of their career, and it is not uncommon for interns to move into full time employment after the course of their internship.

These seven hints will help you secure a job once you complete your internship.

Before you accept an internship make sure it is the right fit for you. You want to pick something you are interested in or something you would like to learn more about. Also pick an internship that requires a substantial amount of work so you know you will have a chance to learn new skills and highlight your strengths.

Work hard

The best way to turn an internship into a full-time job is to work hard and make yourself valuable to a company. This will attract attention, and shows you value your job and want to continue. Show initiative in any projects and ask for more work when you finish a task.

Ask questions

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you’re tasked with something you are unsure of, ask colleagues or your supervisor to make sure you fully understand. 

Network

Use every opportunity you have to network with your colleagues. Get to know everyone from your fellow interns to senior employees. This is a perfect opportunity to learn what people enjoy about working there, and what their career path was to get them to the spot they are in. This will help make you more memorable to management if they decide to take on full-time employees.

Set goals

Before you accept an internship make sure it is the right fit for you. Pick something you are interested in and something you would like to learn more about.

During the first week of your internship, map out your goals and responsibilities with your supervisor. Be open and honest about which skills you’d like to focus on or projects you’d like to tackle during your time with the company.

Be positive

Always treat each project with a positive attitude. You are not going to like every job you are given, but when you are open to new tasks and positive about each aspect of the job your supervisor will notice. It shows you are a “team player” and don’t mind doing some of the less pleasant jobs to help the greater team and company goals.

Keep in touch

After your internship is over, keep in touch with people you worked with or knew within the company. A company may not offer a full-time job right away, so staying in touch with people is an easy way to keep yourself in their mind for when an opportunity does arise and they need to hire someone. Also, these colleagues can be great sources of recommendations and references for future jobs you apply for.