Professionalism and Networking Workshop HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR INTERNSHIP

Transcription

1 Professionalism and Networking Workshop HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR INTERNSHIP

2 What is Professionalism? Professionalism describes the qualities, skills, competence, and behaviors you are expected to bring to the workplace THIS NOT THIS

3 Professionalism Begins With Dress Code D.C. is known for being more formal Men: button up shirts, tie, suit jacket, suit pants/nice jeans, dress shoes Women: blouse/nice top, blazer, skirt/nice pants/nice jeans, flats or low heels This does not apply to all workplaces ask your internship supervisor what the dress code is! You don t need to spend loads of money buying an entire new wardrobe get the basics and mix/match from there

4 Professionalism Requires Self Awareness Be respectful of your coworkers time Pay attention to office dynamics Understand boundaries in conversation topics OKAY: talking about your family, friends, significant others NOT OKAY: talking about how hungover you are from your night at the bars Know when it s time to get back to work and focus

5 Scenario Happy hour, what do you do? Every Thursday your office goes to the local bar for happy hour. What do you do? First, if you re not 21 absolutely do NOT drink Know that happy hour is very common in D.C. There is nothing wrong with socializing with your coworkers, but alcohol walks a fine line of professionalism We recommend a ONE DRINK LIMIT

6 Etiquette Hey John, I m working on the database project and idk what to do about the column labeling. Lol at the fact that it s due tomorrow. Kk talk soon, Morning John, I m working on the database project and I m running into trouble on the column labeling aspect. Any chance you re free sometime today between 10a.m- 12:00p.m. to talk through it? I d really appreciate the help. David No matter how friendly you are with a coworker, don t ever use texting abbreviations. You never know who could be CC d on an , or who it may be forwarded to. Let me know, David David Wright Policy Specialist MGM dwright@mgm.org Notice the signature!

7 DO s and DON Ts of Professionalism DO DON T Show up on time (even early) every day Leave early without a valid reason Dress according to office dress code Be consistently on your phone Ask questions if you re unsure Miss work without a valid reason Let your supervisor know as far in advance as possible if you re going to be out of the office (planned trips) Make an effort to socialize with coworkers Be honest and productive with your time Be a team player Use work computers for personal use Drink at any work events if you re not 21 Exceed your given lunch break time

8 What is Networking? Networking is about building relationships Networking is talking and connecting with people. It s a desire to learn and expand your world. Networking is marketing. Marketing yourself, marketing your uniqueness, marketing what you stand for. Networking is not collecting contacts. Networking is about planting relations.

9 Why is Networking Important? Employee referrals are still the number one way to get hired! Typically someone in your network will have insider information about new positions and opportunities before they go public. Six Degrees of Separation There s a general rule of thumb that says we are never more than six degrees away from one another. Most people know someone who knows the person you want to know! Creating a Community Begins with being interested in other people. Genuinely interested. You aren t talking to one person, you re talking to everyone that person knows. Draw upon other people s experiences, advice and wisdom

10 How To Network: COFFEE MEETINGS Purpose: Learn more about coworkers career path or someone else in a field of interest to you More relaxed, casual setting Typically used as a learning opportunity rather than job seeking How to Prepare: Do your research Brainstorm and write down questions What to Bring? Notebook and pen Business cards Money!

11 How To Network: INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS Purpose: More formal than a coffee meeting Usually intended to learn more about a specific job or organization Preliminary to actual interview How to Prepare: Do your research Brainstorm and write down questions Treat it like an actual interview What to Bring? Notebook and pen Resume Business cards

12 How to Ask: Dear Monica, Brief introduction of who you are My name is Aja Frost, and I m a college student who s interning in the city until mid-august. Your career path is very inspirational to me: I don t know very many people who have worked in marketing at Google, Facebook, and Apple. As an aspiring marketer, I d love to learn more about which skills you ve used the most and what you d expect from an entry-level employee in your department. Explain why you re reaching out to them specifically I know you must be busy, so even 20 minutes would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Aja Sin Give them an out

13 How Can I Maintain My Network? You ve met for coffee, had an informational interview now what? 1. Send a follow up , thank you card, text 2. Connect with them on LinkedIn Do this immediately after meeting the individual 3. Keep track! Write notes about the individual or things you learned after meeting with them 4. Wait until the opportunity presents itself to reach out to them again

14 How to Succeed in Your Internship: Prepare The night before, lay out what you want to wear Practice your route to your internship Be sure to get enough sleep! On the First Day Arrive early Be kind and polite to everyone you meet Firm handshake with everyone you meet Ask questions Don t be the first to leave The First Weeks and Beyond Take the initiative and ask for more work Take advantage of company activities Be confident!