I’m not sure how time flew by so quickly, but sure enough, the end of the semester is fast approaching. Some of you may have already started stressing about final exams (I know I have), whereas others of you are focused on wrapping up your class assignments (also me). In addition to those classes, though, you may be finishing up your time at your fall internship site. If that’s you, there are some key steps you may want to consider taking as your internship comes to a close.
My most recent internship was this past summer at the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. The week leading up to my last day, the law clerks I was working with kept pulling pranks on me- and all of them had to do with Justin Bieber.
The day before my last, they put up a poster of Justin Bieber behind my desk while I was running over to the lab. Other days, I would hear the faint resonance of “Baby” humming in the background. My co-workers had become more than just the people I sat next to every day, and I had no idea how to thank them for the wonderful experience my internship shaped into.
If any of you are uncertain of how to play out your final days at your internship, job, or co-op, here are sure suggestions:
- Write thank you letters. I don’t know about you, but I feel much more valued when I receive a note from someone as opposed to an email. Take the time to write out and deliver thank you cards to the people who played the most important roles at your internship. These can be hand-delivered or mailed.
- Get your boss’s personal email! If you think you may want someone to write you a letter of recommendation or provide a personal reference, make sure to get their personal email as well as their business email. In my case, I know that the email provided to me by the State’s Attorney’s Office was suspended once my internship was over, but I still have a way to contact my co-workers and boss.
- Make connections. Add the people you worked with to your LinkedIn account!
- Follow up! Check in with your bosses a few months down the line. That way, you can remind them of all of your hard work, and make sure you are keeping in contact with them. That’s especially important if you want to ask them for a letter of recommendation. That way, your request isn’t completely out of the blue.
Personally, I haven’t checked in with my bosses at my last internship since August. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I think now would be a perfect time to send a quick email thanking them again for the opportunity, and explaining how the experience has helped me in my everyday college life.
