Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Transitioning from the Workplace Back to the Classroom

With August right around the corner, many of us are wrapping up our summer internship experiences and reflecting on the skills and knowledge we have gained. Since it is not yet our time to enter the professional working world, you may be thinking: now what? It is vital that interns use this transition time to their benefit, since a unique summer experience can differentiate you from the thousands of others in your position. Below are some tips about how you can benefit from your summer internship, even long after it has come to a close!

  1. Utilize Your New Connections

It is likely that you met many new people throughout the course of your internship, whether it be other interns, full-time members of your department, or the higher-ups of the company. It’s important that you maintain a relationship with these people because they can often serve as a resource for the future. Not only can they provide you letters of recommendation for future job opportunities, but they can keep you informed on potential job openings that could be a great fit for you! These people have seen how you work and where you thrive in the office, and have a better insight on which jobs would be a better fit. It’s all in who you know!

2. Update your resume

Shortly after your internship ends, it’s important that you update your resume with details about what you accomplished throughout this experience. This gives your future employers better insight on what your skills are and what you would be able to contribute to their team. When doing this, it’s important to use metrics to quantify where possible to better display how much you achieved in just three short months! Having meaningful experiences on your resume will give you more leverage when competing for future internships and jobs!

3. Bring our insights to the classroom

Now that you’ve experienced business outside of the classroom, you have gained the ability to take the knowledge that Babson has given you and apply it to the real world! This will make it easier for you to visualize concepts that you learn in the classroom, since you have likely seen it in action at your workplace this summer. It is also important that you provide your learnings and experience with your classmates, as well, since it can aid in their understanding of topics.

4, Build on your knowledge!

You have learned many new things this summer, whether or not it is in your typical field of study! If you feel any sort of pull or intrigue from a topic or experience, continue to read up on the topic and ask questions! A summer internship is intended to be a valuable learning experience, and that does not have to end once the summer is over!

              A summer internship is not only a resume booster or a gateway to a new job, but a path to greater learning of both business and the self. It can tell you a lot about the job that you may or may not want to have in the future, where you thrive, and what your best skills are! Take these tips above and allow them to guide you throughout the beginning of your school year transition!