Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Don’t Forget About the People

Due to the fast-paced nature of most internships, networking often takes a backseat to the completion of job-related tasks. I am not criticizing this truth, for the main purpose of internships are to gain work experience, and, perhaps, to prove one’s worth to a company. I am, however, suggesting that taking even a few minutes each day to strike up a conversation with your colleagues can work wonders.

I was lucky enough to be able to intern at a company that encourages this type of small talk. Every day consisted of countless conversations about anything from how our weekends went to kicking back to old stories about each others’ lives. I also often joked that I basically had four extra mothers at work to talk to because all of my coworkers had children. With my mother being in Canada, this was especially comforting for me. Obviously, I worked in a unique environment that is hard to find. However, I would suggest to anyone embarking on an internship to try to build relationships at work, for it will make the work much more enjoyable and perhaps even lead to long-lasting relationships.