Summer is just around the corner. That means a new batch of interns at agency HQ will be arriving soon. At RCKT, like most agencies, we’re reliant on interns to take over a variety of roles around the office. That means fetching coff… just kidding ;-). Our founders and team leads here integrate interns into all aspects of agency life. We assign them major projects from Day 1, but of course that carries a lot of responsibility. RCKT is not a place to spend a fun summer in Berlin (that being said, we have lots of fun here), but a place to prove yourself and try to find a full-time job in a competitive marketplace. Who better to put together a list of how to win an internship than one of RCKT’s current rock-star interns – Andreas Friedrich.

Before we start, one quick fun fact – did you know our founder Nils Seger started out as an intern at Rocket Internet?

1. Ask for tasks

For companies and agencies, one of the drawbacks of bringing on interns is getting them up to cruising speed. So you should not wait at your table until someone comes around and explains you step-by-step what they want/need. Be proactive right from the first day! There is a reason you are here, so understand the processes around you and offer to help where you feel you can contribute the most. That increases the chances of getting your own project early on and that brings us to…

2. Have self esteem

Some people might mistake interns as just a cheap labour force. We already mentioned how it takes time to onboard you, so don’t expect to be invited to the annual strategy meeting on your first week. But you are still here to learn. Make sure you get to the point where you get the insights you were looking for. If that doesn’t work you should use some of your free time to research other internship opportunities around you in case point 3 fails:

3. Get feedback

Especially at the beginning of your internship you should ask for regular feedback. It shows that you are willing to improve the work and if you do so it’s a win-win for you and the company. On top of that if helps you to approach your tasks with more confidence and helps your boss to remember your achievements for….

4. Get a recommendation

You have the right to a proper letter of recommendation when you have done a proper job. To make sure you get more than your name and the dates of your internship on it, do yourself and your boss a favour and prepare the letter as no one else knows better than you what you have achieved during your internship. Start with the time, company and department, go over to your responsibilities and beef it up with achievements and the skills you proved to have while doing your job, round it up with some attributes you would like your boss to assign you with and find examples where you showed them.

5. Be there

Hang around with the people you are working with and use the chance to get to know them. They might be your future colleagues and you should find out if you want to spend nine hours a day with them. So even if you had a dreadful experience at your internship, one of your colleagues might be the one offering you a future job. Don’t burn bridges!