Coronavirus has made one thing certain: part of your internship this summer will be virtual, if it is happening at all. What had once seemed unimaginable – spending the summer on video calls with people you don’t know – now feels like a blessing. For those of you who will be starting a new, virtual job in a few weeks, now is a perfect time to start figuring out how you are going to make the most of the experience and turn your internship into something full-time.
Challenges of Remote Work
Successfully working from home comes down to three key areas: Time Management, Communication and Proactivity. After six weeks of working virtually myself, I can say that a deliberate effort in these three areas will get you ninety percent of the way towards a successful summer.
Time Management – Set a routine and stick to it
Working from home is overwhelming. You don’t need to commute in the morning, and there is nobody to make sure you’re at your desk, so it’s only natural that you may find yourself disorganized and unprepared throughout the day. Counteract this by setting a few simple “appointments” for yourself: when to be at your computer (30+ min before your day starts), when to eat lunch, and when to log off at night. Put it in your calendar! If you set clear times for those three milestones and keep them consistent every day, then it will be much harder for non-work distractions to bleed into the workday. Plus, you will find yourself taking your job much more seriously.
Communication – There’s no shame in reminding people you’re there
I hear this often: “I haven’t gotten a single email all day.” If you think your boss forgot you existed, the truth is that there is only one way out of the situation… remind them! A quick check-in with your leader each morning, and then another before you log off at night, will act as a subtle reminder that you are there and need something, whether that means extra work or training. This does not have to be time-consuming or annoying – a simple “Hi, I’m planning on logging off for the night. Need anything?” over instant message or Slack will do fine. Be advised that doing this may result in tedious assignments, but remember your end goal, grit your teeth and get it done.
Proactivity – Your summer is what you make it
The reality of work from home is that people retreat into their bubbles and are less likely to make an effort with you. Things are just more difficult from home. That means that more of your intern experience is in your court: getting to know coworkers, learning about the company, and making an impression. The good thing is that being virtual gives you a much wider margin for error. People will expect you to be awkward on video chat, particularly for first-time introductions. So embrace it! Go out of your way to schedule calls with people, ask what they do, and offer to help.
Tips For the Summer
Make a point of opening up
Your coworkers are not going to be sitting next to you, so those opportunities to learn about each other won’t be there. Try to compensate by offering up details of your own life and by being curious about your coworkers. This can mean little things, like sharing what you ate for lunch or the book you’re reading, to more detailed “get to know you” calls where the focus is outside of work. It can be tempting to wait until prompted to share personal details, but the lack of physical connection and brief nature of the virtual internship make it all the more important that you do take it upon yourself.
Don’t be hard on yourself
Your experience this summer is going to look much different than you had imagined when you first accepted your offer. That’s a given. Be sure to spend time each week to reflect on the progress that you’ve made – remote work is challenging, particularly for an intern! The normal milestones and cues, like giving a great presentation or getting lunch with the boss, will no longer be there. So do not hold yourself to impossible standards. Be sure to ask your boss early on what a great virtual internship looks like and then go all out to achieve that standard.
Remember why you’re “there”
There will come a point when you are sitting in your parents’ basement, rubbing the glare from your eyes and cursing the day you took your internship. Take that opportunity to remind yourself of why you sought out the job in the first place. There were always going to be slow days, bad bosses, and inadequate training. In those rock-bottom moments it’s critical to maintain some perspective and remember that ten weeks is a drop in the bucket of an extremely long and diverse career.
Best of luck, and remember – always double check your webcam!