Top tips for undertaking a virtual internship
Working from home has become the new norm. Who would have thought? Creative organisations are having to find other ways of delivering valuable pathways to employment for industry entrants – and virtual internships have proven to be a big hit.
Creative Access helps talented individuals from groups that are under-represented in the sector in terms of ethnicity, socio-economic background, or disability to enter the creative industries. We’ve placed dozens of new interns during the Pandemic in creative organisations such as ITV, Apple, The National Theatre, The Economist, and Pan Macmillan and we have many more on our website being advertised each day.
For many people, internships are the first step of their professional career. A virtual internship may not allow you to do things typically associated with starting at a new employer, but they are also proving great ways – especially for those not based in main cities where many employers are based – to get valuable experience. In order to make the best out of this remote experience, we’ve put together our top ten tips:
Leyla Mohammed interned at Creative Access for four weeks and, despite the initial nerves around starting a full-time internship from the very same home she’d already spent four months locked down in, she found the experience positive:
“I can safely say that my apprehension was unnecessary – every aspect of the remote internship was enjoyable. Every day brought something new and, as I grew more comfortable, I learned how to effectively work from home, which made everything easier and much more valuable.”
1) Separate your workspace from your leisure space:
Everyone’s living circumstances are different. Your colleagues will have children, pets, flatmates, partners, and parents that they might have to interact with during the working day. People will understand if there are disruptions due to working at home for you too. That said, try to create an environment that comes across as professional and that is conducive to work, where distractions are kept to a minimum. At the end of the day, you’ll want to change your scenery and switch off from work mode, so ideally you’ll be able to separate work from pleasure.
2) Establish a routine:
As tempting as it might be to roll out of bed five minutes before your first meeting starts, waking up early and getting ready as if you were going into an office will mentally prepare you to be the most productive you can.
3) Embrace learning in all its forms:
An internship is a learning experience, so if you’re given feedback on your performance and work, consider yourself lucky and make note of it! Use the feedback to learn and grow, so that your contributions to the team become more and more valuable. Embrace other opportunities that will help you better understand your role, the work your colleagues do, and how everything comes together within the organisation.
4) Be confident and curious:
Confidence goes a long way, especially when joining an established team as an intern. Have confidence in your thoughts and ideas – employers always want to hear fresh and new perspectives; Remember in order to have secured this opportunity in the first place, you must be a very strong candidate.
5) Ensure clear and frequent communication:
• Understand the culture of communication in your organisation
• Understand what is expected of you and when
• Know who to speak to or run drafts by, and how
• Know when lunchtime is and when your work day is expected to end
• Check in frequently with your manager during the day (don’t forget to pick up the phone as well as email)
• Send an update at the end of each day what you’ve completed today and what you’re tackling tomorrow
• Your manager should be there if you need any help, or if your work needs re prioritising
6) Network:
Use this internship to make as many connections as you can with anyone you come into contact with during your internship. Attend as many virtual professional and social events as you can. Ask your line manager who else you should e-meet in the organisation. Use this opportunity to set up a LinkedIn profile – if you don’t already have one – so you can stay in touch with all the people you meet during the internship.
7) Ask questions:
Ask questions, not just about your role, but in an attempt to understand the ‘why’ – the bigger organisational picture. Remember you are an intern so can legitimately ask as many questions as you like!
8) Own up!
We all make mistakes; it’s part of normal life. Don’t be afraid to take responsibility for errors and use that as an opportunity to learn for another occasion.
9) Be kind to yourself:
We know you’ll want to make a good impression, but remember not to overwork yourself. You don’t need to work outside of contracted hours (except of course for extenuating situations). Rest is an important part of work – it allows you to recharge, stay sharp and focused, and a fresh mind often helps breed fresh ideas.
“It’s a common guilt complex where people working from home feel the need to work outside of hours, or even around the clock. I can attest to this – there were days where I felt like I had to start early or finish late (on my own accord, of course). Recognise that this is a common guilt complex that comes with the process of getting used to working from home. Going out of your way to do extra work is great to an extent, but don’t overdo it!”
– Leyla Mohammed
10) Stay in touch:
If you want more advice about entering the creative industries, we have always got dozens of great roles the length and breadth of the UK on our Opportunities page. We’ve also got lots of great resources, events – including regular CV clinics – and competitions. stay in touch with Creative Access.
