Those internships were a great experience and in many cases, I learned more from them than I had in school. Not to toot my own horn, but during my internships and college jobs, I was pretty consistently told that I was a wonderful intern and one of the best they had ever hired. In fact, when I was waiter, I was named employee of the month during my third month on the job.

I’ve put together a list of things I did to make sure that I got the most out of my internships. I think this is also a good set of guidelines when starting a new job to make sure you’re making the best impression possible.

1.    Be Punctual – Punctuality is probably one of the easiest and hardest things to do. It doesn’t only mean show up to work on time, it also means making sure you meet all of your deadlines while maintaining high quality work. It will mean staying late or eating lunch at your desk at times, but that’s why your there right? To gain experience. In PR, most of the time you can’t afford to be late, so it’s better to try to get things done ahead of time. One of old high school teachers put it best when he said, “To be early is to be on time, to on time is to be late, and to be late is very, very stupid.”

2.    Ask Questions – This is one of those rules you’ll hear throughout your internships and career and it’s directly related to being punctual. It doesn’t only show that you’re being proactive, it will also help you develop a better understanding of the profession, company, and become a better employee. Plus, most managers would agree that they would rather you ask a quick question now than spend a few hours doing something incorrectly or with errors.

3.    Be Proactive – Like questions, this is one you’ll hear all the time. Finished with an assignment? Ask for more. Want to sit in on a conference call or meeting? Ask if you can. This will show that you are genuinely interested in the company and by going that extra mile you’ll make yourself stand out among the other interns.

4.    Mentor – Find someone at your company that you look up to and ask them to coffee, to lunch, and see if you can pick their brain. You’ll find that most people will be happy to sit with you and discuss their careers. It will give you a lot of insight into the pros and cons of your chosen career path and the more information you have, the better career decisions you can make.

5.    Be Indispensable – Make yourself indispensable to the company. By going above and beyond in any way you can, you’ll put yourself in the position that if the company is hiring for an entry level position, they have no reason not to hire you. Become the go-to person for a particular client, topic, skill, anything. Volunteer for additional opportunities – good or bad. Does the store room need to be organized and you have no projects and already asked for more? Organize it. Secretary sick and they need someone at the front desk? Volunteer. It may not be the most glamorous thing to do sometimes, but all of those little things will add up and everyone in the company will really appreciate you for it and you’ll show that you are someone that is dependable. Even if a job doesn’t open up – you’ll sure get yourself one heck of a recommendation.

I hope that helps! What do you think interns and new recruits can do to get the most out of their new position?