How to be the ONE intern who gets hired from your summer internship program!

This has been a crazy summer in terms of hiring at Qorvis. It has also been a difficult one because the vast amount of talent that is out there right now. The hardest part has been looking in the eyes of five extremely talented interns and only being able to hire one.

Here are some tips to be that one intern your company ends up hiring:

• Treat every day of the internship program like an interview. Know that everything you say can be heard and every person you work with is evaluating you. Yes, you are going to go out with other interns, but don't bring that drunk/hung-over conversation into the office. 
• Go above and beyond on every project. Take a media sweep (aka media monitoring) to the next level. Do something more than the last person who did the job. 
• Pay attention to detail! You don't have to speed through everything. It is more important that your work is flawless and accurate. 
• Get to know as many people as possible at your company. Not just a brief introduction but actually get to know the staff. The more people you have on our side, the better. 
• Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Your appearance is important. We want to hire someone who is put together and we can envision in a client meeting. Think about that everyday before you leave your house. 
• Meet with your companies recruiter and form a relationship with him/her. The recruiter needs to keep you top of mind at all times. Make sure you have a good relationship with that person. That way, when something does open at your company, you are the first person he/she thinks of. 
• Come in early and stay late. This is hard, especially if you are in an unpaid internship, but it shows the work ethic of someone the company can't live without. 
• Strategically look at opportunities outside of your company. As long as you make it known to the company you are interning with, that they are the 1st place you want to work, it is okay to look at external opportunities. Getting another job offer may be the one thing that turns your internship into a full time opportunity. We don't want to lose amazing talent to a competitor.
• Find a mentor. Mentors aren't always given to you. It is important to connect with someone in a job you want to have. Learn from them and make sure they give you opportunities to grow during the internship. 
• Become vital on an account. Some interns are given assignment to do little things on a number of accounts and some interns actually become vital members of a team. Be the intern on the client team. It will show your value and prove that the client relies on you. 

Do these things, and hopefully you will be employed by September. Good Luck!