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"When it comes to internships, summer or otherwise, you're supposed to come out with enough new knowledge to justify the requirement from your college. But there's way more to learn than just how to file invoices or which person at the company handles HR. Getting a small taste of a given industry or career field can give you a sense of what you really need to think about when it gets time to apply for a job. Here are some things you have (hopefully!) learned or obtained by the end of the summer or your semester.\n\nAt least one true contact.\n\n Unfortunately, when someone at a company says they'll \"keep you in mind for a job after you graduate,\" they don't always mean it. It may be a token line that they say to every intern as a parting gift, and the chances of it coming true might be slim to none because of head counts (The number of employees a manager is allowed to hire in their department) or because the promisee gets a different job or leaves the company. But a great goal for the end of the summer is to form at least one real, legitimate bond with someone you value and trust. This person may not be able to hire you, but he or she will be able to serve as a mentor who gives you insight into the industry, gets you on a special members-only Facebook group for job listings, or provides advice when you start interviewing. Make sure you leave your internship with more than a handshake.\n\n A solid understanding of social cues.\n\n You may know all there is to know about your industry. But there are a million small social cues going on at every company, and being able to pick up on those cues can help you stand out from a pack of aspirants. For example, does everyone let the person running the meeting pitch their ideas first, or is it encouraged for the newest people to throw their ideas out at the beginning? Is there a certain way that people dress? Does everyone make deals in a conference room, or out of the office at a bar? At one internship, I showed up on my first day in a pair of heels I could barely walk in because they looked \"adult.\" But about five minutes into the day, I realized that everyone in the office wore comfortable shoes because we spent a lot of time walking back and forth between different conference rooms. It seemed obvious once I got there, but it helped me to differentiate the way the job looked in my head vs. the way it looked in real life.\n\nThe ability to say \"thank you.\"\n\nEven if you spend six straight weeks pushing paper around, simply having an internship \u2013 especially one in the field you want to pursue \u2013 is a good opportunity. No matter what comes out of it, you'll want to make a good impression, and the easiest way to do that is by saying \"thank you.\" Thank the guy who taught you to un-jam the printer (seriously, that is an important life lesson!), the woman who helped you find Excel shortcuts, or the fellow intern who rescued you when you said the wrong thing in a meeting. You never know when you'll see these people again, and it never hurts to end on a positive note.\n\nHow to accept feedback.\n\nIt can be really hard to hear \"this is totally wrong\" or \"you have to redo this from the beginning.\" If you're working for free or for credit, you might think, \"these people should be thanking me!\" But consider it this way: everyone, yes everyone, even Beyonc\u00E9, makes mistakes in their career. Wouldn't you rather make them now than later? As hard as it can be to swallow your pride and say \"I'm sorry,\" you're also getting an opportunity to learn something new and to kick butt at it. Think of it as free training for that awesome job you're about to get.\n\nSomething you didn't expect.\n\nOne of the most exciting things about an internship is how fluid they can be. Because a company's needs change constantly, you may get called in to help on a different project or work with someone other than your immediate internship supervisor. Although this can be scary at first, it can also be a way to learn new skills or to see how another person tackles their problems. And if there's something you're dying to learn but no one has stepped up to teach you yet, take it upon yourself to volunteer and help out. Most people will be so grateful for the extra help that they'll be happy to return the favor. An accounting internship where you also learn Photoshop? Hey, you never know.\n\nWhether this is the industry for you or not.\n\n An internship is supposed to tell you what you want to do in your career\u2014but, sometimes, it ends up telling you what you don't want. And that's OK too. If you thought your publishing career was just going to be lots of time curled up in a corner reading books but then you find out that it involves a lot of meetings and paperwork, you can either realize it's not the path for you or readjust your approach when you do begin looking for jobs. It's better to realize it's the wrong fit for you now than five years from now after you've invested a lot more time and energy.\n\nWhat's the most valuable thing you learned at your internship? Share it with us in the comments below!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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