Hopefully, you and your line manager have built-in regular catch-ups during your internship to review your performance.
The mid-way point of your internship is a good time to take stock and consolidate what you have learned from your internship against the objectives set, both on a personal and work level. Consider how you are going to progress your objectives for the rest of the internship and evaluate any potential difficulties and stress. Plan how you are going to achieve the objectives set and think about the support that you will require from your colleagues and/or manager. Analyse your thoughts about the organisation and sector, what have you learnt, contrasting against your initial expectations, and how do you feel about it as potential long term employer and sector of work.
Carry out the exercise below, use the guidance to write a reflection to help you evaluate where you are in terms of your personal development and achieving your internship objectives.
Exercise: Reflection
Resources: CARE model, Reflective Writing
Using the following guidance write a reflective piece about your internship:
- Which skills have you gained or improved?
- What have you achieved in terms of personal development and internship objectives?
- Any experiences that have made an impression on you?
- Are there any difficulties that you have encountered or are encountering?
- At this point, how would you evaluate your progress against your personal development and internship objectives?
- What are the potential risks, difficulties or stress in the coming weeks e.g. deadlines, conflicts, fears?
- What are you planning to do to progress your objectives for the rest of the internship?
- What do you need in terms of support from the your line manager and/or colleagues?