Internships are an inevitable part of today’s college curriculum. They are present to give individuals experience, freedom of choice, understanding how the industry works, look for the right skills in a professional career and improve personal growth. Does all this come just by finishing an internship? Here are the Questions for Interns to Ask Executives.
Well, you might get experience, and understand several aspects of the industry, but you will surely lack in understanding the professional and personal career growth. So what should you do to make the best out of your internship? Ask questions.
Yes, ask questions to your boss or any executive you work under. This will help you understand your strengths, weaknesses, aspects you lack in, and also whether the internship and industry are the right fit for the future.
So what questions should you ask?
We have curated a list of questions that you can ask an executive to make a positive difference and bring out the best of your career.
Questions for interns to ask executives
- How do you think I can add value to the organization?
As an intern, you are not only looking for opportunities that will help you learn and grow yourself as a professional. You are also looking for opportunities wherein you can make significant contributions to the organization. Ask your boss how you can make contributions that will help you add value to the company.
It will show your enthusiasm to work and also bring out your leadership skills. Apart from this, it will also add to your professional value and give you several further opportunities in the company. Personal as well as professional growth are two factors that you can receive from the single question.
- Do you think I have the right skills for the position?
Your skills decide what major contributions you can make to the position you are working for. As an intern, your boss will know what sets you apart and what skills you possess. Ask them whether you fit the skill set criteria for a certain position.
It will help you understand where you lack as a candidate and, where you can improve to make a difference in the professional world. Apart from this, you will also understand if the position is right for you or you still need to experiment with the positions you are looking for.
- What makes a difference between a good and a bad intern?
Everything falls into the category of good or bad. An executive in any position already has expectations that they have set for the interns they are looking for. Understanding an executive’s point of view about what a good and bad intern is in their eyes, will help you to understand yourself and make a difference in the position.
When you understand what qualities an executive is looking for in an intern position you can ensure that you implement the same skills and changes in your working structure. This question can work as an eye-opener for your career and set you ahead of the career path.
- What skills do you think I should improve in?
As a fresher in the profession, you need to learn a lot about the industry and implement the right skills that will make you stand out as a professional. Asking this question to an executive will help you understand your faults and understand where you lack behind in the field.
It also provides you with a constructive image of what changes or courses you should apply for in the future so that you make a difference in yourself and stand apart from the crowd in any position you apply for in the future. It will also communicate how you are willing to learn from your mistakes and open to learning new things.
- What majors do you think would be best for a successful career?
Real-life careers have a different curve than what you learn in college or school. As an executive, any individual understands the importance of majors that can prove useful to your career. This can be so different from the industry that you would never have imagined its importance for your role.
So, ensure that you know what majors you need to opt for during internships. As an intern working for credits, you would have the opportunity to take relevant courses that will boost your professional career. So, take this opportunity and know what you need to work for.
- How did you recover and learn from the mistakes in your career path?
If you are close with your boss or any other executive in the company you could probably ask them a question about the mistakes they made in their early careers. It will help you understand the mistakes they make and how you could avoid taking the same path in your career.
It can also help you understand how you could learn from your mistakes and improve your personal and professional skills.
- What is the best part about working in the job?
Every industry has a good and bad part about working. Even if you are passionate about getting a certain position or deeply interested in following a certain position it can often end up boring or straight-up bad. So, ask a question about what the best part about the job is.
This question will help you understand the good aspects of the job and help you understand the factors that will keep you going in the work.
- Could you please tell me about your least favorite thing about the job?
Again a version of the question that helps you understand what will make you love the job and what will make you dread it. Unlike the above question where you will understand the motivation, you will receive for the work, in this question you will understand what factors of the job are least impressive.
Knowing this will help you avoid this aspect of the job and push you towards finding a creative solution towards finding a way out of your least favorite aspect. It will also make you familiar with the challenges of the position and prepare you for the future.
- What things should I pay more attention to, so that I receive a good career path?
When candidates are just getting started with their career they tend to distribute their energy in several aspects of work. When a candidate does this some of his or her energy is wasted on unimportant work that does not add any value to professional life. So, ask this question to know what you should focus on and what things you can overlook from afar.
Understand here, the line between important and unimportant work is very thin and you need to ensure that you focus on things that bring value and help you in your career path. Ask this question to your boss and understand the difference and apply them.
- Do you think I fit the current role of the internship?
Sometimes aspirations and the reality of work do not align with each other. For example, you would be keen on becoming a designer, but you do not enjoy the aspect of generating leads, marketing, and SEO. In such a case the career path you choose can lead you to serious issues. If you ask this question at the start of your career you will understand whether your skills align with the position.
This will help you understand challenges, your skills, and also help you with making decisions that are important for your future.
- How can I build relationships and improve my networking in the position?
Networking can be a key skill that any intern can learn through their internship. Communication allows an intern to build good relationships and ensure that they create good ideas according to the people they communicate with. Having good networking ensures that you understand the industry and make connections that can help you in your career.
If you ask this question to your executive, you will understand their tactics to build relationships in the company and how you could use the relationship, to build your career. As an executive, the person in front of you understands how to communicate with people, understands the industry from a point of view that influences and adds value to an individual’s professional life. Ask this question and understand the best way to network with experts.
- How can I turn this opportunity into a full-time opportunity?
Getting a full-time opportunity with the company you intern for can be a dream for many individuals. Not all internships come with a fixed opportunity for career growth. Some internships are designed to provide a candidate with the right stepping stone for the future.
Ask this question to an executive and understand what you would be required to do to secure a full-time position with the company. This will help you understand if you are doing the right job, what skills you need to develop, and the correct steps that you need to follow to become a permanent part of the company.
Conclusion
Use the above questions to make the best out of the opportunity you have received as an intern. When you ask these questions make sure you involve them in a conversation and not turn it into an interview for the executive.
Lastly, use the answers you receive as inspiration for the career and make the best out of it.
