It’s getting to that time of the year where us college students are wrapping up our summer internships and heading back to college. It’s pretty easy to just peace out on your last day and get swept up into the craziness that is your undergraduate education.

You don’t want to do that. Take a moment to run through this checklist to make sure you get the most and continue to get the most out of your summer job experience.

1. Create a space to maintain connections.

I’m not sure how I feel about LinkedIn. The site is pretty ugly from a design standpoint, and I haven’t made made any connections on it to people I didn’t already know. However, LinkedIn does offer a space for you to maintain connections that you made while at your internship.

Take some time to create a complete profile and then add your colleagues and connections. When you begin looking for a permanent position and need to ask for recommendations, you’ll be thankful that you stayed in contact with your colleagues.

75% of hiring managers use LinkedIn to research job candidates before making an offer, so even if you don’t see the immediate benefits on using the site, you can be sure that it is actually important to have a presence here. What if your colleagues aren’t on LinkedIn? See my next point…

2. Send a personal note to any individuals that you worked with directly.

Photo by kcolwell on Flickr

Sending a note isn’t just about sucking up to your boss (although a little flattery never hurts, does it?). Carefully think about what these people taught you and thank them for those specific things.

This will show that not only are you appreciative of your summer experience, but that you can reflect on what you have learned and grow from it. This also creates the space to contact your colleagues by email in the future.

The format of your note depends on the formality of your work environment. In more formal workplaces, a handwritten note might be appropriate, whereas in a more casual environment, a simple well-written email would be received just as well.

3. Make a list of what you accomplished on the job.

Keep a list of all the projects and accomplishment that you directly influenced and the specific impact that these projects had on your company. Be as specific as possible.

For example, instead of “Helped research search engine optimization strategies,” write down “Implemented specific SEO strategies which brought our forward-facing website from #9 to #1 on Google.” Not only will this help you update your resume more effectively, but you’ll also be able to better convey in future interviews what deliverables you have to offer.

4. Reflect on what you learned about yourself and your values.

I ask myself every Monday, “What did I learn last week?” To get the most out of your internship, you have to be consciously aware of what you are learning about yourself. Internships are the perfect time to try things out. Even if you didn’t have the super awesome internship experience you were hoping for, you now know what to look for and what to avoid when you are looking for a job in the future.

For example, I loved working this summer at NationalField because I had full control of choosing and executing my own projects. The startup atmosphere was exciting and fast-paced and I was able to set my own hours.

What did you like or dislike about your internship this summer? Make sure you remember these things when looking for a permanent position in the future.

The summer is coming to an end which means that many young professionals are wrapping up their summer internships or lining up a position for themselves for the fall.  I had an extremely rewarding experience this summer working for PBS.  I mean, who doesn’t love getting their picture taken with Josh Groban… during a workday!

Internships are all about creating lasting relationships with people in an industry that you are interested in.  Whether your internship consisted of (or will consist of) making photocopies versus giving input on the user-friendliness of a website redesign (thankfully, I had the latter), social media can help you make the most out of your experience.

Create and maintain connections with colleagues on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a social network for professionals, plain and simple.  No “Birthday Calendars” and no fancy bells and whistles, just a clean, powerful personal business network.  With over 13 million unique monthly visitors, (and growing fast), you want to have a presence on LinkedIn.

As I said in my post on online reputation, 75% of hiring managers use LinkedIn to research job candidates before making an offer.  (1) Spend 20-30 minutes and create a real profile, taking your time to fill in all the fields.  Having a bare-bones profile with just your name (like so many that I’ve seen) says “I don’t care enough about my professional connections to actually spend time to let you know about me.”  That is not the message you want to send.

Internships are about creating connections that will help you find “The Best Jobs”. (2) Use LinkedIn’s “Build Your Network” box to find past colleagues and classmates.  You’ll surprise yourself with all the professional connections you didn’t know you had.

Start following colleagues on Twitter.

Twitter: who uses that, right?  Wrong.  While Twitter might not have found its way into your friend circle or personal networks, Twitter is a powerful tool for personally connecting with individuals in your industry.  (1) Start by creating an account and following your co-workers.  If they know you, they will likely follow you back.  Keep in mind that unlike LinkedIn, you don’t necessarily have to have met someone personally to follow them.  Make sure to follow the 5 Things on Twitter You Shouldn’t Do.

So you have a bunch of colleagues following you, now what?  (2) Decide what you want to tweet about.  For example, say you are interested in sports marketing.  (3) Set up a Google Alerts for “sports marketing”, “nike advertising” and “adidas ad campaign” (just examples), (4) start following sports marketing blogs, and (5) then tweet any interesting articles or links that you find.  You will begin to connect with other professionals in your field, creating helpful relationships that you can use when it comes time to search for a job.

Start a blog.

Blogging requires dedication, perseverance, and a genuine interest in a specific topic.  If you have those qualities, then starting a blog is a good step towards establishing yourself as a valuable resource in your field of interest.  (That’s what I’m trying to do!) Here are a few resources:

My number one piece of advice is to just try it.  I was convinced that I wouldn’t enjoy having a blog until I started writing about what my PBS internship was teaching me about social media.  If you find that you aren’t passionate about what you chose to write about, write about something else.  Use your blog to find out what you are truly passionate about.