5 ways to build confidence from your summer job or internship

Part 1 of this three part post focused on how you can reflect on your learning and capture evidence as you go along. This post is about how to build confidence from your summer job or internship experience to help shape your offering to future employers.

From my experience, the people who are most fulfilled in life are those who are most comfortable in their own skin. They know and like who they are. They have an inner confidence and belief in their own abilities irrespective of the circumstances. They feed that confidence through successes, giving, and a sense of personal direction and control over their lives.

With that in mind, here are 5 ways to bank your successes in the short-term:

1. Set realistic goals: Articulate your aspirations and set 2 or 3 realistic goals for how and what you want to develop personally by the end of your summer job or internship.
2. Be memorable: Identify the image you would like to project that reflects you and is one this employer will remember.
3. Give freely: Give your time, knowledge and expertise to your colleagues without expecting something in return.
4. Explore your potential: Play to your strengths and explore your current limitations. That means taking a risk by trying out new ways of doing things. See what works and doesn’t work for you.
5. Show off your medals: Promote your successes to your boss, be explicit about what you have achieved and the difference it has made.

If you want to continue to build that confidence and maintain your employability, consider the wise advice of a previous mentor of mine and be:

• Consistent with yourself and who you are
• Insistent by being assertive and proactive
• Persistent and determined in the face of challenges

If you liked this post, come back for Part 3 on taking personal responsibility for action!