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Blog by Alexandria Lundquist, Strategic Communications Intern at The DeBruce Foundation
As the new academic year begins, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about your future and the valuable experiences that can help shape your career path. Whether you’re a college student looking to gain hands-on experience in your field of study or a high school student eager to explore potential career interests, this guide will help you discover how you can use your strengths and interests to guide your internship experience.
Discover Your Strengths and Interests
The first stop in your internship process is to understand your strengths and interests, particularly in the context of workplace skills. The Agile Work Profiler © will help you to do just that as it takes both your top interests and skills – called Agilities © – and gives you a ranked set of them which are universal to all occupations. This free career assessment only takes 15 minutes to complete! The ten Agilities include:
- Developing Others
- Innovating
- Inspecting
- Judging and Estimating
- Managing
- Operating Objects
- Organizing
- Selling and Communicating
- Serving and Caring
- Working with Information
The first time I took the Agile Work Profiler, my top three Agilities were Organizing, Managing, and Serving and Caring. Understanding my Agilities gave me insight into the types of roles where I could excel. Knowing your Agilities allows you to focus on your strengths and work on areas where you can improve.
Use Agilities to Set Goals
What I love about the Agilities is that they can grow and change throughout your career! If there’s an Agility you’d like to improve, there are many ways you can do so throughout your job– or even throughout a summer long internship. When searching for the right internship, consider asking yourself:
- How can my Agilities help me in my internship?
- What do I want to achieve throughout my internship with my Agilities?
These guiding questions can help you clarify your goals and what you hope to gain from your internship experience.
Leverage Your Existing Network
While you are in search for an internship, reach out to your existing network for help! These professionals will want to know what you’re interested in and what you like to do so that they can connect you to relevant opportunities. Use your knowledge of your Agilities to tell them about your strengths, interests, and goals. Then, your connections might be able to introduce you to professionals in their industry, offer tips on where to look, and provide valuable advice.
When I was searching for my internship, I found the opportunity on LinkedIn. It’s a great platform to explore, as people in your network often share internship openings. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated and ready to represent you!
Your network can also be super helpful as you prepare for the interview process. Don’t hesitate to reach out to one of your contacts for advice on interview questions or to practice your responses with them. This preparation can boost your confidence and readiness for the interview.
Highlight your Agilities as You Apply for Your Internship
Now that you are ready to apply for your internship, here are a few tips and tricks on how to use your Agilities in your application. Understanding your Agilities can make it easier to talk about your strengths in an interview or on a resume.
Utilize the Resume Builder to craft a resume that highlights your unique skills and interests in relation to the workforce. Incorporate the Agilities into your cover letter to give employers a deeper insight into your strengths. An example of this would be: “Through the Agile Work Profiler, I have found my top skills to be *insert your top three Agilities*. These skills have previously led me into a variety of different opportunities *list previous jobs where you have used your Agilities*.
The interview is another great place to use your Agilities to showcase your strengths especially when they ask the question: “What are your strengths?” In my answer to this question, I would highlight my Organizing Agility and give an example of how I have used it: “One of my key strengths is my ability to organize effectively. I excel at structuring tasks and projects in a way that enhances efficiency and ensures that deadlines are met. For example, in my previous role, I managed multiple projects simultaneously by breaking them down into manageable components and creating detailed schedules.”
Use Your Agilities to Shine in Your Internship
Once you land your internship, there are so many opportunities to use your Agilities!
- Focus on strengthening your top Agilities.
- Take on projects that help you develop the Agilities you want to improve.
- Demonstrate your strengths through your Agilities to make a meaningful impact.
- Ask for projects that allow you to use a variety of Agilities.
Setting personal goals is also a great strategy during your internship. By applying your strengths and skills to different projects, you can showcase your determination to learn and grow throughout the experience.
Grow Your Agilities for the Next Opportunity
Internships are full of great opportunities to learn skills and more about yourself for future jobs and opportunities. Leaning into your Agilities will help you develop your voice in the workforce as you work on a variety of projects. Never be afraid to ask questions, connect with other colleagues, and take initiative in projects or meetings. This is a great time to practice the Agilities that you’ll use in future roles.
During my internship, I had the opportunity to train the next group of interns, allowing me to leverage my Developing Others Agility and further enhance my leadership skills. Internships are full of opportunities that can offer valuable experiences and prepare you for your future career.
Reflect on the Experience
Lastly, an internship will offer you a wealth of learning experiences. Keep a portfolio and document your work to show to future employers and quantify your contributions. Stay connected with the company for any future opportunities they may have and maintain the relationships as part of your network. Reflect on the skills and experience you have gained and apply them to your jobs in the future.
Additionally, consider taking the Agile Work Profiler again to see if any of your Agilities have changed!
When I did this, my Agilities changed to Organizing, Managing, and Developing Others, which completely reflected the ways I had grown throughout my internship. It’s an exciting way to track and appreciate your professional development over the course of your internship!
Embrace the Journey
An internship is a great step towards your future career. By being proactive and open to learning, you’ll gain valuable skills and insights that shape your path. Embrace the experience, learn from challenges, and build meaningful connections. Good luck on this exciting journey, and here’s to a rewarding internship experience!
