Even as an intern, it is important to take responsibility!

Starting your first internship soon? We know it can be quite exciting. Luckily, Tom is sharing his experiences and learning points, to help you prepare for your search for an interesting internship and get the most out of the experience! Tom Blomsma followed the master Strategy Economics & Behavioral Economics at the Rotterdam Erasmus University.  

How did you prepare for your internship?

My first internship was at a large foreign corporate bank in The Netherlands. A friend of mine was doing his internship at that bank before me and he was looking for someone to replace him. I started having a conversation with him about the things he had learned in his past six months and about the advantages and disadvantages of his internship. As I had no idea yet in what kind of company or industry I would like to work in, I took this opportunity. I thought it would give me the chance to become familiar with a corporate working environment, acting internationally. And it did match my expectations. My second internship was again through my personal network. My tip to find and prepare for your (first) internship would be: Look close in your network of family and friends and speak up about the fact you are looking for an internship in a certain direction. Be proactive and as soon as an opportunity comes, start having conversations. Validate the most important question: can I develop myself while doing this internship? For me, that was the most important aspect of preparing for an internship.

Looking back at your internship, what would you do differently?

Looking back at my first internship, I would have taken more responsibility from the start. Sometimes, as a student, it is exciting to take more responsibility than you feel comfortable with. But always keep in mind that you will learn more when you take up tasks just outside of that comfort zone. Your learning curve will be steeper. Having learnt this insight during my first internship, I took up more responsibility during my second internship.

What things did you do to make your internship a success?

A personal tip I would like to share here is: make sure to write down your goals for your internship beforehand. Think about the things you want to accomplish in a certain period of time. Goals can vary enormously, for example “get used to a professional working environment” is a relatively broad goal, but “organizing my first workshop” is more specific. Make sure to keep track of these goals while doing your internship. It is not a bad thing to change your goals along the way, just always make sure it is (also) in your own personal interest.

Fast forward nine months later, Tom has been working for Avanade as Digital Advisory Analyst. After his internship and part-time jobs, this is his first real full-time job. Finally, Tom would like to give one last piece of advice: ‘’I noticed that as an intern, Avanade is a great place for you. It gives you the opportunity to do your internship at a leading digital innovator while working in an international environment. The sky is the limit!”

Are you interested in doing an internship at Avanade? Feel free to check out our vacancies!