Five Signs Your Internship Prepared You for a Full-Time Job

Landing a job offer after your internship might be one of the most rewarding career feelings out there. After all, it’s no easy feat and says a ton about the impression you left after just a few months.

But how do you know if your internship prepared you to be a full-time employee?

These five Dell interns landed jobs there after graduation. Now, they want to share how those internships helped them get ready to take on the next phase of their careers. Read on for five signs you’re ready to go from intern to full-time employee.

1. You Didn’t Just Learn New Skills—You Learned How to Apply Them

No matter how much you learn as an intern, nothing compares to putting what you learned into action. Saint Anselm College grad Jane Bunn landed a job as a Commercial Account Manager after completing Dell’s Inside Sales internship program. She says that getting hands-on experience as an intern made the transition to full-time much smoother. “[As an intern] I learned to navigate a previously daunting corporate America, and how to apply skills I learned in development trainings to communicate effectively with customers,” she says.

2. You Understand How the Business Works

Ali Tyburski works in Digital Strategy and Global Communications at Dell. The American University grad’s career there started when she interned for EMC’s Field Marketing Team, focusing on the federal space (EMC and Dell merged in 2016). “”My experience began with learning how our technology helps to power the US Military and Government,” she says. “After a great first experience as an intern, I took a full-time position within the Marketing Development Program. “I landed in Global Communications, where I’ve contributed to numerous product launches, marketing campaigns, and global events—including the announcement of the largest merger in tech history.”

3. You’re Already Comfortable Sharing Your Ideas

Prateek Mathur earned his MBA from Penn State and now works in Operations Strategy. “At Dell, no question is off limits and no idea is too outrageous,” he says. “If ideas are well thought-out, logically defended, and shown to make business sense, you have the freedom to pursue them. Everyone from interns to VPs are expected to contribute insights and ideas.” During his internship, Prateek saw first-hand how willing managers were to sit down with him to hear his ideas and share feedback. That turned out to be great practice for his full-time role.

4. You Had an Opportunity to Learn from People Across the Company

It’s perfectly fine if you don’t know exactly what you want to do with your career when you’re an intern. After all, the best internships give you the chance to meet people in different roles and discover what you want to do and what you don’t want to do. “In the three short months of my summer internship, I was introduced to multiple finance functions and interacted with people throughout the entire organization,” says Matthew Pelletier, a Bryant University grad who’s now a Corporate Strategy Consultant. It’s that exposure to different jobs within finance that made him excited to return to Dell after graduation.

5. You’ve Built a Professional Support System

Rachel Garlitz was surprised by the level of responsibility she was given when she joined Dell full-time after graduation. She was also 100 percent ready to take on whatever tasks came her way. As an intern, she was part of the Supply Chain Development Program and now works in Global Materials and Global Operations. The Texas A&M grad attributes her smooth transition to full-time to the support she received from her colleagues. “Everyone at Dell—from your peers to the leadership team—is genuinely invested in your success,” she says. “There are ample opportunities to learn, develop, and grow as a young processional.”

A great internship should leave you with so much more than a new line on your resume. It should also challenge you, teach you way more than you’d ever learn from a class or textbook, and leave you feeling more prepared to take on a full-time role in your field after graduation.

Ready to follow in the footsteps of these former interns? Dell is hiring now, so head over to WayUp, explore their open positions, and apply!