5 things to do on an internship

So your killer design portfolio has landed you an internship – hurrah! As part of a YouTube series from Computer Arts, designer Lottie Brzozowski discusses how students can make the most out of their time spent interning at a studio. Here are her top five tips. Make sure you also see our piece on how to transform a design internship into a job.

01. Say 'yes'

The main thing for me was just saying 'yes' to any job, no matter how small. Even just making tea gives you a chance to talk to people, and proves that you want to help out.

02. Don't complain

Don't complain about the work you're given. You've got to approach everything with a certain spirit. Once proven you can handle small jobs, you'll be allocated bigger things.

03. Ask questions

If you're stuck, the worst thing to do is sit there in a panic. Don't worry that you don't know how to do something: just ask someone. Everyone wants to help.

04. Be social

As well as building a portfolio, internships are about networking. Just chatting over lunch helps. Ask people what work they're doing if it looks interesting – or even if it doesn't.

05. Start small and work up

If the idea of networking fills you with dread, start small. Just talk to the person sitting next to you. Gradually, it'll snowball into speaking to lots of people, including the higher-ups.

This article originally appeared in Computer Arts issue 251.