This is a guest blog by Alecia Kissel, HR/Recruiting intern at Milliner & Associates, LLC in Indianapolis.
The cold weather makes for a good excuse to stay busy inside. As the end of the semester approaches, it’s easy to slow things down and get into a routine at work. Maybe a new employer has already offered a spring internship, and energy is high about the fresh start coming up. However, there is still time to shake up the daily grind with asking for new projects or responsibilities.
I fell into the routine just a couple of weeks ago. I was doing payroll Mondays, updating the website Wednesdays and taking care of any leftover tasks Fridays. My time was filled up just fine with what I already had on my work to-do list.
Last week, I was filing some active candidates and noticed that the cabinet was getting more full than usual. Knowing that we would not want to replace any folders that might be damaged because of the tight fit, I talked to my boss about going through an audit. Funny enough, Nicole was about to distribute an end-of-the-year audit to myself and the other intern Macy. Last week, I also had the privilege of representing Milliner & Associates at a networking event downtown. This has gotten me out of my routine and back into the real reason why I am an intern in the first place: to learn. Our time at these internships with such great employers is limited, and so learning the most we possibly can becomes critical.
I have spoken with my boss about the possibility of staying another semester and adding on responsibilities during that time. However, after starting the audit project last week I thought, why wait? It could not hurt to at least ask for additional responsibilities. That shows employers that there is still a passion for the internship. Since the fall semester officially ends December 31st and I have the opportunity to stick around until then, there is plenty of time for me to learn all that I possibly can.
