Zoe Fox recently celebrated her two year anniversary at Mashable, where she has been an intern, editorial assistant, and is currently the content coordinator at the company. She started working there weeks after graduating college in 2011 to take on a two month internship role. She was one of Mashable’s first interns, and the first intern to transfer over to a full-time employee. Zoe shared some tips that helped her transition from an intern to a full time role at Mashable two years ago, and have continued to help her succeed over the course of her career.

Zoe Fox, Content Coordinator at Mashable. 

Do your research.

In spring of 2011 Zoe went to a career fair that Mashable attended. Before the event she took time to “stalk every organization” that would be there, so when she went to the fair she knew exactly what Mashable did. Mashable was much smaller in 2011, and Zoe learned later that she was actually the only attendee that knew what Mashable was before the career fair. This resonated with the Mashable team and she was called to interview for an internship weeks later.

Want who wants you.

Zoe interend at Time Magazine and had planned to wait for a job offer from the company after graduation. Unfortunately Time didn’t have any openings at that time, so when she got a call from Mashable she decided to take that position. It wasn’t her first choice, but it was the job that came, so she grabbed it.

Know your limits.

Zoe’s mother was concerned when she learned that Zoe was going to move to New York City to take an internship at Mashable after college. Zoe decided the risk was worth it, and luckily the internship lasted only two months before becoming a full time opportunity.

However, if you aren’t ready to take an internship longer than x months, or you need to be making a certain amount of money to sustain yourself (which we all do), then you have to let your boss know these things. If a company isn’t able to hire you after several months in an internship then you should begin applying to other things, and let your boss know that you are looking for other opportunities.

 
Photos by Erica Genece.

Go on coffee dates. 

As an intern or entry level employee at a company there is so much to learn from people in other departments at work. Zoe suggets asking someone from every department to have coffee with you to learn more about their roles. This can help you build connections and learn about additional career opportunities, expanding your job prospects.

Take on a full workload if you can.

If you’re an intern yet you feel like you can do the work of a fulltime employee at the company, be clear and let the company know this. They may expand your responsibilities, making you a better assest to the company.

Keep in mind though, a company probably won’t “hire you if you are going to do full time work for free” as Zoe stated. Have a strong work ethic to make you a valuable member of your team, but if you need higher pay or promise of full-time employment to continue with your company you should be honest and clear.

Let your niche find you.

Zoe once spoke to an education reporter from Time Magazine that claimed he did not pick education, it was the beat that was open when he first became a journalist, so he took it and ran with it.

If the company you work for needs something specific, take the opportunity.  Don’t look for a position or focus that is the perfect fit for you. You’ll find the perfect fit with time. Take what’s available to you and make it valuable.

Follow up.

If your internship supervisor doesn’t already have scheduled check-ins between the two of you over the course of your internship, ask to have them scheduled immediately. It is very important to occasionally touch base with your supervisor so that you can ask questions and discuss future opportunities in your field or at the company.

Interested in working for the company after your internship is complete? Slowly let your internship supervisor know this during your check-ins. After four weeks you can let them know you love the company. After eight weeks let them know that you would like to continue learning at the company and work their full-time. After twelve weeks you should be clear and ask when you should send an email asking if the company has any openings. Over the course of the school year use a reminder system like Google Calendar to remind you to occasionally follow up with this company.

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Have you made the transition from an intern to full-time hire at a company? What steps did you take that helped make the transition? Let us know in the comments. 

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