Internship Success Tips
Follow the tips below to help ensure that an internship with Booz Allen—or any company—prepares you for future success.
Build relationships with your manager, team members, and other interns.
An internship provides great opportunities to forge relationships with people whom you’ll learn from and grow with during a project and throughout your internship—and possibly, throughout your career.
Work with your manager to determine clear objectives for your internship.
Take the time to understand the overall objectives of your project and how your specific assignment supports them. If you’re unsure about something, ask. Internships are opportunities to learn!
Request a mentor.
Talk to your manager about being assigned a mentor. A mentor can guide you in your efforts to become a good consultant, and be a great resource as you learn about Booz Allen, your role, and your client assignment.
Take advantage of internship program training events.
Talk to your supervisor about training and events that will hone your skills and build your professional network.
Make Booz Allen’s Core Values your values.
At Booz Allen, we strive to model our 10 Core Values—Client Service, Excellence, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Teamwork, Professionalism, Fairness, Integrity, Respect, and Trust—every day, in everything we do. Embracing Booz Allen’s Core Values will help ensure that your internship is a successful one and help you shine.
Recognize that client service is paramount to success.
Client service is not only one of our Core Values, it’s also our primary goal as a company—to make our clients’ missions our own and to deliver results that endure. To ensure that you’re providing excellent client service, complete tasks as directed by your supervisor, and in a timely, thorough, and efficient manner.
Maintain professional hours, dress, and demeanor.
Professionalism is not only about the quality of our work, but in how we present ourselves. Dressing and acting appropriately for a business setting will help ensure that your colleagues, supervisors, and clients see and treat you like the professional you are. When in doubt, wear full business attire (i.e., a suit). If you have questions concerning appropriate dress, reach to your supervisor or simply observe how your successful colleagues are dressed. Arriving at work on time, keeping the proper hours, clearing leave with your manager, and letting him or her know if you’re going to be late also help to demonstrate your professionalism.
And the number one Internship Success Tip:
Take initiative! Be proactive! Ask questions!
Okay, so maybe that’s three recommendations. But the point is, the more initiative you take, the more proactive you are, and the more questions you ask, the more likely you are to be successful during your internship at Booz Allen and throughout your career.
