By: Tavi Sookhoo & Kamila Madry
If you have questions about a micro-internship, contact Tavi at tsookhoo@mit.edu
The Independent Activities Period (IAP2025) is quickly approaching. If you’re completing a micro-internship, review CAPD’s tips on making the most of your experience.
During the micro-internship interview process
- Prepare for the interview by mastering responses to the 4 most common internship questions
- If the micro-internship requires you to be in person, inquire about available housing and transportation support
- Ask if the employer hires or would consider hiring micro-interns for summer internships
Prior to the experience
- Reflect on your goals for the micro-internship: what would you hope to gain out of the experience?
- Confirm micro-internship logistics, including time commitment, payment structure, required equipment and whether it’s remote, in person, or hybrid
- If you are an international student, you must secure off-campus work authorization. Contact International Students Office for advice
- Carefully review any contracts associated with your work for the employer. You might be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. CAPD does not recommend signing a non-compete agreement for this project-based work. If questions arise, reach out to CAPD for advice on how to follow up with the employer
- Reach out to the employer a few weeks before the micro-internship, to confirm your start date
- Consider what other students look for in internships
- Ask about opportunities for receiving supportive mentorship, not only supervision
- Discuss potential access to company resources (trainings, workshops)
- Express interest and ask about opportunities to showcase your work (presentation, report)
- If interested, find out whether the employer has a history of hiring former interns
During the micro-internship
- Within your first week: clarify project goals, understand employer’s expectations, and determine their preferred communication channels
- If working on a team project, establish your lines of communication with the team
- Manage your time: create daily/weekly goals. Develop a plan and prioritize tasks
- Manage stress: work smarter, not harder
- Seek feedback on your work & show enthusiasm
- Keep an active list of accomplishments and responsibilities (as detailed as possible, using numbers to quantify achievements)
- Get to know people outside of your assigned team through informational interviews which can be conducted in person over coffee or via Zoom
- Be creative about how to network if your micro-internship is virtual
- Pay attention to the quality of your experience with the employer (look for “green flags”)
Addressing challenges that might arise during the experience
- Be proactive in communicating to your supervisor the challenges you experience
- Reach out to CAPD to talk through a particular situation and brainstorm potential solutions or ideas on how to address the challenge
- Ask questions if you don’t have the knowledge to complete a project
- Maintain open lines of communication, even if you make a mistake
- If within a disagreement, use a “yes and approach”
- If you find yourself disliking the micro-internship, navigate the situation professionally
After the micro-internship
- Reflect on your career exploration: What did you like and dislike? What skills did you develop? What do you want to learn more about? What meaningful connections have you established and how do you plan to foster them?
- Meet with CAPD to update your resume and LinkedIn profile
- Connect with the people you worked with on LinkedIn – set a calendar reminder to send them a check-in message at the end of the spring semester – this is how you build professional relationships
Are you looking for a summer internship?
- Micro-internships can sometimes lead to a summer internship offer. If you enjoyed your micro-internship and built skills relevant to your interests, consider asking how you can continue to contribute to the company through a summer internship
- Ask open-ended questions: “I really enjoyed X,Y,Z about this project. As I’m thinking about my summer, I’d love to explore the possibility of continuing to contribute to your company as a summer intern. What do you think is the best way for me to explore potential opportunities?”
