Everyone likes being paid in actual money instead of experience.
The purpose of an internship, either as part of a college degree or on its own, is to accumulate experience and possibly form a few connections in your future field. However, as is frequently the case, you come to enjoy your time at the company you’re interning with, and might become interested in joining up full time. The tricky thing is that the transition from intern to full-time employee isn’t as simple as flipping a switch and getting paid.
In order to move up from an intern to an employee, you need to prove yourself to be an asset to the company. You need to ask yourself, “if I were interviewing for a job here as I am right now, would they hire me?” To make that answer “yes,” you need to establish yourself a go-getter. You have to maintain a strong work ethic, with willingness to tackle all tasks big and small with gusto. If possible, try to think up ways to make small improvements to the company.
If you’re not sure whether or not you have a shot at full-time, it’s okay to ask your supervisor. Establishing a good rapport with your supervisor and coworkers will go a long way toward making you look hirable. Tell your supervisor you’re interested in going full-time, ask if, in their opinion, you’ve got a shot, and if there’s anything else you can do to tip the scales in your favor. If you’ve got the time, take the initiative and learn a little more about the company and what they need from their employees.
Bear in mind that, even if the company is accepting interns, they may not have any room for more paid employees at the moment. In that case, this process is unfortunately a bit of a nonstarter, but you can at least leave your name on the list in case anything opens up.
