Nothing is ever set in stone but, at this point in the summer, there is the possibility that your employer is thinking that this isn’t the right fit for you. Of course, you may have had a negative evaluation or a heart-to-heart with your mentor that made that clear - but those are not the only ways to tell that you are not heading towards an offer.
1. Your mid-summer evaluation is… fine. Your evaluation doesn’t have to be bad to be cause for concern. If it’s just okay, or it doesn’t include something along the lines of “You are on track,” that’s an indication that you need to step it up!
2. You’re missing out on social activities: if your fellow interns are being invited out for drinks, lunches, or other get-togethers much more often than you are, that can be a definite indication that your employers aren’t comfortable with you – or interested in getting to know you better.
3. Your final presentation keeps getting bumped: if the higher-ups at your internship don’t seem all that invested in hearing what you have to say about what you’ve been working on, they’re likely not that invested in hearing what you have to say as an employee, either.
4. “I just don’t get this.” If that phrase is going through your head, that’s cause for concern. If your peers are whizzing through data sets that seem beyond you, or you’re just not sure you’re on the right page, trust that others are going to be aware of your struggle to keep up as well. Similarly, if you find yourself saying those words out loud, or complaining to others about your job in any other fashion, that’s going to get back to the higher-ups who are making the hiring decisions.
5. You REALLY don’t like it. Even if you think you’re doing a great job of hiding your distaste for your job, it is almost certainly apparent to those who are watching over your work. Even if you do manage to keep it to yourself, be honest – if you do get an offer, does it really make sense for you to take it? No matter how great the company’s reputation, or how concerned you are about other opportunities, it doesn’t make sense to accept a job that you know makes you miserable: you’ll be setting yourself up for failure. Better to focus now on finding a position that you can excel at – happily!
If reading through the signs that you might not be getting an offer has you concerned, remember that it’s not too late to turn things around! You can still show your summer employer that you are a great fit for their organization. Read on for some thoughts about what you can do to make the most of the second half of your internship!
