Internship Feedback Mechanisms

How I converted both my internship's at Google and landed a FTE position! With the winter internship season beginning, a lot of folks reached out and wanted to know what steps I followed to convert my internships. Sharing the strategies that worked for me - 1. Quick Ramp-Up The first few weeks/month is set aside for learning the Tech related to project. I put in more hours from the get-go to complete onboarding tasks ahead of time. This helped me set good pace & have buffer time for blockers encountered later in project. 2. Ensuring Expectations Align Comprehensive understanding of the project objectives is the single most imp factor for intern's success. I asked tons of clarifying ques in the initial weeks & relayed my understanding to the team to ensure we're on the same page. I broke down the OKR's to smaller milestones & got my timeline to achieve those reviewed. Creating a design doc listing all possible approaches, high-level implementation details & test plan.. all prior to coding ensured I knew my project in & out. I got this doc approved for official records. 3. Efficient Handling Of Blockers It is inevitable that an intern will face blockers in the course of the project. This could be access issues, unavailability or deprecation of libraries, cross-team collaboration delays etc. I got a head-start by asking previous interns & team mates about blockers they faced and addressed issues early on. I flagged blockers immediately & went to my manager with a few ideas to tackle it, the managers then suggest steps and step-in where required. 4. Taking & Acting On Feedback Regularly I used to ask for feedback on my performance every other week, mostly the mentors said everything was fine. I had to be more proactive, came up with a list of things I feel I could be better in and presented it to them with a plan. Then they too gave their inputs and suggested other improvements. I made sure to communicate steps I took to work on their feedback along with results. 5. Representing Work Accurately In Evaluations I made a weekly progress doc enlisting the work I completed, design/implementation decisions I took, MOM's with mentors/managers. This served as a valuable add-on to my packet alongside the usual presentation & design doc. I also had conversations with mentors to ensure I didn't miss out on any points. Common mis-steps that I analyzed prior to my internship and was wary of - 1. Not Reflecting Scope Adjustments In Evaluations 2. Late Identification Of Blockers 3. Not Asking For Help Some practices that helped me maximize my potential and earned me the highest recognition awards in both STEP & SWE internships - 1. Suggesting Design Approaches & Authoring Documentation 2. Looking Out For Opportunities To Showcase Project 3. Setting Up Meetings With Higher Management 4. Completing Stretch Goal & Maximizing Impact 5. Solving Bugs Beyond Project Hope you found these pointers useful. All the best for your winter internships folks!

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had a handful of coffee chats—some with professionals, others with interns and students currently navigating their internships. One question kept coming up: What can I do to secure a return offer? I’ve been there, and I know how much that question weighs on your mind, especially as you hit the midpoint or start thinking about how to wrap up strong. When I interned at AWS, a few intentional moves helped me turn that experience into a return offer. 1. Get clear on expectations Have a direct conversation with your manager about what success looks like. Set goals, schedule midpoint check-ins with mentor, manager and work backwards from a clear plan. 2. Track your progress Keep a running doc of what you’re working on, who you meet, feedback you receive, and lessons learned. This helps with final presentations, and reflection. 3. Ask for feedback early and often Don’t wait for your exit review. Ask what’s going well and what to improve while you still have time to act on it. It shows committed to growing and gives you time to make real adjustments. 4. Stay organized and manage your time It’s easy to get disorganized towards the end of your internship and you start to lose track. Use a system that works for you—calendar, task list, Notion, etc. Stay on top of your work so nothing slips through the cracks. 5. Be proactive and add value Say yes to new opportunities and look for ways to contribute beyond your project. Leading a task, supporting a teammate, organizing a team building activity. Just be intentional—impact > quantity. 6. Build meaningful connections Network with people outside your team. Schedule coffee chats, quick intros, staying after meetings to ask questions. This all counts, follow up, and stay curious. These relationships often outlast the internship itself, they can become mentors, advocates or even friends. 7. Show your growth, not just results Speak up in meetings, and reflect on how you’ve grow not just what you’ve done. Let your team see your progress in real time. How have you adapted what you’ve learned? Growth over time is just as valuable as the final results. 8. Work on both technical and soft skills Yes - master the tools, write clean code, build the dashboard. But, also practice communication, time management, collaboration, and self-awareness. These skills will set you apart. 9. Build your personal brand on LinkedIn Connect with the people you meet. Share what you’re learning, showcase your journey. A thoughtful presence can leave a lasting impression and open doors. 10. Keep your resume updated Make weekly updates to your resume, write down your wins and impact while it’s happening. This saves time later and keeps your achievements accurate. Finishing strong isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It means being thoughtful, consistent, and intentional with how you show up. Let me know which of these help and share your own tip.

Summer interns, if you haven't done so yet, it's time to ask this question of your supervisor and peers: "How am I'm doing so far?" Seeking feedback. It's tough because it opens the door for constructive criticism. And you can dress that term up all you want, constructive criticism is hard to hear...if you're not viewing or hearing it as a tremendous opportunity. See below why feedback is so valuable and how to have this all-important conversation. Requesting performance feedback is important because: 1. It demonstrates your commitment to professionalism. Work performance feedback is a part of life. Weekly meetings, mid-year reviews, annual reviews. Willingness to engage in these conversations shows you're committed to developing your professional self. 2. Doing so allows you to develop skills you may lack and shows you're open to growth. If a supervisor suggests areas for growth, it's not because they don't value your contributions. It's because they know you have the potential to contribute more. A fantastic colleague or supervisor is going to engage in the "yes, and" conversation. "Yes, you've been doing a great job with (ABC). And I think that some areas where you could build your skills/knowledge is (XYZ)." "But Kelli, how do I ask someone to share what I'm doing wrong?" You don't. You ask for feedback on what you could be doing "better," "differently," "more effectively," "efficiently," etc. By now you hopefully have rapport with your supervisor and colleagues to understand their communication styles and what works best. Here are some openers that could get the specific feedback conversation started: 1. "Could you share specific feedback about my performance/work habits so far?" 2. "What are areas you've noticed I could improve upon?" 3. "One of my goals for this internship was to grow in (mention specific area - ie public speaking, concise writing, analyzing data, meeting deadlines). How do you feel I'm doing in that area?" 4. "I'd love feedback on the project I submitted last week. What worked well and where do you think I could improve?" 5. "I'm still getting used to asking for feedback and I know it's important. Could you share where I'm performing well and where I could be performing better?" One of my first jobs was at a call center, and my supervisor shared that my phone tone was too sharp. Ooof. Not gonna lie, I cried. But it stuck, because she was correct. I developed ways to work with difficult clients. I became a big believer in taking deep breaths (still am!). Putting people on hold (literally & figuratively) to take deep breaths made a big difference in my approach to the job and my performance. I'm glad I received that feedback! I'd love to hear any feedback readers received that helped them grow.

I used to think the hard part was nailing the first month at a new job. Then I watched my momentum fizzle out by month three. After lots of trial and error (and some bad performance reviews), I found three simple systems that helped me keep that early energy going. Cause bestie, motivation is overrated and there’s nothing wrong with you. We just need better systems (thanks James Clear and Charles Duhigg) Sharing them here in case they save you some of the stress I went through: ⭐ Schedule monthly 1:1s with your manager  Don't wait for annual reviews to find out how you're doing. Book recurring time to discuss: 💙 What's working and what isn't 💙 Your career trajectory beyond this role 💙 Skills you want to develop next quarter 💡 Tip: If you're in a 2-month internship, go bi-weekly. Short timeline = need faster feedback loops. ⭐ Post weekly learnings on LinkedIn Every Friday, share one thing you learned that week. Could be a new Excel shortcut or a leadership insight. 💡The accountability hack: Find an internship buddy or colleague to do this with you. Tag each other. You'll both show up more consistently (and build your professional brands while you're at it). ⭐ Continue weekly coffee chats Yes, even after onboarding ends. But here's how to make it sustainable: 💙Always end each chat by asking: "Who's one person you think I should meet in [specific function/team]?" This creates a self-sustaining pipeline. You'll spend less time cold-reaching and more time having warm introductions. ⚡ Takeaway: build better systems to build habits. Motivation is overrated (especially if you’re neurodivergent like me) 💚 Thinking of someone whose helped shape your career, especially when you were starting? Tag them and share the love! 💬 I’m also curious to know what's one system that's helped you maintain momentum in your career? Drop in the comments 💾 Save this for future reference 💛 Follow Sondra Y. for more Gen Z job search advice, tips, and stories #earlycareer #intern #recentgrad #forward #careerresources #genz #careeradvice

Recently, an Intern Solved a problem at ForeignAdmits and saved us at least $20,000🚨 Not through formal idea reviews. Not through scheduled meetings. But through our daily random 15-mins feedback sessions. That one suggestion saved us months of effort and fast tracked our business efforts. This is why I'm obsessed with feedback loops and collaborative working with a sense of FLAT hierarchy. Here's what we've learned 👇 At ForeignAdmits, we started with just 2 people. Now we're 20+. But one thing hasn't changed: Everyone speaks up. Every day. Not only on yearly reviews. Not only during quarterly check-ins. Real-time, no-filter feedback, no-conservativeness in idea sharing. The results? • Interns build and ship better products and faster than many Full-time Folks of other companies • Product iterations happen in days, not months • Team retention is 2x industry average • Innovation happens morr frequently in natural ways with frugality and speed But here's the secret: Feedback only works when it's a habit, not an event. We don't wait for standup meetings. We don't schedule "feedback sessions." See something? Say something. Right now. That's how our best features were born. That's how we caught our worst mistakes. That's how junior members become leaders. The math is simple: Daily feedback = Weekly improvements Weekly improvements = Monthly breakthroughs Whether you're 2 people or 200, Culture isn't what you plan. It's what you practice daily. What's your team's feedback rhythm? Are you waiting for formal reviews while golden insights slip away? Let me know 👇 PS - This is my entire Tech (Dev) Team with one key missing member. Can you spot who is Intern and who is Senior Dev. here?

🗣️ How to Ask for Feedback (and Actually Use It) Around the halfway mark of the summer, my calendar fills up with coffee chats. Why? Because interns want to know what advice I have for the second half of their internship. And I tell them all the same thing: Ask for feedback. Then do something with it. But let’s be honest - asking for feedback can be hard. Especially when things are going well. Every year, we have interns who are crushing it. Their project leads say, “You’re doing great! No notes.” Which… sounds nice. But it’s not helpful. So what do you do when there’s seemingly no feedback to give? 🔁 Reframe the question. Ask: What would taking this work to the next level look like? Ask: What skill could I stretch or strengthen in the second half of the summer? Reflect: Where do I feel less confident? Then be vulnerable and ask your manager how to grow in that area. And when you get that feedback? Use it. Implement it. Show that it landed. Turning feedback into action is one of the clearest ways to show growth - and one of the fastest ways to stand out. 🎯 Interns: What’s one thing you’re doing to finish your internship strong? 💬 Managers & early career pros: What advice do you give when interns aren’t getting meaningful feedback from their teams? #CareerDevelopment #Internships #Interns #Students #Feedback #CareerAdvice

Something I haven’t been doing enough during my internship: 👉 Asking for feedback. When your work feels a little more “task mode” or menial, it’s easy to just check boxes, submit the work, and say: "Alright, what’s next?" But here’s what I’m realizing: ✅ Checking boxes = you get stuff done. ✅ Asking for feedback = you actually grow. Instead of stopping at “I’m done” — here’s what I’m starting to do after each project: 🔎 Ask for feedback to learn from the work. - What worked? - What could be improved next time? 🧠 Brainstorm ways to add value beyond the task. - Are there parts I can automate or at least change the process to make it smoother - Is there a deeper analysis I can try? 💡 Propose ideas thoughtfully. Don’t wait for permission. Pitch small ideas and ask: "Would this be helpful?" 🤝 Invite my manager’s input early. Catch redirections before going too deep. Build a habit of open collaboration. The more proactive you are, the more you turn small projects into actual learning opportunities. 🚀 Take the initiative. That’s where you learn the most. Curious to hear: 👉 What’s one thing you wish you started doing earlier in your internship? Drop your lessons below — trying to build better habits as I go 👇 #internshiptips #growthmindset #feedback #careeradvice #learningcurve #studentlife #internshipjourney #professionaldevelopment