6 tips for interns working remotely

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This pivot has been a steep learning curve for management and staff who had not previously considered remote working as an option. It has required agility and ingenuity to make it work and to keep up levels of productivity, among the many other considerations that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought us.

It is against this backdrop that Life Choices Academy graduates were placed with host companies for their six-month internship earlier this year. Their internship coincided with the first lockdown restrictions. They had been a mere few days on the job when they had to work from home.

Ryan Geel is the head of placements and partnerships for the Life Choices Academy and he has compiled a few tips for interns in the tech industry who are experiencing their first taste of the working world while doing the job remotely.

#1. Set up boundaries

While you are putting your best foot forward and showing up, the last thing your new employer wants is an intern that is experiencing burnout. Working from home can blur the lines between the personal and the professional and more likely than not, our professional lives can creep into personal time if left unchecked. That’s why boundaries are important to maintain both well-being and productivity. Effective boundaries are best managed with tools such as a calendar or a log sheet where you are able to plan and track your work tasks according to a timeline so that you can meet deadlines. These tools will allow you to manage your personal and work time, allowing also for the exceptions that crop up based on project needs. Avoid multitasking where possible and keep focused on the task at hand.

#2. Remote workspace

It is crucial as an aspiring developer to set yourself up for productivity. If possible, allocate a space at home which you can use as your work office. Be vigilant about allocating your work hours to the workspace because when you leave your workspace, it will allow you to switch off so that you can recharge and feel energized for the next day’s challenges. Be creative about your workspace. For example, have a mascot or a plant or anything that personally inspires you. Ensure you equip yourself and that you have your necessary stationery within reach. This is crucial because the amount of time that gets wasted looking for a pen or paper adds up and before you know it, you have lost the momentum on a task and this increases stress. Get prepared.

#3. Connect

In a remote internship, you don’t have the benefit of physically meeting with colleagues as you might do in an office environment. It is essential that you reach out and engage with your colleagues while working remotely. It may feel daunting but there are ways to feel connected to the community of your work environment. Step out of your comfort zone and participate in group sessions where possible and engage with company culture in the way that the company promotes it, such as through staff meetings or company newsletters. Take the time to get to know your team, if possible see if you can spend a morning with a team member to virtually job shadow that person in a workday.

#4. Over-communicate

Always ensure that you are in a position to report your activities every day so that your mentors and line manager are kept up to date with your tasks. Talk to your mentor and manager about the preferred methods and tools that are best suited to report to them and make sure you use them to communicate often. Remember, your mentor and line manager are there to support you and they can assist you with challenges you might have but it is up to you to keep the lines of communication open and honest. For example, don’t struggle on you own with a task for days without asking for some form of guidance or assistance. It’s all part of the learning journey so don’t feel ashamed to ask for help.

#5. Eliminate distractions

“Say what, no Tick Tock?”. Yes, no Tick Tock or any other distractions for that matter during your work day because you would be setting yourself up to fail. Avoid social media during working hours and any other distractions for that matter. You might think that there is nobody there watching over your shoulder so who cares? But be warned that, it will show up in the quality of your output. If you need to take breaks, then take a quick walk in the garden or around your house but try and avoid distractions at all costs while completing tasks because they will negatively impact your productivity.

#6. Go the extra mile

You want to avoid being seen as just a number in a company so focus on getting your tasks done and then use your initiative to keep busy and add value. Be the team member that is always interested in what is happening in the company and is also looking for more work to do. However, be careful that its work that you can handle and not just more work because you are trying to impress someone. If new tasks or projects are few and far between, have a look at how you can assist your teammates. Another consideration would be to take the time to upskill yourself with new learning material and content that is specific to the company’s industry or tech stack.