5 Tips to Successful Remote Internships

As a remote intern for uloop.com and for a nonprofit organization called MMORE (Multiple Myeloma Opportunities for Research and Education), I have learned some important lessons about interning remotely. If you are planning to intern remotely for your organization (i.e., work from home), follow these tips to ensure success.

1. Stick to your established hours.

This proves one of the most important tips in achieving success during your remote internship. Once you figure out with your supervisor the hours you will work, make it a point to honor these time frames. Sticking to your hours will help your experience run smoothly, ensure you get your assignments done, and guard against the threat of procrastination. Pretend that you are actually going to your organization to work during the hours you established. Your internship should not serve as an opportunity to do your work “when you have the time.” Similarly, do not commit to an internship you do not realistically have time for.

2. Designate one workplace.

Remote internships create the illusion that there is freedom in selecting various work environments. Realistically, you could work from home for the first week and decide to work from a comfortable chair in the library the next. There is danger in this, however. Different atmospheres provide unique distractions. Pick one spot to work from, and think of this as your workplace. Imagine this one spot is where your organization is located. Changing your spot each week could make your projects and work ethic inconsistent. Thus, sticking to one work environment will lead to consistent, professional work.

3. Keep communication open.

Establish clear communication channels with your supervisor. This proves important because as you work remotely, questions will arise. You should also talk with your supervisor about your workload; sometimes it is easy to designate too much or too little work to someone who you do not actually see very often. In addition, be sure to consistently check your line of communication.  For example, if emailing is the best option for both you and your supervisor, check your email throughout the day; same goes for phone messages or any other types of communication. Stay vocal and stay in touch.

4. Ask questions.

While you will find that working remotely breeds independence, do not hesitate to ask your supervisor questions. Sometimes a problem with working remotely is that asking questions becomes a process, as you email your supervisor the question and have to wait for their response. Feel free to highlight the place in your document/project where there is a question and come back to that spot later. As time goes on, you will get into the flow of the organization and trust yourself to ask fewer questions.

5. Keep deadlines in mind.

Without a supervisor badgering you about deadlines, these significant dates tend to slip through the cracks. Do not forget when your work is due. Keep a calendar, take advantage of Post-it notes, or set email reminders to ensure you are keeping up with your deadlines.

Remote internships are great substitutes to working in person. Breeding independence and communication skills, remote internships prove a great addition to your resume and boost your skill set. Follow these tips to ensure your internship is worthy and rewarding.

Happy interning.