I’ve also taken part in more intimate knowledge sharing through company interest groups we call “chapters”. Currently, I take part in our front-end and writing chapters and facilitate the leadership chapter. To illustrate, the leadership chapter is a book club focused on leadership and management. In our meetings, we discuss lessons learned from each book and consider how we might apply them to our own management processes.

Being an engineer at EventMobi means building a platform for event planners to maximize the value of their events. By attending a conference, I’ve had the unique opportunity to witness our products in action. I was able to develop observational skills and practice gathering feedback from real users.

In your interviews, ask about the learning opportunities you will have outside of your immediate job description. You may find they are just as valuable as your main body of work.

Ask: Will I have enough time to develop as an intern?

Once you determine whether a company can provide you with a meaningful internship, you’ll want to consider some technicalities. One important factor is the duration of your placement. Your internship should be between 8–16 months long in order to truly learn about yourself as an engineer and beyond.

Think about the 6 stages of intern development. First, you will need to become oriented and comfortable in your new environment. Only then can you start digging to answer more meaningful questions. This process alone takes 3–4 months, meaning an internship period any shorter will not be very useful.

The internship program at EventMobi is 12–16 months long. The orientation stage is expedited by pairing new interns with an off-boarding intern for the first four months. The off-boarding intern is also provided with an opportunity to reflect upon and share their experiences, solidifying the knowledge they have gained.

Me lecturing Steph on the benefits of a micro-service architecture (or watching youtube videos who knows).

Conclusion

The important takeaway is that you are interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you. By asking the right questions, you can ensure that your internship will give you the right answers.

Thanks for reading! If you’re interested in an internship or full-time position at a company that believes in giving its employees opportunities to become paint drip people, EventMobi is hiring!