I teach courses on B2B marketing, research methods, marketing analytics, and sales management. Most of the students walk into my office to seek advice on issues related to their course work. Sometimes, they have different questions as well, like the one I faced a week ago; What should I do to convert my internship into a PPO? I did offer some advice to the student and we closed our conversation.
That set me thinking; it was a great question and a very positive attitude! I started putting together some of my thoughts around what makes an intern a potential employee. What are the key markers of such interns that managers keep looking for? There are no straightforward answers, but, seemingly a set of values, skills, and behaviors does enhance the odds to get a PPO. Some of these are discussed below:
1. Sincerity: Be sincere in everything that you do as an intern. Take your job very seriously as if you are going to make a big contribution. Let that be palpable to people around you.
2. Punctuality: ‘First in last out’ is a good idea. Be there on time and extend your work hours for meaningful engagements. Do not just hand around.
3. Enthusiasm: An intern must display excitement for learning opportunities. Complete each task with that spirit of learning and do not settle for anything less than a great output. Exceed expectations; that’s the keyword here.
4. Stretch: Managers notice interns who are willing to do more, beyond the set assignments. Look for such opportunities to help/assist your mentor in any of his/her projects. Can I be of some assistance; that’s a great attitude to carry.
5. Ask (intelligent) questions: Learn the basics on your own. Try and get information from published resources including company/customers websites. Ask questions to communicate that you want a deeper understanding. Take time and prepare your questions and do not expect ready answers. Offer your time if some data crunching or research is required to find answers.
6. Research Skills: If you did your research method course with full involvement ( you understand what I mean), you are carrying few important skills with you. Use these skills to surprise your mentors. Appear resourceful, gather data and generate insights. Help your mentor to do things with data that he/she wanted to.
7. Be Professional: Build relationships but respect the distance. Remember, the only way you can create value for yourself is by creating and delivering value for your mentor. You are competing with several other interns from different B-Schools; your winning mantra is to deliver superior value!
One more point: before you report for your internship ask this question to yourself; are you willing to craft a strategy to come back with a PPO? If your answer is yes, go ahead and work on your game plan. Those seven points would serve as guiding posts for you.
Best of Luck!
Markets and Conversations 
Wonderful!
We also look for students who exhibit “common sense” to quickly grasp the problem as well as the proposed solution and show the tenacity to implement. All in all, “Accountability” supported by “Response-Ability”!
Thank you, Sir. Am in exactly the same situation right now, and this is good advice.