Navigating a Virtual Work Environment
In mid-March, the COVID-19 pandemic took the nation by storm. Employees were sent to work from home and college students discovered a new type of college experience as they finished their spring semester online. For many, the pandemic has caused stress, anxiety, and confusion as we all were uprooted from our current lifestyles and began to make the change to what now is being called “the new normal”.
With summer right around the corner and internships set in stone, many college students saw their internship experience taken from them before they even had a chance to understand why. While some, unfortunately, were not able to get the experience they had anticipated, many companies began to look at alternatives. They focused on how they could potentially give students the ability to get real-life work experience while still protecting the health and safety of everyone involved. As COVID began to spread, the only option for many of these large companies was to shift from an in-person internship to a virtual internship.
At Parkside, they were challenged with the same situation, a virtual internship. As interns we were excited for this news, excited for the opportunity to learn, grow, and gain experience at Parkside despite all the changes occurring across the globe. As we began the internship, we were unsure of how it would all play out, and if we were going to be able to have the same experience when it was virtual and we were all working from home. As the summer went on, we quickly realized that we were getting more out of a virtual internship than we ever expected.
Virtual internships and working from home may not sound the most appealing, but it also has its perks. As our office desks became our kitchen tables and our coworkers became our pets, we quickly realized how much the internship had to offer. From meetings with our mentors to socially distanced picnics in the park, we were able to find a way to still meet and interact with different Parkside employees that allowed us to ask questions, get to know the Parkside team, and overall get the most out of our internship experience.
As we continue to see changes in the way the world operates, we are seeing trends that point to the possibility of more remote work experiences in the future. We have compiled a list of our best tips and tricks to help you succeed in your next virtual internship experience.
Be Patient
Patience is key in a virtual internship. Emails might not get a response right away, meetings may have to be rescheduled, and you might feel as if you have a lot of downtime, but it is important to be patient as many employees most likely have a lot on their plate and online communication can make things even more difficult. So, learn to be patient, even if it doesn’t come naturally
Don’t be afraid to ask questions
You’re in a new environment, you may not feel comfortable asking questions but an internship is a means of learning and by asking questions it allows you to be more comfortable with projects and overall enables you to better produce quality work.
Don’t forget to socialize
Interaction between employees and interns tends to become limited in a virtual environment, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. Remember you are still in a business setting, but it is important to still make connections with current employees to help you learn and grow throughout your internship. Lunches and meetings with employees also allows you to get a glimpse into the culture of the company, which is important if you are considering working for the them in the future.
All in all, working a virtual environment brings a variety of challenges, but overall they are a great experience and allow for individuals to continue learning and growing even during these unprecedented times. They give you flexibility and a chance to demonstrate your ability to work independently, and they are also great preparation for the real world.
