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I recently finished my summer internship and wanted to share a few things I learned about interning remotely.
big picture: interning remotely / onboarding remotely is hard, being proactive is key, but you can get a lot out of it.
a thread
big picture: interning remotely / onboarding remotely is hard, being proactive is key, but you can get a lot out of it.
a thread
1/ Some background.
I’ll be a senior @WUSTL in the fall. I was at JMI Equity this summer, a growth equity firm investing in leading B2B software companies.
JMI’s team is split between two offices: Baltimore and San Diego. I’m based in NY but was working w/ the Baltimore team.
I’ll be a senior @WUSTL in the fall. I was at JMI Equity this summer, a growth equity firm investing in leading B2B software companies.
JMI’s team is split between two offices: Baltimore and San Diego. I’m based in NY but was working w/ the Baltimore team.
2/ Putting a cold email to work.
I landed the internship by cold emailing JMI’s head of talent last summer with a short blurb about why I was interested in JMI + my resume. A few days later, I had my first interview w/ the team — it was via Zoom.
I landed the internship by cold emailing JMI’s head of talent last summer with a short blurb about why I was interested in JMI + my resume. A few days later, I had my first interview w/ the team — it was via Zoom.
3/ Zoom to the rescue.
I had a few Zoom interviews with the team and got an internship offer shortly afterward — I was psyched. JMI has been one of the leading software growth equity firms for nearly 30 years, and I can’t think of a better place to learn about the industry.
I had a few Zoom interviews with the team and got an internship offer shortly afterward — I was psyched. JMI has been one of the leading software growth equity firms for nearly 30 years, and I can’t think of a better place to learn about the industry.
4/ Keep in mind.
I never met anyone from the team during the interview process. I still have not. I thought it would be weird not having met any of the team in person (and it was to some extent), but @Zoom is incredible for this.
I never met anyone from the team during the interview process. I still have not. I thought it would be weird not having met any of the team in person (and it was to some extent), but @Zoom is incredible for this.
5/ Being proactive is key.
I set up Zoom calls with most of the team during my first two weeks on the internship — this helped me learn, get to know the team, learn more about the JMI culture, and get projects to work on.
be proactive — it goes a long way!
I set up Zoom calls with most of the team during my first two weeks on the internship — this helped me learn, get to know the team, learn more about the JMI culture, and get projects to work on.
be proactive — it goes a long way!
6/ Onboarding is tough.
remote work (more importantly, remote onboarding) is difficult, especially when both you and the company you’re working for haven’t done it before.
know that it may not be 100% at all times and work to make it as seamless as possible.
remote work (more importantly, remote onboarding) is difficult, especially when both you and the company you’re working for haven’t done it before.
know that it may not be 100% at all times and work to make it as seamless as possible.
7/ Ask questions.
onboarding is (generally) more difficult in a remote setting. As questions pop up, ask them!
don't be afraid to reach out to your boss or anyone else in the organization with questions — the team is a resource for your learning.
onboarding is (generally) more difficult in a remote setting. As questions pop up, ask them!
don't be afraid to reach out to your boss or anyone else in the organization with questions — the team is a resource for your learning.
8/ Focus on learning.
pick a few things that you want to learn during the internship / job and make sure you learn those things, whatever they may be.
focus on learning and growth, not what you know & can do today.
pick a few things that you want to learn during the internship / job and make sure you learn those things, whatever they may be.
focus on learning and growth, not what you know & can do today.
9/ Be productive.
in a remote setting, it's easy to get distracted.
limit distractions.
set yourself up for success by creating an environment that you can work productively in. You may need to play around with a few settings to find what works best for you.
in a remote setting, it's easy to get distracted.
limit distractions.
set yourself up for success by creating an environment that you can work productively in. You may need to play around with a few settings to find what works best for you.
10/ Some of the things you miss w/ remote work.
in-person social interactions
seeing your team’s work habits
watching over your boss’s shoulder
figure out how to combat these losses and boost productivity, learning, and overall effectiveness.
in-person social interactions
seeing your team’s work habits
watching over your boss’s shoulder
figure out how to combat these losses and boost productivity, learning, and overall effectiveness.
11/ Making it work.
in an office setting, you will have learning opportunities thrown at you.
working remotely, this is not often the case.
this is where being proactive is key. But, it is important to also find intrinsic motivation and interest in your work.
in an office setting, you will have learning opportunities thrown at you.
working remotely, this is not often the case.
this is where being proactive is key. But, it is important to also find intrinsic motivation and interest in your work.
12/ Looking ahead.
I know a lot of students are planning to take gap years / semesters this fall.
to people looking to intern remotely during this time, hopefully this thread can be helpful.
(s/o @hiatuswork @remotestudents @davidb1230)
I know a lot of students are planning to take gap years / semesters this fall.
to people looking to intern remotely during this time, hopefully this thread can be helpful.
(s/o @hiatuswork @remotestudents @davidb1230)
13/ If you are (or were) interning remotely or have recently onboarded remotely for a full-time role and have anything to add, please do so
