Turning An Internship Into A Full-Time Job
How can my internship help me get a real job?
If you were a great intern, chances are they're probably going to want to hire you. Tell your boss "Hey! I had a great time." If any jobs become available, let the boss know. Tell your boss when you are going to graduate and what you want to do, so the boss has an idea to start looking. If you do a great job, there is a great chance that you will land a pretty good job when you leave college. Also, keep in touch with your boss. You have to express that you want to work there after college. Don't let the boss just come and find you.
Is it worth taking an internship in hopes of turning it into a real job?
There are certain jobs that require you to have work experience before you get that job. A great example is that in order to be a Hill Staffer on Capitol Hill you usually would've had to work already on Capitol Hill. So what a lot of people do after college is get an internship working in the Senate in Congress, and then it bleeds into a job. What is great is that everyone knows that you really want a job and everyone is in that same boat or they have been there. So, they're great and they will help you get a job.
What can I do to turn my internship into a real job?
How should I handle the awkward period between interning and graduation?
Clearly, especially if you intern at a younger age, there's a huge gap between when you intern and when you graduate and want a job. So the best thing to do is to just keep in touch. Send them an email every now and then. If you see that your boss or the organization did something great, email and say "Nice going!" If you have something great to share, email them that too. The other thing is, during your breaks when you come home, if your trip is in the home area, go pop your head in. Make a phone call. Just keep in touch, but do it sincerely and honestly. And don't just keep in touch for the sake of keeping in touch, because you're going to get a job because it doesn't really work.