For young people wanting to get a leg up in the labour market, an internship is often a way to get an edge.
But not all internships are the same. Some employers make great use of their interns, giving them valuable work experience. Other times, interns find themselves stuck getting coffee. Even if you find yourself in that latter situation, experts say there are ways to make the most of your time at the company.
Dan Richards, a professor at the Rotman School of Management, says one of the most important things an intern can do is build relationships with their co-workers.
A few years ago, Richards said he was advising a student during his summer internship at a bank who was determined to be the “most productive intern they’ve ever had.” He arrived early, stayed late and worked through lunch.
At the end of the program, Richards said the bank offered a job to a different intern who spent less time working but went to lunch with co-workers and played soccer with colleagues on Thursday nights.
“You cannot underestimate the role of relationships and investing in the time to build relationships,” Richards said.
Another crucial way to make the most of your experience is by asking questions, especially if an assignment isn’t clear.
“One of the big traps that students run into is they’re getting work to do but they’re not 100 per cent clear and they’re embarrassed to ask because asking will somehow signify a failure,” Richards said.
When they don’t ask questions, Richards said interns end up wasting time, which could have been avoided by getting clarification upfront.
While internships offer chances to evaluate different career paths, some students may find themselves without a clear role or opportunities to make a difference in the workplace.
If an intern finds themselves in a less-than-ideal situation, where they are filling out paperwork or grabbing coffee for the team, Richards said it’s best to complete the tasks they were assigned with a smile on their face, but should also take the initiative themselves to see what else they can work on.
“The whole idea is that you’re not waiting for someone to give you more work or better work. You can do the work you’re given, but then if you’re not happy with that, say ‘OK, what opportunities are there for me to make a positive impact?’” Richards said.
Tara Parry, director of permanent placement services at Robert Half Canada, said there are times when it is best to leave an internship, especially if the employee doesn’t feel psychologically or physically safe.
“You don’t have to put yourself through that, so if you are in a situation where you genuinely feel uneasy going into work because you’re afraid you’re going to get yelled at, or there’s somebody whose behaviour is just not appropriate, you don’t have to stay,” she said.
But if you’re just bored or don’t like what you are doing, Parry said it is best to stick it out.
“There will be periods of time in everyone’s career where you’re left sitting there questioning, ‘Is this really what I want to do with my life?’ And then the cycle changes, a new season happens, a new project comes in, and we all feel differently about our work again,” she said.
“Internships aren’t different; you might go through a period where you’re just really bored and you feel like you’re questioning what you’re doing. Stick with it, be resilient, find ways to stay engaged.”
For employers, Parry said they’d be well served to get interns involved.
“You can’t just bring them in and give them whatever and hide them in a corner. You need to bring them in and really engage with them if you want to get something out of it longer term,” she said.
Nora Jenkins Townson, the founder and CEO of HR consultancy Bright + Early, said compensation for internships can vary by company and industry.
Oftentimes, she said interns are able to get school credits through co-op terms, but “the better or more ethical internship programs who value their people and value labour, they’re still providing a small salary or stipend.”
“In some competitive areas like certain areas of tech … salaries can actually be pretty high for top interns. They’re really genuinely competing for these folks for their skills and the chance to recruit them later,” she said.
Richards said that over the past few years the job market has become more challenging for new entrants, so an internship is an excellent way to get your foot in the door.
“The data is very clear that one of the things that increases your chances of getting a full-time offer to start after you graduate is having done an internship,” he said.
“Sometimes that’s because you’ve worked in a role where you’ve built relationships, people know you, you know them; the risk of hiring you is much reduced by the company.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2026.
