About the Author:

Morgan Koth is a 2011 graduate of the University of Minnesota and summer intern for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Morgan documents her internship and life after college experiences each week in “The Internship Chronicles.” Be sure to connect with her on Twitter: @4goodmn

A few weeks ago I wrote about developing a ‘Personal Learning Plan’ in the Intentional Internship post, so today we are taking that one step further. Last week, I met with my closest supervisor to check in on my learning plan and make a few revisions. With the uncertainty of my internship developing into a paid position, I have started applying for positions at other companies. As I was looking at job descriptions for development work, I realized I was lacking a lot of the qualification requirements. For example, grant writing—an important aspect of foundation work—was listed as a requirement. Foundations need money to continue their programs, and they need people to write grant proposals to get them that money.

Grant writing was not initially included in my job description so I made the request with my supervisor to incorporate it into my internship experience. As luck should have it, the the marketing department needed someone to research potential grants, write proposals and apply for funding. So there it is!

First, I began researching positions I would be interested in and identified what skills I needed to gain to be a competitive candidate.

Secondly, I proposed to my supervisor the idea of incorporating a project that would fit my role while also developing grant writing experience.

Thirdly, my supervisor and I negotiated the terms into my internship position.

If there is a particular skill you are looking to polish or develop all together, I recommend mustering up the courage to follow the 3-step process I used to negotiate my internship experience.  I assure you that every good company wants your internship to be a positive and nurturing experience—so go for it!