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Mid-December means three things for Ed: That he needs to kick his holiday shopping into high gear, that he really should buy a cable knit hat with micro-fleece lining, and that he needs to remind you how to properly wrap up your internship. After all, Ed is very staunch on making a good (and lasting) impression on his editors and knows that any connection you can keep moving forward is essential to your career. Here's his list on what you need to do before you hand in your ID card.

April showers bring…internship completions! (At least that’s how Ed thinks the saying goes.)

Ed is very staunch on making a good (and lasting) impression on his editors and knows that any connection you can keep moving forward is essential to your career. Here’s his list on what you need to do before you hand in your ID card.

1) Ask your editor to coffee. If you haven’t done this already, you should. It’s a great way to grab some downtime with him/her without the interruption of line sheets, samples, and drafts shuffling around. You can also pick his/her brain about their career path, get information for your end-of-internship paper, and update them on where you are and where you’d like to be in your career once you graduate. If he or she is too busy, or the coffee shop is too far away, offer to bring a coffee to them. (Who can turn down free caffeine?)

2) Polish up your resume. You may have already added your current internship to your resume in order to apply to spring internships, but Ed thinks there’s always room for improvement. So before you close your laptop (for academic stuff) for a few weeks and head home, add your points while they’re still fresh in your head. You can even ask for a few pointers from your internship supervisor, since he or she will know best on what tasks to highlight and how to translate your duties into eye-catching details. Ed offers an online resume critique. Learn more here.

3) Gather a few interns for lunch/dinner. Even though your editors are the ones who have the power to hire you, you shouldn’t look at your fellow interns as dead ends. Those who are in the same boat as you are absolutely essential to your professional network, since everyone will go to new titles in the spring and will be your support system come graduation. (And hello?! More people to take to Ed’s Happy Hours!) Send out an email to a few interns, or ask around to see if anyone is available to head down to the cafe for lunch. If lunchtime is a no-go, meet for a quick dinner after work. Everyone might be a little more relaxed outside of the office anyway.

4) Buy nice thank you cards. Going to Papyrus and buying individual cards isn’t necessary, since the cost can add up, so investing in a nice box of blank thank you cards on heavy cardstock should do the trick. Be sure to thank your intern supervisor, your editor, and any other staffers who you felt a real connection with over your time there. Be sure to write these out a few days before so you aren’t scrambling to do them on the train, and hand them out on your last day.

5) Consider bringing in a small gift. Now, Ed isn’t telling you to go out and buy your editor a Kate Spade wristlet—you’re a struggling college student after all! But bringing in homemade brownies for the staff, or a Crumbs cupcake (just for your editor) can be a sweet touch (literally) to your last day.

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About Chandra Turner