Takeaways from my remote summer internship at Siemens DISW —Margaret Fox

This summer, I had the opportunity to work as a communications and marketing intern with Siemens DISW (Digital Industries Software). My role was full-time, fully remote and based out of my home in Pittsburgh, PA. Though I didn’t have the experience of going into an office every day, I was still able to learn so much during my Siemens internship. I honed my editorial writing and copywriting skills, gained research and presentation experience and conducted data analysis, all from my dining room table. If you need to know how to make the most of your remote internship or job, these are my top three takeaways from my time as a remote intern:

Takeaway 1: Don’t neglect physical well-being.
I feel that there is a lot of talk about how working in an office can negatively impact your body, but the same can be said of remote work. As a college student, I’m very familiar with frequent computer and device use, but being on a computer for 35-40 hours a week took some adjusting. I incorporated stretching and walking into my daily schedule to prevent stiffness. While working, I wore blue light glasses and strived to stay off my phone as much as possible during my breaks.

Takeaway 2: Don’t let emailing intimidate you.
One of the most challenging parts of my internship was handling the learning curve. Siemens DISW is an engineering software company, and as a journalism student, I felt out of my element. My position required me to contact different people with questions regarding products, strategy, research, or general information on the Siemens company. Sometimes, this meant I had to email someone I had never met to ask for information or advice. The key here was to be polite, specific and gracious. I always made sure to introduce myself and my role, explain the project/blog/research I was working on and keep my emails concise.

Takeaway 3: Reach out to people – everyone has something new to teach you.
Connecting with my team members and asking for help was also vital to my success as a remote intern. Because I wouldn’t get to meet any of the members of my team IRL, I put in the effort to make myself known; introducing myself during meetings and via email, connecting with people on LinkedIn and setting up 1:1 meetings all helped me get to know my team and feel more involved with our work.

Spending a summer working remotely comes with its own set of challenges. It can be hard to feel connected with the people you work with, and Zoom fatigue is 100% a thing. But if you are willing to learn from those around you, ask good questions, and care for yourself, you are well on your way to success!