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Getting Feedback

Feedback is your strongest tool for growth during your internship, and also the best signal you can use to gauge your chances of a return offer. Make sure you take advantage of it early and often!

Be clear about your goals

Make your goals crystal clear to your mentor and manager from the beginning. If you want a return offer, make it known! This transparency helps them understand what you're aiming for and allows them to give you feedback that aligns with your goals.

Being upfront about your ambitions can feel presumptuous, but I promise it isn't! It shows you're serious about the opportunity and gives your mentor/manager a frame of reference for the feedback they give you.

Start early, ask often

Don't wait until the end of your internship to ask for feedback. Start as early as your second week, once you've had a chance to do some meaningful work.

Regular feedback helps you: - Course-correct before small issues become big problems - Show that you're eager to learn and improve - Foster communication - Avoid surprises in your documented evaluations

I ask for feedback at least once a week, and also make sure to highlight how I'm currently applying previous feedback, as well as how it's going. It doesn't always need to be on your overall performance, for example I might ask for feedback on my code quality, presence in meetings, or how involved I am in the team.

Ask specific questions

"How am I doing?" is too vague and puts the burden on your mentor/manager to figure out what to tell you. Instead, ask targeted questions, e.g.

  • "Could you give me feedback on how I presented my design in yesterday's meeting?"
  • "Is this approach to debugging issue efficient? Or is there a better way I could have tackled it?"
  • "How could I improve my communication when I'm blocked on something?"

Specific questions show that you're actively thinking about your work and are open to constructive criticism. They also help your mentor/manager focus their feedback on specific areas where you want to improve.

Elicit constructive criticism

This can be easier said than done. People are often reluctant to give criticism, especially to interns they don't want to discourage. Here are some tactics that can help:

  • Self-evaluate first: "I think my weakness right now is . Have you noticed that, and if so do you have suggestions for how I could improve?"
  • Reassure them you're looking for actionable feedback: "I really want to grow in this area, so please don't worry about hurting my feelings."
  • Ask comparison questions: "How would a senior engineer have approached this problem differently?"
  • Look for patterns: If multiple people give you similar feedback, that's a clear signal of something to work on.

Don't take it personally

Feedback isn't about you as a person - it's about your work and how you can improve. When you receive criticism, make sure to...

  • Thank the person for their honesty
  • Ask clarifying questions if needed
  • Focus on what you can learn, not on defending yourself
  • Remember that the goal is to help you grow

Keep your ego and emotions in check. If you find yourself getting defensive, take a step back and remind yourself that feedback is a gift. It's an opportunity to learn and improve, not a personal attack.

However, people can be rude, condescending, toxic, etc. It helps to have a person on the outside to talk to about this.

Apply feedback visibly

When someone gives you feedback, make sure they see you applying it! This...

  • Builds trust
  • Shows you value their input
  • Demonstrates your ability to adapt and learn

Don't make people repeat themselves. If you keep making the same mistakes after receiving feedback, it signals that you're either not listening or not capable of changing.

Predict your performance reviews

By the time formal evaluations roll around, there should be no surprises. If you've been regularly seeking feedback, you should be able to predict almost exactly what your manager will say in your midpoint and final reviews.

Make sure to ask for substantial feedback at least 2-3 weeks before any major evaluation checkpoint. This gives you time to address any issues and demonstrate improvement before the formal review.

If you feel blindsided, that's either a red flag on your part or theirs, and you should do some self-reflection before moving on, or perhaps discuss it with your mentor in a non-defensive way.

Remember, the goal isn't just to get positive feedback - it's to get honest feedback that helps you improve. The best interns actively seek out the tough conversations that others might avoid, because they know that's where the real growth happens.