Soft Skills - Digital Literacy
“Dear intern, Please keep in mind that these data are sensitive. You used unauthorised data in your presentation!
We expect you to check the data you use before finishing a task.”
“Alert, source not verified”
Oh no! What is this again?
Feeling overwhelmed by technical problems and by all the demands in your remote internship?
I definitely felt this way sometimes.
That’s why improving your digital competences should definitely be part of your internship experience!
Building digital competences and knowing how to apply them to your benefit
are commonly understood as “digital literacy”.
Digital literacy is not only important for your remote internship but will also serve you well in your future career.
As a professional you should be able to prove that you are capable of doing research and thinking critically.
Knowing how to use different digital technologies and act in an online environment
is expected even more in a remote internship.
There you tend to do more research on your own and rely heavily on digital information.
Whether you are dealing with customer information or third-party media
be sure to check if the data you are planning to use is copyrighted or not.
If you are looking for graphics or visuals for a certain task,
Websites such as Pexels, Pixabay and Barnimages offer free stock photos and copyright-free pictures.
You can use them without worrying about copyright infringement.
Better pay attention to the copyright license whenever using other resources.
If you use data without the permission of the creator, it could even lead to legal issues, so be careful!
Know how to work with basic office software.
It is not only something you can add to your CV but something you should really master for your further career.
No matter which field you’ll be working in later in life, this is a basic requirement for many professions.
However, it is not only important to know how to use office software.
Knowing how to choose the right channel for your purpose is equally important.
During the onboarding process, it is essential to ask your supervisor right away
about the preferred ways of communication in the organization you are working at.
Are you unsure how to decide for a particular communication channel?
For example, for more complex issues and questions, it may be wise to choose video conferencing.
If you have a question about only one particular issue, you don’t necessarily need to request a meeting‚
just write an email.
If you need feedback on an urgent issue,
it can be most efficient to call your supervisor or the relevant colleague directly.
You should also be able to show that you can easily adapt to new technologies.
These transfer skills are essential in a digital working environment, where new technologies quickly emerge.
Get informed and stay up to date about online security.
Stick to well-known and verified sites and tools.
The technical aspect is just one part of your remote internship.
If you want to know how to build a professional network for your remote internship,
check out our video about digital networking.
You can also find more interesting facts and tips
for your best remote internship experience on our website.