If you’re currently an intern and making the transition to a full-time job, you might feel lost or underprepared. As an intern, you’re following instructions provided by your supervisor; however, in a full-time position, you may not necessarily be relying on someone else—the workload falls on you. As an intern, you often don’t know what to expect when accepting and starting a full-time position after graduation. Aside from your coursework and assignments, you might not have learned the expectations for your first job offer. Knowing what to look for can be intimidating for a college graduate entering the workforce, so here’s what to expect and look for when receiving your first offer letter. 

One area that might be unfamiliar to an intern starting their first full-time position is insurance and benefits. Assuming most interns are dependent on their guardian’s insurance, this is likely to be an intern’s first experience dealing with insurance. Here are a few questions you should ask about health insurance and benefits: 

• “Are health, dental, and vision insurance included in the company’s benefits?” Health, dental, and vision insurance are all standard insurance coverages for most jobs. It’s important to double-check with the company if they offer all three, and to follow up and ask what percentage of the insurance is covered by the company. For reference, 70% coverage is a standard percentage for companies to cover health insurance.  
• “What is the average out-of-pocket monthly cost for health, dental, and vision insurance for a single employee under a standard insurance plan?” Your insurance likely won’t be fully covered by your employer, which is why it’s important to know the percentage of insurance coverage. Once you have that number, you should have a general idea how much you should expect to be paying monthly, or how much is being taken out of your paycheck, for your insurance plan.  
• “When am I eligible for benefits?” Typically, benefits don’t kick in right away—usually you have to be employed by the company for about a month-90 days to start receiving benefits. This will give you the time to look over your options and select the best plan for you.  
• “What insurance provider do you use?” This is very important to know prior to accepting your first job! You should know the insurance provider to ensure your current doctors will be covered under your new insurance plan.  
• “How many vacation (PTO) and sick days do I receive every year?” Because you’re a working student, internships can provide a lot of flexibility with your schedule due to assignments, exams, and other school obligations. When you begin full-time, however, your job becomes your #1 priority, and you should know what to expect when taking days off.  Bonus: ask your employer if your PTO days roll over to the next year to make sure they don’t go to waste at the end of the year! And be sure to ask them if the PTO offered includes sick days, or if the sick days are counted separately—so you know whether your sick days will dip into your vacation time! 

Another area of unfamiliarity to an intern is salary pay. The switch from hourly to salary pay is exciting for a new graduate, but it’s important to know salary expectations for the position you’re interviewing for. You might not know what a low or high salary is, so here’s how to better understand salary expectations: 

• Look up the average salary for the position in your state. Though salaries vary from different companies, this gives you a good ballpark idea of what you should expect to be offered from the position. You can also get a good idea of salary expectations through Glassdoor or other online career resources. 
• Ask about bonuses. The salary might be less than you were anticipating, so it’s important to ask about bonuses. If the salary is on the lower end of the spectrum but the company has a bonus plan in place for your position, this can bring the salary up to your expectation or even higher.  
• Ask about opportunities for growth and pay raises. When accepting a job, you should know about the growth potential in the position. If there is no growth opportunity, you’ll be working in an entry-level position (and receiving an entry-level salary) your entire time with that company. This might halt your career goals and limit your potential.  
• Ask about your total compensation statement. Regardless of the salary, the company is still putting in additional expenses by bringing you onto the team. If your salary is lower than expected, viewing your compensation statement will show how much the company is investing in your employment.  

If this is your first full-time job, you might not know what to expect in terms of workload. Responsibility expectations are going to increase from your current internship, and it can be intimidating and overwhelming. These are great questions to ask in an interview with a company, but if you didn’t get a chance to ask in the interview process, be sure to ask your potential employer about the position, what to expect, and what your employer expects of you: 

• “What does a typical day/week look like for this position?” Job descriptions might not give you the full list of responsibilities and expectations for a position, so you should ask your employer what a typical day and week looks like so you can ensure you’re a good fit and prepared to accept this role.  
• “How can I contribute to this company’s success? / What are you expecting me to bring to the team?” Just as you expect your employer to be transparent about their expectations for the job, you should know what their expectations are for you! Companies will measure employee success to ensure productivity in their workplace. Ask what your employer expects of you so you can be prepared to start this role and perform to their expectations.  

Before accepting your first full-time job offer, it’s crucial to ask these questions to your employer so there aren’t any unwanted surprises down the road. Once you ask these questions and you agree with what the company is offering, it’s equally important to ask yourself questions about the job! This is your first career, and you should only accept the offer if you answer positively to the following questions:  

• “Am I excited about this position?” You should be excited about your first career opportunity. If you aren’t, you might lack the motivation to work hard and grow in your career. Make sure this is a position that excites you, so you can come to work excited and ready to put your best foot forward. 
• “Do I fit in with the company culture?” You should love your work environment and feel a sense of belonging there. After all, you’ll be spending most of your time in the office. Make sure you can see yourself fitting in with the company culture to ensure your overall happiness and avoid putting yourself in an uncomfortable position and work environment. 
• “Is this a position I am capable of holding?” After asking about the job and performance expectations of your employer, you need to ask yourself if you can truly see yourself in this position. There might have been some aspects of the job that you feel underprepared for or that you simply might not enjoy. Make sure you can see yourself holding this position, because you need to be capable of the job responsibilities to ensure top-notch performance.   

If you answered “yes” to these questions, then congratulations—you’re ready to accept your first full-time job offer!  

If you need any additional help in your job search and interview process, visit the Career Coach page on our website. If you’re an intern looking to develop real-world skills, visit our website for information about Intern Connect and remember to register to attend the event on June 15!