7 Ways to Improve Your Analytical Skills to Help You On Your Internship

If you’re thinking about starting an internship, chances are it’s because you want some experience. But what about preparing for it by honing your skills beforehand?

Though you may have exhausted all your creative energy and mental prowess during your studies, why not brush up on some skills? 

We know that napping is more appealing. But adding a few more skills to your bow before you start your internship will equip you with even more experience. Plus, you can impress your new colleagues!

Many graduates find themselves feeling stagnated after their uni days are over. In fact, for many, this can translate into passivity.  

Maybe you haven’t figured out the exact career path to take on? Sure, you may have chosen an internship, but you might not know which area of the industry you want to take on. 

More often than not, it’s the scenery that needs changing. But while you’re waiting for your international internship to begin, give your brain a workout. There’s an endless list of brain games to keep your gray matter in shape before going ‘out there’.

It’s very likely you’ve naturally harnessed analytical skills in high school or university without realising. Solving quadratic equations, producing a history report, writing an essay – all of these build your mental strength.  

And this is why employers of all industries put a greater-than-ever emphasis on acuity and creativity. 

For example, the keen eye of bank tellers, must fish out forfeit currency. Whereas chemists must analyse and compare compound stability. And content writers must take into account all sorts of grammatical variables. As well as, analyse complex ideas in order to summarise and write about them.

To really get to grips with the analytical side of your brain, follow these tips. Start your internship with better analytical skills.

Brain games aren’t just for the older folk. While scientists remain undecided about the benefits of mental exercises like learning a new language, playing chess, or solving crossword puzzles. These can all keep your mind active and avoid the urge to simply nap. 

It is true that many, as Dr. Brody-Magid observes, “don’t use these skills as actively as they age, especially if they have left the workforce.”

However, as she explains to Harvard Health Publishing, “learning to use your brain in response to other forms of stimulation can help strengthen valuable mental skills.” 

Keep your mind sharp by reading up on journals related to the internship industry you will be working in. Reading stimulates your brain and your newfound facts might make for some excellent conversation starters with your new colleagues.

Alternatively, start a course on a related subject. There are many great free learning resources out there such as Future Learn. 

Why not learn something that requires you to use those analytical muscles? How about one of the most profitable skills of the 21st century: Coding.

There are plenty of resources around to help you learn how to code. However, Code Monkey is a game designed for both adults and children alike. It turns coding into a game – so you won’t even realise you’re strengthening your analytical skills!

Stepping a level higher, you can get quite focused with your choice of programming language. CSS Diner is another simple but addictive game that will guide you from the through to more complex problems needed to kickstart your new web design hobby. 

Of course, if you’re planning on an international internship, you might also consider learning a new language – or brushing up before you go. Look to your location choice for inspiration. 

Consider picking up a phrase book or downloading an app. With the basic phrases out of the way, you’ll feel confident the moment you land and start your internship. 

Not to mention, your new employer will be very impressed with your dedication and it will be easier to make friends.

Some 2400 years ago, the Greek philosopher Plato thought that the act of writing will “implant forgetfulness” in people. And, as a result make them rely solely on the written word. In today’s world one could argue that this is very true given our reliance on Alexa, Siri or Google!

In fact, authors like Stephen King believe that “a journal is a good way to immortalise bad ideas; as good ideas tend to stay.” 

Keeping a diary is a good way to reflect on your life. As well as analyse your daily triumphs and failures.  

On top of it being a healthy habit, writing simultaneously activates key parts of the brain.

Scientist Martin Lotz has observed how a writer’s occipital lobe lights up when one brainstorms ideas. This is the part of the brain which helps with visualisation. 

During the act of writing, the hippocampus and the front of the brain become busy. 

According to Lotz, “these regions [gather] factual information to include in the story and [sort] through the different characters and plotlines available to the writer.” 

In fact, the study portrays the brain as a vital creativity muscle, which requires constant exercise and even hardcore punishment – like reading Thomas Pynchon, the philosopher Kant or writing a haiku. 

This is likely something you are probably already perfecting. The miracle of audiobooks and rising popularity of podcasts can keep your analytical brain in check.  

It may seem low-demanding, but listening to dialogue on a particular subject does not only enhance your auditory memory but makes you attentive to different accents and speech patterns. Ideal for someone about to embark on an international internship, wouldn’t you say?

There are over a million podcasts available on iTunes and Spotify. For an added bonus, search for one on internships or in your future field of work. Podcasts will often feature and interview experts in industries. So you’ll be sure to find one you’ll enjoy.

You might be surprised to learn that this one you can practise at home. Philosopher Socrates perfected this art and many around him believed that it kept his mind sharp. 

In fact, Socrates was so prolific at critical thinking that it came to be known as Socratic questioning or the Socratic Method. Critical thinking is a self-reflective and self-investigative process. It helps overcome egocentrism and can open your mind to differing or opposing viewpoints. 

Thanks to critical thought, the white noise of saturated media will decrease. As you find yourself about to embark on discourse with anyone and be critical of information.  

Applying critical thinking is what Professor Sherry Moss calls defensive pessimism. And it is often used to increase productivity in anxious people.

You don’t have to pull a Jerry Fletcher from Conspiracy Theory. But definitely keep an open eye for fake news, misinformation, and fishy legislation mandated by the lizard people.

Nuclear fusion has never been easier! In fact, even 12-year-olds can do it. One boy became the youngest person to successfully create a homemade fusion reactor earlier this year.

The point about the above is not to limit your capacity to learn and to encourage you to keep on learning. 

Remaining inquisitive about the surrounding universe has been studied as an integral stimulus for brain activity. 

A study at University of California uncovered key benefits of excited curiosity. First, when you’re curious to learn about something you will naturally absorb it, learn it and absorb the information. 

Second, when the brain is stimulated through curiosity, it releases the chemical dopamine – which is our brain’s reward circuit! That’s why it often feels good when you learn something new.  

Lastly, curiosity motivates our learning. When we learn, it increases activity in our hippocampus. An area of the brain which helps to form new memories. And one which will receive a workout when you start your internship – perhaps that’s an extra incentive to keep it primed!

Younger generations are often called a bookless generation. But we still read! In fact, reading is our main tool for survival in the internet age. Everywhere our eyes are invited to read this and click here, so we must be readers, right? 

To incorporate basic reading into your analytical skills depository, read before you go to bed every night. 

For even more of a workout, try and dig deeper into any text or book you read. Consider the year it was published, what came after or the overarching plot if there is one. 

Even think about how you would fictionalise a piece of nonfiction writing.

Such ponderings are important when developing analytical thinking skills. Mainly because they push you to original or out of the box solutions to problems.

Novel experiences are the best opioid your body can take. 

The substantia nigra/ventral segmental area (or SN/VTA for short) in your midbrain acts as the “novelty centre” of the brain. And it responds to novel stimuli by releasing dopamine. 

The ‘novelty centre’ is tightly linked to the memory part mentioned above, so in general – experiencing new things polishes your memory, and simultaneously rewards and motivates you! 

The good news is, you’re already taking a step in the right direction as you embark on your internship!

If you’re still undecided about whether an internship is right for you or if you have any questions, get in touch with us at Beyond Academy. We’ll answer your questions and help you to improve your analytical skills through an internship!