We value our interns at Citrix. Their work matters to us, their fresh ideas and perspective have real impact, and they return to college with skills that will be valuable as they grow their careers.

As COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to impact people and organizations around the world, the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners, and communities remain our top priority.

As a result, we have transitioned our in-person Internship program to a fully remote program.

We are grateful to be able to provide a virtual internship experience this summer for more than 100 remarkable college students from all over the world. Our interns will work across Citrix in Sales and Services, Engineering, Security, Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Product, and more.

Working remotely can be a challenge, especially if it will be an intern’s first work experience. But we’re enabling all our interns with the right tools and resources, assigning them mentors to assist throughout their journey with us, and encouraging managers to build connections with their interns remotely to replace face-to face interaction.

We even have former Citrix interns who are now full-time employees extending their assistance and sharing their pro tips on navigating the Citrix experience. There will be weekly virtual events throughout the summer such as coffee chats, a Citrix executive leadership series for interns to “e-meet” our leaders, and virtual volunteering opportunities. We also have Intern Social Coordinators, who are available on demand for our interns and who will plan touchpoints and virtual events throughout the summer.

While we’re a little sad we won’t see our interns roaming our offices around the world, we’re thankful to be able to provide remote internships.

I caught up with Dominique Monserrat, who has been working remotely as intern while attending Wesleyan University and is returning this summer, to talk about some things she has learned from her experience. Check out her blog post from last summer about her Citrix internship experience.

What makes you most excited about the Virtual Internship Program?

I am excited to experience working remotely full time! As evidenced by the current state of the world, working from home is not only possible, but can be essential. I feel so lucky to be able to learn how to effectively work from home before I even enter the workforce after graduating.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve experienced as a remote intern?

When I first started the remote internship, I had to learn how to set expectations for when projects would be completed. It took a few weeks to find a good school-work balance. Figuring out how to judge how long something would take in the hours I had available, and then be clear in communicating that to team members, was something I struggled with. I needed to adjust to the difference in output from working 40 hours a week, like I had over the summer, to only 15. The shift in priorities was a challenge, too. Over the summer, my priority was Citrix, but as a part-time intern and full-time college student, my priority is always school. Unfortunately that meant sometimes I had to put aside work to be successful in school, but my manager and team were really understanding and supportive.

You’ve had traditional and remote internships with Citrix. What advice would you give to college students doing remote internships this summer?

Communicate, communicate, communicate! It is so important to be an active member of your team, and the only way to do so is to keep everyone informed about what you’re up to. Ask questions, and don’t be afraid to tell your manager if you’re struggling with something. Since classes went online due to COVID-19, I had some difficulty adjusting to my whole life suddenly being on a computer screen. My manager was incredibly understanding and helpful during this period, and it reminded me of the importance of keeping up a solid line of communication.

Learn more about internships at Citrix and our culture.