Seven Insights for Students Who Want to Be Thoughtful Professionals
by Dr. Hendar Putranto
rephrased based on the transcript of recorded internship session via Zoom
Saturday, October 4th, 2025, 10.00 – 11.30 WIB
🪞 Preface
Every internship tells a story — but not every report manages to reflect that story with clarity and integrity. Writing your internship report is more than ticking off an academic requirement; it’s an act of self-interpretation.
You start learning to articulate what “learning by doing” actually means.
Drawing from a recent mentoring session with my students, here are seven insights on how to make your internship report not just correct — but alive, ethical, and intellectually grounded.
1. Keep the written traces of mentorship.
“Apapun komen saya itu jangan di-delete dulu sebelum versi final saya approve… supaya kelihatan bahwa ada jejak bimbingan.”
Every comment you receive is part of your growth. Don’t erase your supervisor’s notes too early; let them stay visible until your final version is approved. A report that preserves those traces becomes a story of guidance, revision, and maturity — a silent testimony that learning is never solitary.
2. Templates are your friends, not your enemies.
“Template itu membuat kamu lebih mudah untuk mengerjakannya… kamu tinggal ctrl-enter aja. Tidak akan membuat berantakan.”
Many students see templates as creative handcuffs. In reality, they’re your scaffolding. Templates save you time, protect consistency, and let your focus stay where it matters — on insight, not indentation. Creativity thrives within structure.
3. Avoid lazy observation — write with academic passion.
“Lazy observation itu artinya hanya ngeliat sebentar… tapi sebaiknya dilakukan karena ada rasa passion, academic passion.”
Don’t settle for surface-level description. Ask why things are done the way they are. Interpret what you see, link it to theory, question assumptions. Your report isn’t a diary — it’s a reflection of how your curiosity evolves into professional discernment.
💡 Observation without reflection is just surveillance.
4. Quote your real-world mentors — authenticity beats generality.
“Kutipan ketika bertanya lalu ada orang menjawab, itu adalah authentic voice… yang nggak bisa dibuat sama ChatGPT.”
Bring real voices into your report. A short, well-placed quote from your supervisor or colleague adds authenticity that no AI or paraphrase can replicate. You’re not writing “about” work — you’re writing from within it. Let those voices breathe through your text.
5. Skip the clichés — go straight to your industry.
“Kalimat seperti ‘media sosial telah membawa perubahan besar’ itu terlalu obvious… coba langsung ke deskripsi tentang industri tempat kamu bekerja.”
Avoid generic openings like “In this digital era…” — your readers already live in it. Start instead from where your internship actually happens: the beauty industry, F&B sector, creative agency, or tech startup. Anchor your writing in context; that’s how you demonstrate not only knowledge, but professional awareness.
✏️ Good writing zooms in; lazy writing zooms out.
6. Respect formality and ethics — even in details.
“Logo perusahaan itu nggak boleh kayak iseng dipamer-pamerin… kita belajar untuk menghormati aturan yang berlaku.”
Professional ethics live in the small things: citing your advisor’s academic title correctly, asking permission before using a company logo, formatting consistently. Precision is not pedantry — it’s respect. Academic writing trains you for ethical practice in the workplace.
7. Think like an hourglass — macro, meso, micro.
“Kalau istilahnya jam pasir itu makro–meso–mikro… makronya industri, mesonya perusahaan, mikronya pekerjaanmu.”
Organize your report like an hourglass. Start broad (the industry), then narrow down to the company, and finally to your personal role and learning. This structure naturally mirrors professional reasoning — from environment, to system, to action.
🪶 Every report is a narrative of focus: from the world to your desk, then back to the world.
🎓 Closing Thought
A well-written internship report doesn’t just prove you’ve completed a program — it demonstrates your capacity for reflection, integrity, and articulation.
As I reminded my students:
“Please don’t drag it into technicalities — creativity that’s accountable is what matters.”
So, the next time you draft your internship report, remember: it’s not just paperwork.
It’s your first published act of professional ethics.
