Your internship is ending. Soon you'll be packing your bags for school. Don't forget to pack up your experience too. Hopefully, you'll leave the job with more than a company name on a resume. You want proof of your hard work. You need samples.

Make this the final project you do with your supervisor. If you didn't have the best relationship with your boss, talk to a co-worker you really connected with. Don't raid corporate files, pulling up confidential info that may get you in trouble.

• Get electronic images of the project in its final stages. I think PDF or JPEG files work well, because of the universal readability. If the project won't be completed before you leave, make arrangements to contact someone for it later. Even if your contribution was small on the creative or account side, you still worked on it. Just be honest about your efforts in your portfolio and on your resume.

• Get letters of recommendation. If people were singing your praises all summer, get it in writing. Have them post it on your LinkedIn profile, so the reference is always available. If someone actually types a letter, then scan it and create an electronic file that you can easily send or place with your work.

• Build a contact list. Put LinkedIn to real use and not as your corporate Facebook page. Your co-workers are the people that can help you with real job leads in the future. If you don't have a LinkedIn account, create one after you read this.

• Make plans for next summer. If it was a great experience, talk to someone about a repeat performance next summer. My junior and summer years of college were spent at the same agency internship. Companies want to hold on to their potential superstars. You now have your foot in the door, don't get replaced by a new eager face.