Intern Guide: Be All That You Can Be

by Michelle Garcia

You mailed in your application, breezed through the interview, and got an acceptance letter. Congrats!

Now, what?

An internship is like a little peek into your future, if you get a gig that is related to your field of interest/study. In fact, you may want to think of your internship as a 3-month job interview -- or at least a way to get a fantastic letter of recommendation. Before you stumble while trying to put your first foot into the door of your career, here's a few pointers to keep you safe from being water cooler fodder.

"The best intern I ever had didn't know … about news. She didn't read the paper. But she tried. And she was diligent. She came in on weekends. She was like this clean slate, this sponge that was soaking up every bit of information she could." - Tabitha Soren, former MTV News anchor

Firstly, I suggest reading up as much as possible on the place you're going to intern, if you haven't already. If you're going to work anywhere, it's important to learn the history (when did they start? who were its founders? what is their mission or vision?). Find out what kind of accomplishments they have made in the past few years. If you're going to work at a publication, read the last few issues thoroughly if you don't already. This way you can spend less time catching up and more time getting your hands dirty. Lobbyist or activist organizations probably has a list of their accomplishments or ongoing projects featured on their website. Companies likely have lists of clients or a specialization that they work off.

If you want to go even further, learn about your employer's competition or the industry at large. Every industry has a trade publication, newsletter, website, or blog that follows it. Go find it and pay attention to what's going on. Your professors may be able to lead you in the right direction if you don't know where to go.

"The most valuable thing you can get out of an internship is a mentor … so if you have a choice between a great institution and no mentor and an institution one-notch below in caliber offering you a chance to work with an outstanding person, take the latter." - Stuart Flack, playwright

Get to know the big wigs at your job. It may be intimidating at first, but if you offer to buy your department head a cup of coffee in exchange of 20 minutes of his or her time, they will remember that and you'll gain valuable information. Just don't lay it on so thick about needing a job, or something. You might come off looking as desperate as that ex you can't get rid of. I would wait a few weeks before pulling this sort of thing. Make small talk first, then move up to coffee... yeah, it kinda sounds like courtship.

This tip also applies to people who aren't exactly at the top of the ladder, but those who will keep their eye open for you. They may not be able to hire you in the near future, but they probably know someone else who can.

One of the problems with being an intern is that the excitement of working somewhere new certainly wears off after making a few too many copies. You have to stay optimistic, at least while you're at work. If you look like you don't appreciate your internship, you'll look like you're not willing to work hard in order to move up.

"A good intern is supposed to be like a good hairpiece: effective but unobtrusive." - Mark Green, former Public Advocate for New York City

Another way to look like you're apathetic is by turning down assignments and projects for no good reason. If you have a full plate and someone is asking you to do something you know you can't get to right away, let them know.It will take the pressure off from you while giving the person assigning the work assurance that you're not a flake.

But don't just turn something down because you don't feel like it or don't know how. It's an internship. You're supposed to learn stuff.

And if you're not being assigned work, ask for it. Don't sit there on Facebook all day (OK, maybe 10 minutes when no one's watching you). You may become attached to an interesting project that way. There isn't always going to be someone waiting to hand you an assignment -- you do have to be a little enterprising.

This all goes to say that at the end of your internship, you want to look like you actually accomplished something -- accomplishments you can put on your resume. Sure as an intern you might be stuck with making copies over the summer, but make sure you're able to use the skills you've honed in the classroom.

Also...

* Don't be afraid of asking questions. Just make sure that the answer isn't something you could have just figured out on your own.

* Adhere to the dress code. It's embarrassing when someone from HR has to come down to tell you that jeans are inappropriate for your work environment. If you're not sure, ask ahead of time or refer to the company manual.

* Never be late. Always be early. If your hours are 9-3, leave at like, 3:05 -- you don't want to look like you're aching to get out. And if you're sick, call. It's as simple as that.

* Don't be catty about your fellow interns or co-workers. You never know who is a blabbermouth.

* Thank you notes are probably the most overlooked tool in your arsenal of career success. Use them. Love them. Hand write them.

Comments

[Kandice Day]

I have been following your blogs on Interning, and wanted to thank you personally for them (sorry this isn't a hand written thank you). They've been incredibly helpful. Could you perhaps offer some specific tips to getting an internship at The Advocate? I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thank You
Hopeful Future Intern