It’s a workplace stereotype we’ve seen in the office and on the movie screen: co-workers (and co-interns, for that matter) inspiring competition in the office. We’ve all seen The Devil Wears Prada and Thirteen Going on Thirty and witnessed the portrayal of fierce female coworker rivalry. And while to a certain extent, that other editorial intern and you may be competing for positions during future job hunts… it’s no reason to bring out the claws in your cubicle. Get to know other interns in your workplace. You have lots to gain, including friendship and networking connections!
Since I commute forty minutes to my internship, I’m lucky enough to carpool with three other girls that attend my same university. It’s a big school though and we all moved in different circles. You’ll find out that it’s a surprisingly small world–one of the girls I carpool with designed the layout for a story I wrote for a campus magazine. Several months earlier, I almost subleased the same apartment as her. Another of the carpool girls went to high school in a town only fifteen minutes from my hometown. So in the midst of over five weeks of riding together to and from work, we’ve become friends. We’ve gone out together on the weekend. And we’ve held craft nights.
While it could be easy to fall into a comfort zone of hanging out with your carpool buddies or fellow classmates, it’s important to branch out at your internship as well. Be friendly and outgoing towards everyone you meet. Ask other interns if they’d be interested in grabbing lunch sometime–invite others to sit down at your table. This is the perfect time to take chances and make new connections. That intern you met at the meeting might be an
html maven. The girl across the hall might be starting her own magazine. Or your cubicle mate might be as devoted a blogger as you. Strike up conversations, get to know your co-interns and work to maintain connections. (Image at right: Me and my three carpooling girls/classmates/fellow interns.)
Take advantage of company-sponsored internship activities, too. Our company had an employee discount for a baseball game. Me and another intern planned on going together. We ended up taking the interstate exit to the nearest mall and shopping instead of going to the baseball game, but shopping and dining out was so much fun. Our company also held an intern luncheon with the CEO–it was a nice chance to meet the interns from the business and financial departments so far away from our own editorial and design groups. And most recently the company had a day at a nearby theme/water park. Nothing like riding the rollercoaster and hanging out in the lazy river with fellow interns!
Maintaining connections is more than just adding other interns on Facebook and “liking” their statuses. Add new friends and coworkers to your network on LinkedIn. But don’t forget to take social networking offline. Keep in touch on an in-person level. Grab lunch with the html mavel–maybe she can help you figure out that pesky code problem with your online portfolio. Chat up the girl across the hall–perhaps you can get in on her startup magazine. The more positive impressions you make and maintain, the more positive connections you’ll have when searching for an employer in the future. Even if you end up competing for the same position after graduation and she ends up landing it, if you’re polite, professional and personable she may keep you updated on new openings and put in a good word for you.
So smile! Be outgoing, friendly and open to meeting new people. You never know what friendships will prove to be valuable connections in your future!
I’m thrilled about all the new friendships and new connections I’ve built so far this summer. The girls I’ve come to know (my classmates, their cubicle mates, my cubicle mate, other interns) are all so talented and creative. I’m excited to see how their futures play out after this internship and I hope we can stay in touch with each other!