The starting day of my first corporate internship was a comedy of errors.
Photo: tvmedia.ign.com
In preparation for the big day, I purchased some classy new business clothes. I read over e-mails with starting day information several hundred times (maybe I’m exaggerating) to make sure I didn’t miss anything vital. I had no idea what to expect, my excited nerves turned into a sickening ball in the pit of my stomach, and I wanted nothing more than for everything to run smoothly.
Despite my efforts, the morning went a little something like this: after a restless night of sleep, I woke up late, broke the button on my new blazer, spilled on my skirt, changed into a ridiculous outfit, rushed to put make-up on (turns out “clown” was not in that season), then jumped in my car to find that my engine was flooded. Somehow, the car started, but was making sounds like a drowning dinosaur and the speedometer was completely dysfunctional.
Ignoring all signs that I should abandon the idea of getting to work on time, I forced the car into drive and kept it in motion with an interesting maneuver that involved both feet and stomping. I stormed into the office, out of breath, searching for any glimmer of hope that no one would notice my exasperation, but of course had no luck. I had driven to the wrong building. After quickly hopping back into my sad excuse for a mode of transportation, I made it to the right place.
For someone unfamiliar with an office, as I was, it seems like a strangely sterile world filled with peculiar buttons, foreign jargon and unnatural procedures. While desperately trying to keep my cool and work off the stress of my morning, a hundred strange words were being thrown my way as I shook hands and practiced the trusty smile-and-nod.
Finally, I landed in my cubicle and was left alone to get started. Before I could take a second to get it together, I realized I hadn’t written down the new log-in password. After three failed attempts to log onto my desktop, a friendly “Access Denied” message flashed across the screen in bright red. Embarrassed and fed-up, I called my manager and she reassuringly told me to simply call “Help.” It seemed easy enough. I looked online, in my welcome packet, and even in the phonebook, but nowhere could I find an explanation for how to call.
At this point it was just insanely ironic that I couldn’t find “Help.”
I sheepishly asked an employee in a neighboring cubicle how to log-in, and she smiled giving me the same response: call “Help.” I returned to my cubicle feeling absolutely idiotic – was there something I was missing? I sat there for a solid five minutes fumbling around. This was going nowhere, so I got back up and asked straight-out how to call “Help.”
“Oh, that confuses everyone at first, just dial 4357 or H-E-L-P. It connects you to the service desk.”
That was it? All it took was a simple question, but because I was so nervous that asking a question would make me seem incompetent, I wasted time and further embarrassed myself.
This experience, while comical, exemplifies a problem faced by most interns: understanding when to ask questions. Had I bared the following ideas in mind, I would have avoided the situation entirely.
Photo: artbistro.monster.com
Confidence is key: Clearly, it is always important to remain confident with your work because we all know self-doubt hinders productivity, but I want to emphasize that it is also important to remain confident when you ask questions. When you deliver a question with confidence, you will feel and appear less vulnerable.
Be straight-forward: As the intern, your peers and employers expect you to have questions. Don’t hesitate to ask when you need help! Just keep in mind that the more straight-forward you are in asking, the more time you save in getting a direct answer.
Probing: Remember that questions begat questions. Keep asking or probing to get the most information at one time, and to minimize the number of times you have to go back and ask more questions on the same topic.
Be prepared: Find as much info as you can and then go in asking questions on specific points. It shows you did your homework and doesn’t put the onus on your manager to “spoon feed” you all the information and background. Make it known when something is unclear or misunderstood because if you allow yourself to be vulnerable, you will learn more.
Quality over quantity: Often times, people rush to ask questions the second they arise. It’s important to avoid frequently asking petty questions because, to be honest, nagging is annoying and you’ll seem incapable. But if you find yourself regularly coming up with a lot to ask – that’s okay! Rather than constantly asking, I suggest collecting your questions on a notepad and approaching your manager with “points for clarification.” And, chances are, you’ll answer some of the questions you jot down for yourself before turning to someone else!
Take notes! Write it down and ask what acronyms mean or get correct spellings on technical works in your industry.