Some call it pre-holiday season, but most of us undergrads know it as early internship season. Yep that’s right, people: it’s time to crank out the applications and brush up on those fantastic interviewing skills once again.
Just remember that when you do land that amazing internship, it’s important to not just be “another” intern. After all, they picked you to represent their company for a reason.
Of course, I know firsthand that internships aren’t always a walk in the park. Recognizing this, I’ve crafted this helpful list of advice in hopes of making the internship process a bit easier and less scary. I’m not by any means claiming to be the perfect intern, but I have picked up a lot these last few years, based on personal experience and supervisor feedback, that I think is worth sharing.
1. Ask questions.
It sounds so simple, but this point can’t be stressed enough. If your supervisor is vague or unclear with their directions, they will not murder you or think you’re ridiculously-stupid if you ask for clarification. It is worlds better to ask questions early on than to screw up a large project because you were too afraid of being “that annoying intern.”
2. Be a problem solver.
Your boss asked you to crop a bunch of images in Photoshop…but you’ve never cropped anything before in your entire life so you’re freaking out. Before sending her a panicky email, see if Google can solve the problem. Most likely, Google will become your best friend when interning (even more so than Mr. Vending Machine).
3. Only check your phone and social media accounts on your lunch break.
The last thing a supervisor wants to see is an intern constantly texting, watching Youtube videos of adorable puppies, or sending their friends huge emojis on Facebook chat. Take your lunch break to catch up on the web world and then only return to it after you leave the office.
4. Don’t be afraid to share your ideas.
Just because you’re a young and foolish (yadda, yadda) twentysomething doesn’t mean you’re stupid and your inputs are worthless. You were hired to bring something new to the table, so let those freshly-brewed millennial thoughts be known!
5. Show enthusiasm.
It doesn’t matter if your boss asked you to interview Cara Delevigne or organize all the lipsticks she owns according to shade: you must approach every task with a smile on your face and go-getter attitude. Why? A. No one likes a poop B. No supervisor wants to help someone with a bad attitude and C. They could probably find a replacement who would love the opportunity to organize her lipsticks according to shade in a milli-second. Every successful person has had to do grunt work before, so learn to deal with it.
Best of luck to everyone with their internships this upcoming winter and spring! Keep these things in mind and I’m sure you all will excel.
Follow Kayla on Twitter @ksk316
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Keep your eyes peeled for the new film Top Five starring Chris Rock in theaters December 12th.