The Intern Playbook

The intern life has its perks. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Since working towards my 4 year engineering degree I’ve burned a few time outs to catch my breath, gain experience in the corporate world, and scheme a career strategy.

I’ve concluded that interning is a lot like a scrimmage. The purpose is to give the corporate leaders a glimpse of your skill set and insight to how you will react in real life situations. We all want to be successful, discover our passion, and land our dream job.

 

We play the intern game now to win later.

 

 As interns, we’re often thrown in the game without practice and are forced to rely on our own ethical judgment and analytical intuition. At first it feels like we’re wearing an oversized jersey and running around without any direction.  You walk into the office suited up…everyday… taking on new information, projects, and responsibilities until you eventually look down to find you’ve grown (a little) professionally.  When you place on that fitted jersey your performance and work ethic is representative of your school and most importantly, yourself.  Although company culture, markets, organizational structure, and industries are dissimilar…at the end of the day we’re all playing the same game. The rules of the workplace are established, however, as an intern there are chances to blow the whistle, pause, and turn mistakes into learning opportunities. As my summer comes to an end and I go back to school as a red-shirt senior, I want to hand down my intern playbook in hopes that you will play smart, learn from my blunders, and be drafted as a top recruit.

1.)    Smile. Most people would choose to spend time elsewhere… but you can’t. So be positive, thankful for an occasion to learn, and make the best of it!

2.)    Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. Yes, that means the threads you wear to Tin Roof or Wine Wednesday should remain in the closet.

3.)    Find a mentor. Having an internal alliance, role model, and cheerleader is critical. Find someone trustworthy and honest.

4.)    Never get a speeding ticket in the company car. Oops. Been there, paid that.

5.)    Say “thank you”.  This is the 2^nd most powerful word combination in the work place. The first is “free food”.

6.)    When responding to a mass email, avoid hitting “Reply All”. Ain’t nobody got time for that. This is the quickest way to make you look like a newbie.

7.)    Take time to form a relationship. Even in the most analytical jobs, work is about people. Find a way to make a personal connection with your co-workers and let them know that you genuinely care about them. We are all human, even your boss.

8.)    Be professional.  Gossiping, over-sharing about your weekend adventures, stalking your friends and enemies on Instagram, allowing your “Sex and the City” ringtone to chime during a board meeting, taking two hour gal pal lunches, and bashing previous employers are all a fantastic way to make an impression! …and find yourself stagnant on the bottom rungs the corporate ladder.

9.)    Speak up. Your fresh, innovative, “Generation X” ideas are valuable.

10.) But…know your place. At the end of the day, you’re still an intern so don’t act like a know-it all, smarty pants, whiz kid, or as if you already received the Nobel Peace Prize. You’re effort in school is respected and the company already believes in you. Be humble- you’ll be in a full-time position soon enough.

-jpr