Internship Insight

By Sarah Parkinson Hider on September 13, 2012

While staring out of my apartment window, I admire the rolling hills of Athens and realize that the red, orange and yellow hues hanging from the trees means that fall has arrived. I look at the calendar, and it’s hard to believe that just like the leaves have changed in such a short time, so has my life. It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago, I was staring out of my New York City apartment in Hell’s Kitchen watching the sunset on the concrete jungle.

Walking down Fifth Avenue that fateful and frigid February day, “I got it!” fell from my mouth as I told my mother that I’d landed my dream internship. In that moment, I knew my life would never be the same as I’d be leaving Ohio and moving to New York, leaving behind my friends and family for a few months to work for one of the most well known international fashion powerhouses.

Fetching coffee, making copies and basic slave labor demands were the tasks I expected to perform as I pondered what my internship would be like. Luckily, my boss is among the few in the corporate world that gave me real work that actually impacted the company, which at times, was quite overwhelming. Okay, so I did make a few copies here and there, but I learned much more beyond how to change an ink cartridge and where the nearest Starbucks was. It was truly the experience of a lifetime.

Now I’m back at school. No longer an intern, instead a student. But I’m not the same student I was before leaving to chase after my dreams. I’ve now lived what I read about in my courses’ assigned textbooks. And it’s all because of embracing every aspect of my internship.

Here are my tips on how to be the best intern possible and in turn, grow in your career path more than you could ever imagine.

From flikr, by Songquan Deng

 

Be on time

If you’re on time, you’re late. Nothing makes a better impression than always arriving in a prompt manner. It shows your boss and co-workers that you not only take your job seriously, but you also make it a priority in your life. It sets the tone for the rest of the workday and allows you to focus on your job instead of biting your nails wondering if your boss noticed your tardiness.

 

Embrace who you are and where you come from

The cliché story of small-town girl moves to the big city seems like a fairytale. But it’s a whole different story when it becomes your reality. I lived in the same small-town in Ohio my entire life. I come from a place where there are more cows than people and we even get a day off of school for the county fair. When I started working with people who had roots in concrete cities where there aren’t even trees, I was extremely intimidated. No, not all of them were straight out of The Devil Wears Prada, but that’s not to say I didn’t encounter snide remarks and condescending comments. Whether you receive words of praise or harsh criticism, never take anything personally and always thank someone for taking time out of their day to help you.

 

Find the solution yourself

During your internship, you will hit a few bumps in the road and may get lost in unfamiliar territory. Although it’s easy to stop and ask for directions, it’s more satisfying and beneficial to do your best to find the solution yourself. Don’t get me wrong; don’t waste too much of your time and don’t make any rash executive decisions you are not qualified to make. But think about your options. Try them. And if they don’t work, tell your boss what you’ve tried, but that you require their help. They’ll appreciate that you don’t want to take time out of their busy day, but don’t want to create an even bigger problem by allowing your pride to interfere with your work.

 

Everyone is a connection

Never take anyone in the office for granted. Although you may not work directly under them, trust me, they notice you. I was lucky enough to work in the same office as the company’s vice president, which honestly made me nervous. I’d never worked directly for him, but always had friendly encounters with him, exchanging smiles and compliments. On my last day of my internship, he called me into his office to tell me that he appreciated my positive presence in the office as well as my work ethic as he handed me his contact information as an offer to help me find a job after graduation. So whether or not you think that big-shot CEO or pretentious president knows you exist, they probably do and could be a life-changing connection.

 

Embrace everything about your internship

The one and only regret that I have, is that the last few weeks, I took my time at the company and in NYC for granted. I never slacked on my work or became a hermit in my apartment. But instead of embracing all of the wonderful things around me, I focused on crossing off the days on the calendar until I went home to Ohio. I look back now and wish that I’d ran just one more mile in Central Park, thrown calories to the wind and inhaled one more slice of Gotham Pizza and drank one more cosmopolitan at my favorite lounge in Tribecha. Most of all, I wish I’d stopped looking ahead, and instead looked up. Looked up on Fifth Avenue, looked up in the Village and looked up in Times Square to remember where I was and how in that moment, I was living my dream.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format