SO it turns out, fellow graduates, that it’s not as simple as we first thought, this whole getting employed malarkey. We can’t just sit around and wait for our dream job to come knocking and we certainly can’t expect employers to just let us through the door. Many of us end up interning to get our foot in the door and for me, it worked perfectly. But be warned: it’s a steep learning curve. Luckily for you, I’ve already made every mistake in the book, so read on and I’ll guide you through everything I learnt as an editorial intern straight out of university.
Good luck, young padawan.
1. It is okay to ask for help…and get it wrong
I spent my first few days googling everything and anything because I wanted to look like I knew what I was doing, but I quickly learned that just asking the people around me was easier, quicker and more likely to get me the right answer. You’re an intern, not a master of the universe, so you’re not expected to know everything. I got things wrong again and again, like how to work the complicated phone system. Instead of transferring the big boss through to an important telephone meeting, I hung up on them. I felt so embarrassed and crawling under the table seemed like the only option, but I stuck at it and now I’m more than happy to pick up the phone (but I’m still scared of the big boss).
If anything, asking for help shows that you want to learn and improve, and most of all, it shows that you’re human. No one loves a show off who thinks they know it all, especially if they really don’t, so don’t be that person! Get it wrong and learn from your mistakes and that’ll show progression. Every employer loves progress – trust me on this one.
2. Have a go at everything
Think of your internship as a trial-run at real life. It’s the time for you to try out new things and learn new skills. In my internship I began working across five different magazines, but I soon realised there was one that suited me better and one that I loved more than the others. When it came to talking about employing me, I knew what I wanted to specialise in and which magazine I wanted to work for. If I hadn’t tried my hand at it all, I could have missed out on what I really wanted. You might actually surprise yourself with what you like doing. Try everything and regret nothing!
3. Introduce yourself to everyone – don’t be shy
The one thing that really stood out for me during my internship was the difference between interns. In the company I work in, there are always four interns at any one time so there’s always an element of competition. We all had different ways of approaching work and the people we worked with, but those of us who did the best started by getting to know everyone in the office. We introduced ourselves and went out of our way to make ourselves known (in a good, sensible way of course, we weren’t over confident or arrogant).
But more importantly, even though I desperately wanted a job, (we all did) us interns all stuck together. We supported each other, we shared out the rubbish jobs and congratulated each other when our articles were published and magazines printed. The fourth intern kept away from us, always competing and sucking up to the people above us them. Three of us were offered jobs. I’ll let you figure out which intern missed out.
The moral of the story is: be nice guys!
4. Act like a pro
You might feel still feel like a student playing games and pretending to have a fancy job, but it'll be obvious if you act like one. At my company, answering the phones is an intern’s job. No one likes it, but it has to be done. You never know who is on the other end of the phone so I always put on my best telephone voice, be polite and as charming as possible (even if someone rang to complain or was just down right rude). We also had to collect clients and visitors from reception so I quite often had to make awkward small talk with fancy business people that frightened the hell out of me. Just pretend you’re very important too and don’t act like the intern they’re expecting. ‘Fake it til you make it’ is actually quite a helpful motto!
5. Absorb everything
You have to be prepared that your internship may not result in the start of your career. Unfortunately many internships are unpaid so it’s easy for employers to get rid of you and bring in the next keen bean. So make it worth your while, no one can stop you from taking everything you’ve learnt with you. Make as many contacts as you can and learn as much as they can physically teach you in your time. Hopefully this tactic will make you indispensable and make them wonder how they ever managed without you, but in the worst case scenario, you’ll have learnt from the pros, stolen their knowledge, and run off into the night to a bigger and better job.
Feel free to tweet me: @EmilybAdams
