AN INTERNSHIP or work experience placement could get your career off to a flying start as long as you remember the important things like coffee and doughnuts. Follow our five golden rules for making the right impression.
1. Befriend and be known
There is nothing worse than throwing your heart and soul into your work only for the lazy intern next to you to win over the whole office with that joke about the zoo with one dog.*
You'd think that working hard and being good at what you do would be enough on an internship. But it turns out you also have to talk to people and get to know them a bit, otherwise they'll instantly forget you - and your CV.
A new acquaintance is a new contact who may know someone who may know someone who may give you the job of your dreams. So look up from your laptop once in a while and make conversation. If you're very shy, just offer to make coffee. "Do you take milk?" "Do you take sugar?" See? Easy.
*It's a Shih tzu
2. Just say 'Yes'.
You’ll quickly become an office star if you just say YES' to everything - unless they're asking if it was you who broke the kettle.
When the office manager asks if you’ve got a spare minute to input some data, you may be tempted to shout "No! Are you insane? Of course I don't have a spare minute you evil witch. You've just asked me to process a tonne of invoices, stick labels on a thousand envelopes, pick up your dry cleaning and spritz the office yuccas."
Don't do that. Instead find an exceptionally polite way to say "no" which starts with the word "Yes." For example, you could say "Yes of course I've got a spare minute. I was just going to pop out and pick up your cappuccino, but that can wait can't it?"
3. Do stuff that YOU want to do
Be proactive - ok, flirt - with various people and be an all-round nice person. That way you will probably, maybe, eventually get to do something that you actually want to do. At an internship I did, I bustled over to another department, sat on the desk and got my legs out, and I ended up writing some book reviews for a different magazine. I was pleased because it was something I wanted to do. You never know unless you try!
4. Don’t be a child
I know you may have just left university and have lots of un-buh-lievable stories about house parties, but at an internship you’ll be treated like an adult so remember to pretend to be one. Ask questions if you’re not sure on something - that's why you're there. Try your hardest at the stuff you’re doing - turning up on time is a good start. And never, never lavish the office with stories about the time you went out and Jake got thrown out of the nightclub for throwing up everywhere and then you had a fight with the bouncer and went home and put washing up liquid in the kettle. You'll only embarrass yourself and others. Also, they will realise that it was you who broke the kettle.
5. Bring in doughnuts on your last day.
That's it. Any questions?
Photography: Sweetest Present by David, Bergin, Emmett and Elliott, Krispy Kreme by Shiokuma.
