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What to Tolerate
- Temporary spells of boredom
- Assignments that everyone rotates through
- Occasional menial tasks
When to Speak Up
- You've been waiting for more than 1 day for tasks
- A boring assignment extends past a week
- Other interns are escaping boredom
Who to Speak Up To
- Your internship/practicum campus instructor
- If your site has one, the Intern Coordinator
- Your mentor at the site
A realistic expectation for any internship is that boredom can occur. The most common reason is in timing: an intern arrives at the site before tasks are fully developed or the on-site mentor is called away just as the intern is arriving. The result is often that the intern is put "on hold."
The wise intern's best reaction is to have patience. Be certain that your supervisors know that you are in waiting mode, and then settle in for the wait. You may be offered a manual or two to read, or you can use the time on your own to fully explore the organization's web site.
Keep a good humor about the situation! Say "I'm eager to begin my tasks," instead of "I'm bored." Everyone at the site will appreciate your attitude.
The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at www.marybold.com
When is make-up a problem?
- When it's the only thing a client notices about you.
When is that a plus?
- When your client is a teen or pre-teen girl.
Female college interns are often warned to wear minimal cosmetic make-up on the job. Sometimes make-up can be a distraction or give the wrong message. But there's one circumstance when an intern's choice of make-up can have powerful positive effect: when the intern is working with young girls.
The opportunity to model good grooming. If you are working with an "impressionable" group, that means you will be the one making the impression. In American culture, appearance continues to be a primary concern for teen and pre-teen girls. Rather than fight what some critics call a materialistic or superficial mindset, you can use it to advantage. Think about what messages your clothing, hair, jewelry, and make-up convey to young people. Your appearance and your comments about your appearance will make a lasting impression.
Appropriateness. Don't give a lecture about appropriateness. Demonstrate it and casually refer to it. "In the day time, I don't wear much make-up. I save the eyeliner for when I go to parties."
Cost. Along the same vein, don't lecture about spending. Instead, give tips. "When I was your age, I thought I needed a dozen skin care products. When I limited that to two, I had more money for shoes!"
Tip for clothing. Don't surprised if your young clientele tracks what you wear. You may need to keep track of your outfits and rotate them accordingly!
The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at www.marybold.com
Donuts in the break room
- Do people still bring donuts to work?
- They do!
- An open box on a table means, "Help yourself."
The Who behind the donuts
- Should interns bring in donuts?
- Not required!
- Only bring in treats if you can afford to.
Alternatives to donuts
- Does it have to be donuts?
- Healthier treats are welcomed if they are non-perishable.
- Finger foods are preferred over items requiring utensils and plates.
Shared treats in the break room are almost always welcomed. When are they not? When they go uneaten. Then, the employee group feels bad about wasted food, and the cleaning staff comes to resent messy and smelly left-overs.
College interns at the site should not feel obligated to bring in treats. If you feel compelled to contribute, keep it simple: cookies or cupcakes will do. To make sure that your treat is used, ask your mentor or the intern coordinator when you can bring a provision. "I want to share my famous gingerbread cookies—what day or meeting would be a good time for that?"
Ingredient warnings. Even for the simplest food provision, always include an index card on the platter that mentions the ingredients. Even a peanut butter cookie that "looks" like peanut butter deserves a label in order to warn people with allergies to that famous ingredient. Other labels might be, jalapeno pepper cornbread, hot sauce on the side, walnuts inside.
Holiday themes. In many, many places a holiday theme for food or decoration is common. But not in all places! If your internship site does not display holiday items, don't bring in your own until you ask your mentor. Your favorite Halloween cookies may not be welcome, so ask first!
The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at www.marybold.com
1. Ask if there's a policy.
- Sometimes it's an unwritten policy!
- "Can I mention my internship on my blog?"
- "Does the site have an official blog?"
2. Follow the rules.
- You may have to suspend your daily postings.
- "I'll be offline for the next 3 months...."
- "I'll be writing only about my favorite recipes for the next 3 months...."
3. Follow the unwritten rules.
- Clean up your spaces.
- "I can see how my Facebook persona doesn't fit my new role."
- "Just in case you google me, keep in mind that I was 15 when I created that fake website."
The business, education, and nonprofit worlds are not nearly forgiving enough—they are headed up by people whose youthful indiscretions were not recorded in an internet archive (see the Wayback Machine for a lesson in digital permanence). But those people will now be judging you what you do online. Be aware that most of them are not blogging, and they don't want you blogging about them.
Non-disclosure requirements... You have every right to blog, but you may have to do it while not employed or while not in an internship. It is common in business to have "non-disclosure" requirements whereby employees are restricted from what they say or write about the company in public forums. Interns are expected to abide by the same rules.
Be open to exploring the topic... On the other hand, your blogging expertise may be highly valued at your site, if you introduce it the right way. Explore the idea with a mentor to see how you can blog and the site can benefit.
Good luck!
The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at www.marybold.com
Got your Elevator Speech?
- Not only for elevators!
- It's your 30-second introduction.
- Like an ad for yourself.
- On an elevator ride.
- Or in a hallway.
Talking to Whom?
- Probably your new boss.
- Or your internship supervisor.
- Or a mentor on the job.
- Or a new colleague.
Interns are sometimes reluctant to introduce themselves on the job. But your mentor will not always be around to smooth the way for you, so develop your own self-introduction and practice it in front of the mirror.
Keep it very short... As the name implies, this self-introduction should be appropriate to the length it takes to travel a few floors on an elevator. So, just 50 or 100 words is fine!
Keep it simple... "Hi, Ms. President. I'm Shelly Jones, and I'm the intern in marketing this summer. Thanks for welcoming us at the orientation. I appreciate the opportunity to writes ads for the Eco-Green campaign this summer and if you come by the 7th floor, I can show you the carbon footprint design I'm working on."
Good luck!
The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields.
Is there such a thing as a paid internship?
- Yes, there is, but you have to ask!
- "Do you offer a paid internship?"
- "I will have to take time off from work to come here. Can you pay me?"
What if they say there's no pay?
- Some organizations cannot pay interns a wage. Explore some more.
- "Can you give me a stipend or some other form of support?"
- "Can you assist with housing or transportation?"
What if they still say no?
- If it's the internship you yearn for, say OK.
- "Thanks for trying. I will come anyway and live on a budget."
- "I understand. I still want to work here, so I'm saying Yes."
Internships always require some form of sacrifice, either in time or lost wages, or both. You will have to decide up front whether you can afford to accept a completely volunteer internship or practicum.
Be open to possibilities... a far-away internship may actually be the one that offers the most support (such as travel expenses and housing), so don't assume that you must stay near your campus in order to economize.
Be open to a new vocabulary... you may be thinking "paid," while the internship may use terms like "stipend," and "grant."
Good luck!
The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields.
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