Dear Interns: Please Avoid These 6 Common Mistakes

By Francine Fluetsch on March 1, 2015

This article is brought to you by Dream Careers, the largest global internship program for college students offering all-inclusive programs in 11 cities worldwide. To learn more about Dream Careers, please visit us at SummerInternships.com.

image via www.bloomberg.com

Getting an internship is all about gaining experience. Whether you need some hours in your field, want a resume booster, or just want to see what options are out there for future careers, internships are a wonderful way to spend your time and energy.

You’ll want to make a good impression so they keep you on as an intern or possibly hire you as an actual employee, so you’ll want to make sure you avoid these six common intern mistakes.

1) Dressing inappropriately.

The way you present yourself matters a lot more than you might think. Even if your internship site is pretty laid back, you want to make sure you are still dressing appropriately for a work environment and are always hygienic. Having wrinkle-free clothing is an extra bonus (you can purchase a mini steamer at Costco for like $30).

If your site doesn’t have a specific dress code, pay attention to how the employees and other interns dress and take your queues from them. If all the women are wearing heels and you don’t feel comfortable in them, get a cute pair of flats that are dressier. You can make the dress code still work for you, but make sure to spend a bit of time in the morning getting ready, rather than rolling out of bed and heading straight to your internship.

2) Being too afraid to speak up.

You’re doing an internship to learn new things, so there will be times where you aren’t sure what you are supposed to be doing/what is required of you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in times like this! You don’t have to get everything perfect the first time, and it is much better to clarify the situation and get it right than just winging it and then having to redo it.

3) Missing out on opportunities.

Being an unpaid intern means you are the lowest on the totem pole when it comes to the company, so if you are given an extra assignment, try your best not to turn them down.

This article on ED2010 spoke on this point.

“Ask for due dates on everything so you can prioritize your work. I once had an intern say she was too busy to help when our executive editor tried to assign her something, and I was so shocked that the intern turned down a chance to work one-on-one with her. Don’t be remembered that way.”

-TK Brady, Editorial Assistant at Fit Pregnancy and Natural Health and Ed2010 Staffer.

You’ll be doing a lot of the grunt work, and you will be stressed, but in the end, going above and beyond will definitely pay off.

image via www.businessinsider.com

4) Texting on the job.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but many people tend to forget where their phone is allowed and where it’s not since we are on them all the time. While you are on the job, do not pull your phone out.

If you think texting discreetly is a good idea, chances are someone will see you, and you don’t want to be known as that intern. During lunch and personal time it’s totally acceptable, but other than that, keep the phone away.

5) Gossip, gossip, gossip.

Gossiping is fun and we are all guilty of doing it, but you don’t want to be gossiping where you work, especially about other employees or interns. Things could get overheard and get messy, and you wouldn’t want people to lose respect for you.

You also don’t want to let your social life with your fellow interns get in the way of your work. Making friends is great, but if you are more invested in having a fun time than you are being efficient with the stuff you were hired to do, chances are things won’t end well for you.

6) Ignoring the clock.

Being punctual is a virtue that you want to keep if you have it, or get used to real quick if it’s not your strong suit. Being late is very unprofessional, and while life will happen once in a while where you might have to be a few minutes late, you really want to limit this.

Also, make sure that you don’t leave early. If you are supposed to have a project done but a lot of people decide to peace out early because the boss isn’t there, don’t take this as your queue to leave too.

Make sure to get everything done and stay until the time that you and your boss agreed on. It happens a lot where people forge each other’s time cards, and that can really bite you in the butt if it were to come out.

These are just a few things to watch out for as you go on your interning adventures. Good luck out there!

Looking for a top internship in an exciting city? Enroll in Dream Careers and guarantee yourself an internship and a fun summer in your choice of 11 cities globally. To visit our website, please click here.

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