Internships Can Be Good for Everyone...or Not
Posted on Aug 9, 2011 by Valerie Touchstone
I really do love having interns. It’s fun to see what students are learning and professors are teaching. And, I like seeing ideas, marketing tools and work through the eyes of someone in a different generation. I find it energizing and affirming…most of the time. The interns who have what I refer to as “the fundamentals,” in addition to their emerging marketing and/or PR knowledge, are the ones I enjoy and who I know will succeed.
The fundamentals you ask? Showing up on time and ready to work i.e. you’re fed and watered, your personal texting and emailing is complete till lunch. Being able to answer the phone professionally, if you have phone answering privileges. Asking for help if you don’t understand something; but, perhaps at least spending a few minutes trying to find the answer before asking. I don’t mind answering at all – but showing initiative in problem-solving is a great skill. I had a boss once who told me I could come to him with any problem – but I had to come with at least three well-thought out possible solutions. Turned out to be great advice.
Moving on with the fundamentals. Be productive and efficient – if you are stalled, waiting on a piece of information for a project or finished with your list, ask for something to do or volunteer to help someone else. Seeing you sitting around makes me wonder why I am making the effort to help.
Show an eagerness to learn; academic classes are wonderful and provide the knowledge base needed to start learning how it all applies when working with bosses, co-workers, clients, stakeholders, stockholders, the media, people who report to you and on and on. In other words, embrace each day as the opportunity to learn something new – and keep this attitude for your entire career. Leaders understand they don’t – and most of the time can’t – know everything. They seek and value input from people who know more than they do about any subject; and, just those who have a different perspective. Interns should certainly do the same.
Bring your ideas to the table. Offer insight from your perspective, knowledge and experience. While the internship offers the chance for you learn, the memorable interns offer good ideas and have positive attitudes.
And, for the final fundamental…another boss said to me once, when I asked for an opinion about a potential new hire, “you can teach a monkey the details, but you can’t teach work ethic.” These words have proven to be painfully true – and not just for marketing and PR interns.
The following article, written by Christina Starr a senior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and posted on the Regan Report, gives an intern’s perspective. She will graduate in December with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a concentration in public relations. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter via @c_c_starr. A version of this story first appeared on the blog PR at Sunrise. Check the post and comments for further notes on making a positive impression as an intern:
ARTICLE:
I’ve been interning at a large agency since late May, now in my last week. One thing I’ve learned: Don’t be afraid to tell your supervisor when your workload is too much, but never straight-up turn down an assignment.
When asked for my help on an assignment, and my workload was already way too much, instead of replying with a simple “no,” I would reply with something more along the lines of “I would be happy to add this to my to-do list but if there is a strict deadline, then I don’t know if I’ll be able to finish in time.”
My feeling is that people don’t just pass the buck down to you for no reason; it’s usually because they’re also very busy. So, if I were to reply with a simple “no,” it might just add to their stress. You didn’t necessarily do anything wrong, but it’s just not what they needed to hear. By saying you’d be willing, but not at that moment, it shows that you’re capable to handle a large workload and always be helpful. In the end, they may decide to do the project themselves, or give you a very loose deadline and you can work on it when able.
Tagged: knowledge, experience, marketing, pr, advertising, agency
Comments
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