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Top 10 Tips for Interns

By Bradley Richardson
6 March 2007

Don’t be afraid to talk with people.

Don’t be intimidated because you are a student. People are sometimes too busy to roll out the red carpet so you have to make the first move to talk with coworkers and supervisors.

Ask for things to do.

Don’t wait to be told what to do. Solving problems and taking initiative are the best ways to stand out from the crowd.

Learn all you can about the industry.

Talk with people in different departments as well as clients and vendors.

Read everything you can get your hands on.

You won’t find everything you need to know in the training manual. Reading contracts, letters, memos, press releases and trade publications will help you become informed on all elements of the business.

Don’t gripe about the grunt work.

There is always something more to learn. How long you do grunt work depends on what you make of it. Everything has a purpose, so learn how the small tasks fit into the big picture.

Milk the fact that you are a student.

As a student, you aren’t threatening and can have more access and opportunities than a full-time employee. Everyone wants to help a student learn.

Hitch your wagon to a star.

Learn from the people who are the superstar performers and most respected individuals in the office.

Get in the information loop.

Decisions aren’t always made in a conference room.

Ask to attend meetings and events.

You will learn how things really get done.

Don’t burn any bridges.

You never know when you will see someone later in your career.

This article originally appeared on MonsterTrak.com

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25 Comments »

Liliana said:

I think its great advice.

# 16 March 2009 at 7:38 PM

Lilianac said:

I think its great advice.

# 16 March 2009 at 7:39 PM

lissetha said:

This is good advise to help externs deal with the stress of not knowing what do to.

# 17 March 2009 at 11:45 PM

AdrianaC_SBBCollege said:

These are great reminder tips.

# 20 March 2009 at 10:25 PM

Inez G from SBBCollege said:

I have done some of these tips and it worked out well with me.

# 26 May 2009 at 10:07 PM

Patrice Garcia said:

I think these are helpful tips. I to have done some of these and they work. Thanks

# 28 May 2009 at 4:27 AM

elizabethg said:

These advice are true and just pretty much do your best always.

# 29 May 2009 at 1:27 PM

joe diaz said:

It is very true you have to do some dirty work to get notice. Always keep your head up.

# 30 May 2009 at 6:54 PM

joe diaz said:

It is very true you have to do some dirty work to get notice. Always keep your head up.

# 30 May 2009 at 6:55 PM

stephenh said:

ALways working hard and learning more things to improve yourself in the working field.

# 31 May 2009 at 8:10 PM

Sharrely S. said:

I constantly ask for assignments or anyway I can be helpful.

# 31 May 2009 at 10:07 PM

Amanda said:

Always keep these things in mind

# 13 October 2009 at 12:00 PM

Kirsten said:

great advice i apply this in my job now.

# 16 October 2009 at 1:02 PM

kirsten said:

something that everyone should follow…great tips

# 16 October 2009 at 4:09 PM

Flor Denise Galvan said:

it’s so true, you learn by asking

# 4 January 2010 at 4:41 PM

Yolanda SBBCollege said:

I agree with the idea of making all you can in every aspect of your work, even the grunt work. There is so much to learn from the mundane tasks that can assist you in understanding more about your job and the divisions or companies in’s and out’s. You can learn so much more from filing and research than anyone can possibly try to teach you by explanation. Take the opportunity given while the opportunity is there.

# 4 January 2010 at 7:29 PM

jass said:

this is great things that everybody should follows at work place or any where

# 4 January 2010 at 8:04 PM

Noemi Rosales said:

These are very good rules to go by, especially the first five. It can be intimidating at times, but just believe in yourself and go for it!

# 4 January 2010 at 9:53 PM

helen s said:

very good advised for any one to follow not just enterns

# 5 January 2010 at 11:03 PM

maria.z said:

Great tips to follow, asking questions and getting things done will help you inprove your skills and be a good team member.

# 7 January 2010 at 5:37 PM

Ashley Brieske said:

These are really great tips to live by. You can easily find success by following these simple rules. When starting a new job, everyone experiences some anxiety and fears. It is always hard to put yourself out there and talk with your new coworkers. But overcoming your fears and putting yourself out there in a positive way can help people accept you and welcome you into their conversations.
outoutoutstanding worker

# 8 January 2010 at 12:32 PM

Marisol Melgoza said:

All of this tips are so true, and I agree with everything this article says. Like today I started my extern at Rite Aid, and for a moment I had nothing to do so I asked the pharmacist if there was anything else he would like me to do, and he smiled and said yeah, so by me asking what to do does help especially if you want to make a good impression at your extern site. =]

# 15 March 2010 at 8:34 PM

Shaundrea Timmons said:

All of these tips are great advice, it all helps in the long run.

# 18 March 2010 at 7:51 PM

Martin Vaca said:

Everything was at point in this article it gives great information on how to act on a new job site.

# 18 March 2010 at 8:54 PM

Rosario A. from Bakersfield said:

These are very great tips to follow. I have try them my self and it has worked very well i was the first one to open conversation with the girls at the office and so far they have responded very well. I have read information when filing and wrote a list of information and search info and has been a very good experience.

# 18 March 2010 at 11:02 PM