Many Generation Y folks are starting internships on June 1. Conduct a search on Twitter for the keyword “internship”, and you will see just how many people are stating just that. Have any advice for what to do on the first day? Please leave a comment below.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life
My advice:
1. Arrive at least 10 minutes early. Arriving on time means you are late.
2. Eat breakfast…seriously. You don’t know when you’re going to get your first break (if at all). You don’t want to end up like Stephanie Pratt from The Hills.
3. Be humble. If you offer help or ideas to someone more established in the company, do so with humility.
4. **MOST IMPORTANT** Do not…I repeat…Do not invite everyone from your internship to follow you on Twitter/Friend you on Facebook and then say any of the following: “My internship is sooooo boring”; “I’m sooo ready to leave my internship”; or, “I need (some form of alcohol, drug, illegal susbstance) right now.” Also, don’t assume they won’t try to search for you.
Did I leave anything out? Offer your advice here.
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* Learn from everyone. From the admin assistant (they can give you ins and outs and unspoken culture norms) to the VP of Whatever, everyone has a lesson for you. Listen. Learn.
* If you don’t already know how to speak and write well, then you are killing your career already! Learn it. Do it.
* Find a problem and solve it. Whether tiny (“I wish someone would program the fax machine w/ common numbers!”) or huge, there’s something that someone needs that isn’t being done. Find it. Do it. Rejoice.
Excellent insight here. You become indispensable if you’re the person who knows how to fix (or is willing to fix) what no one else would fix.
Excellent, timely post as I also have a couple of friends starting summer internships this week — directed them to your blog
I agree with @beneubanks additional tips, as well…it’s definitely how you should approach your entire internship experience. On your first day:
~ Bring out that SMILE (not overdoing it, of course)
~ Meet as many people as you can — a short intro is all that’s needed on the first day (networking is key)
~ Dress professionally: business casual, at the very least, unless you’ve been given a company shirt or been explicitly told what to wear
~ Relax, you’ve just stepped into your new career.
Thank you for directing them here
These are excellent tips. I agree that it is important to smile because it shows personality. I’d add that if you introduce yourself, remember the names (lol).