The Four Habits of Highly Effective Interns
There’s something special about the summertime. Always has been.
When I was a kid, summertime was all about baseball. The concept of baseball games every night coupled with no school was almost too good to be true.
Then, as a teenager, summer was all about basketball camp.
Of course, there were the college years, during which summertime meant internships, and, in fact, summertime has meant internships for me ever since, just from a different perspective as the years have gone by. 15 years ago, I was the intern. Now, I hire them.
But from the days when I was an intern myself until now, when I see interns coming and going all the time, one thing has remained constant:
The expectations an employer should have of an intern.
What are those expectations? Well, my father gave me the secret back in the summer of 1991, and I am still grateful to him for providing it to me. And ever since then, I have shared that secret with all interns I have employed, as I believe that secret is a major key to success in this industry.
The secret is comprised of four parts:
1. Work hard.
2. Bring boundless energy and enthusiasm to the table.
3. Be willing to do anything to help the company.
4. When you leave the office each day, think about at least one new thing you learned that day.
That’s it. It’s that simple. Why? Because no company with half a corporate-brain can expect anything beyond those traits from an intern. Not only that, but you will be amazed by how much you will grow if you stick to those characteristics. Let’s take a quick look at each of them to understand better what they mean …
Work hard – This means that whatever the task or activity you have been given, it is crucial to make sure that you put everything into it. That means that if you are writing a draft of a news release, you will read and reread what you have written 10 times to make sure it is as well-written as it can be. This will enable you to make a name for yourself as someone who does everything they can to get the job done at as high a level as possible.
Bring boundless energy and enthusiasm to the table – I don’t mean this in a Jim Carrey kind of way. It’s not about uncontrolled energy. It’s about communicating to those around you that you are so excited to be part of the company, part of the PR world, part of the business world, etc. But here’s the key – You will be amazed at how much you will stand out, just by demonstrating energy and enthusiasm for our craft. If someone gives you a task to do, thank them for it. Tell them you are excited to help. If you need work, go to your supervisor and ask if there’s anything you can do. The results will do great things for you.
Be willing to do anything to help the company – No one likes an intern who turns down a project. No matter what, say yes. Can you please make copies? Yes. Can you draft this news release? Yes. Can you find out the phone number for this reporter? Yes. Do this, and little by little the quality of assignment will increase. Know why? People love working with people who just want to help.
When you leave the office each day, think about at least one new thing you learned that day – Why is this one important? Well, how else are you going to be able to see the learning experiences when they are happening? When I did my first internship, my dad said to me after the first day, "What did you learn today?" And I told him. Then, he asked me every single day for the first few weeks, and everyday, I was able to tell him something. Pretty soon I went about my day looking for things to learn and sure enough, I never left that office without learning something every single day. But had I not been looking for something to learn, maybe I wouldn’t have learned as many things.
So that’s it. If you are an intern, focus on those four areas and you will have a wonderful internship experience. Not only that, but your employer will consider you one of the best interns s/he has ever hired. And if you are an employer, don’t expect too much from your interns, but DO expect them to work hard, energetically, with a hunger for learning and with a willingness to do anything to help your company.
As a former intern, I can tell you that it works.
