I am an Intern. What Advice Can WIMMI Give Me?

I am currently in an internship, and want to know what advice WIMMI can give me to make the most out of my time as an intern.

Persia Tatar • Great question Remika! A few thoughts from my experiences interning a while back and having good & bad interns work for me :)

I would say always approach any task with enthusiasm and going above & beyond -- even if it is getting a cup of coffee or making copies :)

Ask a lot of questions - you are interning to get a job, but also to find out if this is the job you would want, so use this as an opportunity to research.

Read up on the industry trades.. you'll get a better understanding of the industry and your co-workers will be impressed when you know about news that is impacting the business.

Take initiative. If you don't understand why something works the way it does, don't be afraid to ask questions (nicely), then if you think there is a way you can help fix the problem, approach your supervisor with some thoughts and work up a plan if you get the greenlight. eg: I had an intern develop a recycling program for an agency I worked at because he noticed we weren't doing too much in this regard.

Hope this helps!! good luck :

Julia Fiedler • Get to know as many people as possible! Ask your manager if you can set aside a little bit if time every day (even 15 to 30 min.) to meet with different people in the company to learn what they do.

Maria Karlsson • After having supervised numerous interns:
Be on time (ie get there at least 10 mins early and be ready to work- not to go get coffee, put on makeup etc.) and always ask when it is ok to take a break
Volunteer for extra work, offer to help in any way you can, be enthusiastic, perform every task to the best of your ability even the menial ones
Don't overstep boundaries - taking initiative is encouraged but don't go too far
Don't post comments on social media about the company or people you are involved with
Happy to talk in person if you'd like!

Persia Tatar • This is a cool story from my friend Dave Kerpen which illustrates some of the points we mentioned above:
http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130304154223-15077789-how-to-give-yourself-a-promotion-at-work

Maria Karlsson • Here is a story with some good tips: http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/06/08/how-to-be-perfect-intern/?intcmp=related

Susan Bishop • Remika,

Just the fact that you are asking this shows initiative! All the ideas mentioned by others here are good-- I'll add a couple more:

1. When you start your internship, ask what trade magazines your boss reads on the industry you are in, and start reading them. Learn as much as you can about the industry in which you are working.

2. Always ask to help! I love to hear my intern say :"is there anything I can help you get off your plate today?" !

3.Wear a smile for every task-- a pleasant intern is one everyone wants to be around!

Jack Myers • Great tips

Lydia Loizides • Remika - everything that has been offered so far, heed! One of the questions I always ask my interns is, what do you want from the experience? It is important to have your goals in mind as well. Are you looking for specific experience? A project? If you can't identify this early on, your overall satisfaction of the experience may be hindered and the opportunity lost. And make sure that your goals align with the company/team goals as well. That is a win/win situation. Finally, you should solicit the support of the people you are working with and for to achieve this goal. To me, it shows that you are focused and purposeful; that you want to do a great job and that you aren't there just because you were offered the position.

You should also check out http://gggrit.com/category/career-skills/ In the coming weeks, we will be specifically addressing internships and managing upward.

Tami Belt • Everyone has offered great advice! One thing I would add is to listen and observe. Internships provide a great opportunity for you to test drive different jobs within an industry and different companies. Ensure you make the right choice for you.

Persia Tatar • I agree Tami!! I wish I had done internships when I first graduated.. it would have saved me the time realizing I didn't want to work in a big accounting firm and that I really wanted to be working the advertising industry :)