Advice for New Interns

With three internships under my belt, one of the most important things I learned is to always stay busy. Your supervisor will often overestimate the amount of time it will take you to complete tasks, or feel that he/she may have given you too much to complete. Always ask for more though, especially if you are at loose ends. It shows personal initiative, an interest in the organization and a positive work ethic. It also shows that you are competent at completing the tasks you were given, and are able to multi-task. Oftentimes supervisors are used to doing all of their work themselves, or don’t feel as if they have something “worthwhile” for you to do. In times like this I always offer to do more “menial” tasks (filing, copies, sorting mail). No task is too small for you to complete. Being eager to complete such things and offering to help will impress and please your supervisor. Additionally, staying busy will keep the online distraction temptations at bay – you never want to be caught on Twitter or Facebook!