Advice from Employers and Previous Interns

Do’s

• Arrive on time each day. A 9 a.m. start means that you should be at your desk working at 9 a.m. If you want to have breakfast, make coffee, or hang up your coat, arrive at work early. A 5 p.m. finish works the other way. It should be the earliest time that you should get up from your desk to leave.
• Always have with you the telephone numbers for your academy coordinator and your internship supervisor.
• Dress for success – in neat business attire.
• Regard your self as a professional, despite your temporary status. Have confidence. Work hard, seriously, and effectively as though your internship is a permanent job. Gain as much experience and knowledge as possible, and try to make a meaningful contribution to the office.
• Take an interest in your company. Ask for materials relating to its history, products, business activities, etc. Understand the importance of your job in relation to the responsibility of other employees in your area; other departments; the company as a whole. Read the newspaper everyday. How does the national / world news affect your company? Your job?
• Listen carefully when instructions are given. If necessary, take notes. Follow instructions – there many be a reason why a job must be done in a particular way.
• Ask questions – you are on an internship primarily to learn. Admit if there is something that you don’t understand, and take responsibility if you make a mistake. Know who to turn to if you have problems on the job.
• Remain alert and energetic throughout your work day.
• Be polite and cooperative; responsible and dependable.
• Be alert and wary of socializing with strangers when commuting to work.

Don’ts

• Don’t use your cell phone at work. Wait until you are out of the office before you use it. Even if other people in the office use theirs, you will be the one who is thought to be wasting company time. If you absolutely must make a personal call, ask permission to use the work telephone. If you are given permission, make it short – this is a business phone.
• Don’t use your computer for anything that is not work related. Never use the web for personal surfing – even if you are told that you can. Companies can record where you’ve visited, and if you go to a prohibited site–even by accident–you can be disciplined for doing so. Never use work email for personal messages, even if your colleagues do. Many companies make this a disciplinary offense.
• Never send an email to anyone important in your company without getting your supervisor to check it first. They will know the best way to phrase a request and whether office politics demand particular ways of doing things.
• Don’t disclose anything that you may see. The records that you handle are confidential.
• Don’t watch the clock. Be a dedicated, enthusiastic employee.
• Don’t enter the office wearing headphones, or use your MP3 player while on the job.
• Don’t use inappropriate language.
• Don’t eat at your desk or chew gum.
• Don’t risk damaging or hurting your self on a machine you don’t know how to operate. If you are directed to use office equipment that is unfamiliar to you, ask for instructions.