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Tips For Interns

After having dozens of interns over the years, the team at Glam Adelaide thought that we'd put together our list of tips for interns. Whether you're looking at doing an internship or already doing one, these are some things to look out for.

Before we even launch in to the list though, a word of advice about applying for an internship – SPELLCHECK. If you prove that you can't spell before you've even stepped through the door, chances are you won't get a second chance. Emoticons don't count as punctuation. Slang doesn't cut it in your cover letter. Resumes aren't one size fits all. The fact that you can balance a till isn't relevant experience to include for a journalism role. Edit your resume and cover letter to suit what you're applying for.

And a word to the wise – if you do a good job in your internship, you might just land a job there. I'm constantly stumped by the way some interns act when it jeopordises their chances at staying on with the company. Internships are almost like a try before you buy for a lot of companies. Make your time there count.

Now, if you do manage to land an internship, here are some tips to help you along.

1. Know about the business you're applying to intern at. Research it. Look at their website, read the about us section. Google them. Check out their Facebook and Twitter accounts. There is nothing more annoying than having interns show up who gush over how amazing our fashion magazine is. Um, we're a news website. Fail.

2. Dress appropriately. Overdressing is better than underdressing. Ripped jeans, thongs, singlets, etc. are things to avoid unless you've already spent some time in the office and followed the dress code which everyone else adheres to. You never know when you might be asked to come to a meeting – so if you are dressing more casually, bring a change of shoes etc. just in case.

3. Don't take personal phone calls at your desk unless you've OK'd it with the boss. Constantly texting or using your phone is also a bad idea. You'd be surprised at how many people do this, particularly on their first day, and then argue that the phone call with their mother was 'urgent'. We can hear the conversation and it's not. If you really have to take a call, leave the desk or the office so you're not distracting other staff members.

4. Don't ask how old everyone is. And defintely don't assume that because you're the same age or older than existing staff members, that you can treat them like mates. You're the intern, which means you need to respect the employees of the business, particularly if they're managing you. Over time, if a friendship develops, that's great, but don't assume you can treat them casually from the start.

5. The average work day can be anywhere from 8:30am – 5:30pm. Expect to be working the same hours as the other employees in the business. Standing up and leaving whenever suits your schedule is unprofessional unless you've cleared it with your boss. You need to treat your internship like a real job, if you want to be treated like part of the team and get a real reference from it.

6. Ask. If you don't understand something, don't make assumptions as you'll probably need to redo the work, or someone else will. Ultimately you'll save time if you ask questions and do your tasks correctly the first time.

7. If you're being taught how to do something, or being given log in details, write things down. There is nothing more irritating than spending time with an intern teaching them how to do something, only to have them forget ten minutes later. There is nothing wrong with writing notes.

8. Take initiative. If you can google something to get an answer, do it.

9. If your computer isn't working, tell someone. Don't just sit there staring at it. Seriously, people do this. We once had an intern spend an entire day sitting at a computer that had internet issues. Considering we're an internet business, we have no idea what she did all day.

10. If you finish your task at hand, ask for another one. Or if you finish something, let someone know. Both of these things impress us as we know you're actually working and being productive.

11. Ask how long your lunch hour is – don't assume. Taking a long lunch on your first day is not a great way to make a first impression.

Good luck!

 

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