“Mr.
XYZ, I’m pleased to inform you that you have been selected as an intern at ABC
Corporation, starting April next year.”
These
magic words that every student yearns to hear at the end of his or her
internship interview has a decidedly invigorating effect on a person – a sense
of accomplishment and success flows through our veins, our heads seem a little
bigger than usual, and we finally begin to understand what it feels like to be
labeled ‘responsible’. For a few fleeting moments of heady dizziness, nothing
seems impossible and the world seems to be at your feet once we have 'cracked
the code’.
Sorry
to burst your bubble Romeo, but let’s put things in perspective – all you did
until this point was to get noticed. Now, you may consider that to be an
accomplishment in itself given you’re up against a batch of 600 other people,
but it still doesn’t change one important fact – this is just the start, and
you’re work is only about to begin.
Unfortunately,
this seems to be lost on most management interns – having won the battle
(a.k.a. internship), they lose sight of the bigger challenge: winning the war
(a.k.a final placement).
Here’s a set of do’s and don’ts that you, as an
intern, need to keep your eye on while on the job:
· DO:
Always keep an eye out for yourself. The internship is the closest thing you’ll
come to an actual job, before you plunge headlong into a career. The workplace
environment, the office conversations, the people you work for, they’re all
around you. And they’re all trying to figure you out, to one-up your next move,
to take you down. I’m being cynical, but with good reason – it is what it is.
·
DON’T:
Indians are so notorious for being late that it’s now the stereotype – do not
let that bug affect you too. It may sound like a trivial detail, being punctual
and getting to office on time, but it matters. You know what they say about
first impressions? Never has it been truer.
·
DO:
Talk. Now that you’ve made your way in, it’s time to make some noise. Start
speaking out in meetings; venture your opinion to colleagues, sound ideas off
your boss. You may come across as being pushy and overly inquisitive but hey,
at least they’re talking about you, right?
·
DON’T:
Do not, under any circumstance, indulge in office politics. You’re going to be
there for a maximum 8 weeks - behave like it. Cosying up to your boss is the
surest way to get yourself fired.
·
DO:
Be honest. If you have a problem doing what you’ve been asked to do, or need
help doing it, ask for it. ‘Jugaad’ may work in preparing a classroom
presentation at the last minute in school but do you really want to be doing
that at work too?
Your
internship can be the learning ground that sows the seeds for your career – or
it can be an extended 8-week vacation that you won’t remember a day after it’s
over. It is what you make of it. After all, you’re the boss, right?
PS. My institute's summer intern placement process begins soon and hence the focus on the topic. Here's wishing all the juniors the best of luck!
