Field Guide for the Intern

Congratulations. You have been chosen.

Whether you turned in a killer resume, a killer smile, or
the hiring manager owed your dad a favor- you’re an
intern now. You’re one of the few (or possibly the
many), the proud (until you realize that a fax/scanner
machine is more complicated than certain organic life
forms), the coffee gophers! (Hopefully you’ll only be
getting your own. Or at least they’ll be paying for yours
too.)

Whether you’re in it for the job experience, college

credit, money or all three, we’re here to help guide you down those winding waters toward THE
FUTURE. Relax. Sometimes there’s beer there. In The Future, I mean; probably not in your new office.
Your first task, Padawan? Figure out what breed of company you’re working for so you don’t tie your
cravat all wrong after the first week. Look around you. Is everyone wearing suits and pretending they
don’t have a life outside of work that may or may not involve questionable weekend activities and
certain untoward Craigslist ads? Proceed to Section A. Is everyone dressed in Geek-chic, eating wellness
snacks, adjusting hip glasses and discussing the very latest in technical gadgetry? Proceed to Section B.
Are you sitting in someone’s living room, dictating a shopping list pertaining to their cat? Proceed to
Section C and considering asking for more than what you’re currently getting paid as an “intern”.

Section A: The Corporate FancyPants Company

Traits: Probably more traditional. If you have to pay

$10 into some sort of “company fund” to wear jeans
to work, your boss has never said a bad word in your
presence (try to keep it that way) and everyone
majored in business- you are at Corporate FancyPants
Headquarters.

Do not be afraid to let your personality shine, but also

keep some common sense rules in mind- err on the
side of being too conservative, and once you’ve been
around a while and can sense just how things really
are around the office, you can loosen up a bit. Better to have them realize you’re a bit more fun than
they might have initially thought than to forever serve as the example of What Not To Do, Ever because
you threw up at the All-Hands meeting.
Section B: Small, Hip and Geeky

Not to say that there aren’t larger hip and geeky companies that are somewhat more relaxed in terms of
rules, dress and behavior, but generally the bigger a company gets, the more restrictions are going to be
put into place. There might still be a keg in the office, but suddenly the sales team has been banned
from using it until after 4pm. Chances are as an intern, you’ll be banned from it at any time. Maybe you
won’t be, but in that case- proceed with definite caution. Don’t be afraid to get a drink with co-workers
if you’re of age and they invite you, but definitely don’t act like you would if you were out with your best
friends on your 21st birthday. If that seems obvious to you, then good; if it doesn’t- then good luck.

You’re going to have more freedom overall than those at Corporate FancyPants Headquarters- and
celebrate being able to wear jeans every day, you lucky creature. I will say though- you’ve probably
heard the old adage “Dress for the job you want, not the job you’ve got”? If you want to stay around, it
couldn’t hurt to be a touch more on the professional side- in manner of dress as well as behavior.
Everyone else might seem really relaxed to you, but they already have a job. If you want to get one,
you’re going to have to prove yourself- especially with several interns and few positions that may be

opening for hire.

If your role within the company is flexible or you find yourself with lulls between project assignments-
ask for more work, or come up with something you think could benefit the company and ask to run it or
kick it off or be point on said project. Even if they turn you down or change it so that it’s no longer your
original idea, they’re going to remember your initiative- and that’s something that a growing company
wants to keep around.
Section C: Nontraditional

Put down that cat. And run.

If you’ve got a more reasonable, non-traditional

internship, then there is more to be said. You have an
interesting situation here; there is probably not a
whole lot of structure in your job and that can be both
exhilarating and terrifying. You have the freedom to be
as creative and expansive with your position as you
want- say you’re working for a local artist, trying to
promote his work. Take it as far as you want, creating
a whole social media strategy, if that’s appropriate, or
setting up events to network with other artists,
galleries or to create buzz and interest around his or her work. For example, if she has a new piece to
show and is friends with a local salon that just opened- see if they wouldn’t want to host a small show
that would bring them both publicity. Offer free drinks (find out your state’s liquor laws, but this is
always a great draw) and simple snacks- nothing piques interest more than free food and drinks. If
you’ve realized I’m not talking plastic cheese, cheap crackers and some 2L of soda- then you’re on the
right track.

Depending on the guidelines you’ve set with your boss (especially in a situation like this, drawing up a
contract is a REALLY good idea. If it’s unpaid but your artist boss is willing to give you a percentage of a
sale on a really big deal should you happen to help facilitate it- get that in writing, signed) you can
basically create your own position- and that’s something amazing to have on your resume.

Rules that apply to everyone.

Yes, even you.

Especially you.
 1. Dress for the job you want, not the job you’ve got.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- be yourself, but a more polished version of yourself than the one
who shows up to your Friday morning classes. You probably know this already, but at least someone
other than your mom is reminding you, right?

2. Failure is sometimes more important than success- those lessons stick hard.

Trust. You will not forget them and they will serve you well in future roles. If you mess up something-
own it. Own it, figure out where you screwed up, if you can fix it and apologize to the appropriate
parties regardless. Whether minor or major, they’ll admire your courage.

3. Find someone to emulate, but not too closely.

Know an intern who has been there longer than you have? Someone in the career position you’d like to
be in five or ten years from now? Don’t try to copy them exactly- because that will always be a disaster
unless you have the unlikely combination of the exact same skills, disposition and timing happening
around you as they did. Identify what it is that you admire about them and work on it in yourself, if
that’s something you think needs improving. Do they turn around work really fast? Maybe you’re more
meticulous. Try to pick up the pace without losing the value of your
work.

Identifying Your Role.

Possibly you are thinking: I read the job description when I applied,
you idiot. I know what I’m supposed to do. Boss likes her coffee black.

Well friend, this wisdom I would like to impart- unless you’re in the
strictest of strict companies, you probably have more flexibility in
your role than you realize. Aside from being a cheap source of labor, your company probably realizes
that you are a young human (or not-so-young if you are Will Smith in The Pursuit of Happyness) with
hopes and dreams scaling beyond $10 an hour and a recommendation letter. If they don’t offer it to
you- “it” being a chance you want, a space on a project that sounds exciting, or a dollar an hour more-
ask for it. The worse they can say is no- and guess what? You don’t have it yet anyway. It can be as
simple asking for a career advice meeting with your boss or a senior colleague you admire. People in
positions of power often live for the chance to impart their wisdom on others. Use that to your
advantage.

Moving Forward.
I realize I may start to sound like DARE officer- but have some goals. What do you want to get out of
this? If it’s just $10 an hour in beer money (I once had a co-worker who measured income in cases of
beer with her husband; how it has progressed to units of care for their children) that’s fine, but realize
you could be wasting a chance to get- at the very least- some solid career advice.

The End. So. . .What Comes Next?

Your contract is over, the summer is over, the semester is over. Do you want to extend it? Are you
graduating? This harks back to the goals section- hopefully your company has given you an idea of what
next steps to take with them, if that’s something the both of you are interested in. If not? Be vocal about
what you want. They can’t read your mind and they’re not going to magically offer you your dream job
(yet it seems obvious, but occasionally we forget other people can’t see into our heads and hearts, even
if we think what we’re feeling is perfectly obvious). So set up a meeting- a 1:1 with your boss or whoever
you work most closely with. Do this regularly throughout your internship to discuss how you’re doing,
what you do and don’t like about the work you’re doing (remember to expect a certain amount of grunt
work in ANY job, especially early in your career) and where you want to go. It’s okay if your ealize that
you don’t love what you thought you might- that’s why you’re interning. Take that valuable information
with you onto the Next Thing.

About the Author/Illustrator

Sarah Parker (often better known as “Sparker”) has variously been a graduate student, an
undergraduate student, an unpaid intern, a paid intern, and throughout all a maker of numerous
mistakes, many of which she hopes to spare you. You may find her on Twitter at the professional handle
of @Intrepid_Intern and the unprofessional handle of @SparkerPants. She talks about cats on both,
however, and hasn’t referred to herself in the third person this much since she used it to annoy her fifth
grade teacher into letting her do things she was not supposed to. (Apologies to Mrs. Flores.)