Do you ever come home from a long day of work and feel exhausted? As if you can’t move and your muscles feel like Jell-O? That’s how I feel whenever I come home from my internship. I work a 9 a.m.-5p.m., which is a longer day than I’m used to. I don’t know how employees manage work every single weekday. I am exhausted and I only work two days a week!
Part of the issue is that I am an introvert. I try to accept the way I am in that I need to process things internally, but life gets hard when my job for the summer requires me to be cheerful all the time. I need to be attentive all day. I have to smile, greet people, and talk to people on the phone. Don’t get me wrong, I love my internship. Internships are a great way to gain experience! I enjoy working at the Carroll Center immensely because this organization has helped me tremendously in the past. It’s time for me to give back!
While I’m not perfect at balancing being an introvert and completing an internship, I do have some advice for anyone who is facing the same struggle. This advice can work for anyone in the workplace or even when out in public with your friends. Let’s call this my top 10 tips:
1. Pretend you're in a play. Pretend that you’re playing an outgoing young woman/man who’s ready to take on the world! You’re on a stage and the audience is in front of you. Ace this role!
2. Meditate. I always meditate before work. I get to the Carroll Center early enough so I can sit outside and unwind. Meditating calms you down and provides a peaceful outlook on life. Now, I’m not saying that I do not get nervous at work after meditating. Meditation is not a total miracle worker that takes all of your problems away. What meditating does is help you react better to your thoughts or what is going on around you.
3. Get support from your parents or any family members. I know that when you’re a young adult, or even an adult, it can be hard to ask for help from anyone, let alone your family. Trust me though, anyone in your family is key to your success in an internship. My parents always greet me so warmly when I get home from work. It makes my day. They know how hard I’ve been working and I know that I have an incredible amount of support.
4. Get support from friends. Your friends are going through the same struggle: finding an internship and then actually doing the job. Reach out to them, you can rant together and share your success stories. Your friends will be proud of you and will support you.
5. Go out of your way to be nice to people. This is a huge key to any job, whether it be a summer internship or a career, making friends in the workplace is crucial. I’m not the most outgoing person in the world, so this is a tough one for me. Yet, I am also a kind and generous person. When you greet people with a caring and positive attitude, it goes a long way. Most likely, other employees will remember that and then, once you talk more with them, friendships will form. This tip is more universal; it can be applied to any situation (school, college, etc.)
6. Make the workplace fun (within reason)! When working at the front desk, or in any position, it can sometimes get a little tedious. You can get bored, the weekday blues could set in, maybe you’re exhausted. You don’t want to fall asleep on the job though, so make the workplace fun! Bring in some cookies or candy to share with other employees, decorate your desk in a fun way that represents you, sit with people at lunch that make you laugh so you can look forward to that during the morning. Whatever works for you. There’s no rhyme or reason. It’s the small things that matter most.
7. Savor the fun times you have at work. This tip applies especially to an internship, but it can work at any job. Often times, we try to rush through life. We’re thinking about the destination, not about the journey. The more important part of life is the journey because that’s where we learn and grow. Work can be a pain. You might not want to wake up so early in the morning or you could be having a really bad day at work but savor the good times: the time someone greeted you nicely, the time you successfully transferred a call, the time there were cupcakes at work. Anything that happened that made you joyous, that’s what every employee should remember.
8. Stay organized. Being an introvert, and also having a type A personality has made me realize just how important organization is in the workplace. Keep doing your work, make to-do lists, anything that helps you stay on track.
9. Compliment yourself on being social. We are often too hard on ourselves and we don’t give ourselves enough credit where credit is due. Make sure to compliment yourself on having the courage to enter the workforce. If you’re an introvert, compliment yourself on socializing all day with others! Good job, you!
10. Last but not least, give yourself permission to relax. Once you finish a long day of work, let yourself relax. Watch some TV, eat some popcorn. You earned it!
I hope that these 10 tips help! And to all introverts, keep rocking it at the workplace. As Steve Carell once said in The Office:
