I worked at a law firm in Manhattan two summers ago, and kept in touch with my boss and was offered the position again the next summer. After finishing my freshman year of college and joining the “real world” for eight weeks, I learned a lot of lessons really fast. As internship application deadlines roll around, I decided to reminisce on the mistakes made and lessons learned that I (and probably most people) experienced during my first internship:
1. Dress code - If it comes down to the decision between repeating an outfit and wearing something that might possibly be a tiny bit too short …. Repeat the outfit. I was so self-conscious of wearing the same outfits over and over again at first (because I was 19 and had minimal dress skirts), but then one day I wore a dress that wasn’t even that short but made me uncomfortable enough that it was all I thought about the entire day. It’s okay to have a boring wardrobe. Also, lots of jewelry is loud in a quiet office, and only wear shoes that you are comfortable walking in. I learned very quickly that as long as you obey the dress code, it doesn’t really matter what you wear.
2. Bring pen and paper everywhere – Countless times I walked into my boss’s office, was given instructions on how to do something, walked away, sat down at my desk, and had to immediately go back in there to have her repeat exactly what I was supposed to do. Just write it down the first time so you don't have to annoy anybody.
3. Since I brought up being annoying… ask the right amount of questions – Don’t be afraid to ask questions to clarify something or even if you’re just curious. People like that. Also, if you ask a question immediately when it enters your head it shows that you are attentive and aware and listening. But also try to figure some things out on your own. Secretaries can pretty much answer any desk/printer/phone/computer-related issue you have, so don’t bother your boss with those questions.
4. Be intuitive – Adjust the pace of your work depending on how much work they have for you. Anticipate what types of tasks you are asked to do, and jump on it before anybody even asks you to do it. It’s not that hard to impress people as long as you genuinely try hard.
5. Emails - If someone emails you to do something, answer and say “Okay, I’ll work on it now.” I first thought that I would annoy my boss with emails like that, since she got thousands of emails a day, but instead she just wasted more time walking to my desk to see if I saw her email. A quick confirmation is often appreciated.
Happy internship application season!
