A couple of weeks ago, we asked yakkers a question in one of our featured Peeks: Hey interns, what are your tips for surviving the summer internship? Man did they have a lot to say.
If you’re interning this summer and want to know exactly how to dominate at being an unpaid laborer, we’ve pulled together all the insider information yakkers deemed necessary to rise to the top. (You’re welcome. Don’t forget us when you become a big hot-shot). Here’s what we learned from you:
Don’t mess up. Like, AT ALL. One slip and you’ll be demoted to sitting on the floor as punishment for forgetting to buy your boss’ wife an anniversary present. You should know what you have to do and do it twenty times better, naturally. Your boss needs coffee? Go to Costco and buy her a years worth of coffee beans. You’ll become lead intern in no time, it’s basically a promotion, right? Just remember, there are no stupid questions (unless that question is “What’s the most quotable movie?” as it’s obviously Mean Girls), so ask away in order to avoid messing up later on. You’ve got this.
No intern actually knows what they’re doing. If an intern says that they do and you believe them, well you’re pretty darn gullible. The only way to make it in this dog-eat-dog world of interns is to pretend that you know how to work the copy machine until, VOILA!, you actually know how to work it. All this requires you to do is to be cool, be confident… essentially, be Kanye West, if Kanye West was an intern.
Being memorable can have its drawbacks, so do whatever you can to avoid earning a nickname. The best way to dodge a nickname is by becoming virtually invisible, unless of course you’ve found a way to make your boss want to hire you on the spot (think: finding a cure for cancer, making a couple million due to your stock picks, or creating the ultimate defense in court). If you already have a nickname, you’re kind of failing… but there’s hope for you next summer. In the meantime, have fun jumping to attention whenever people refer to you by your most-unfortunately-memorable moments.
There’s an art to looking busy at all times. Learn it, use it, love it. In between running out to grab your boss a venti caramel frappuccino (extra whip) and responding to his Tinder messages for him (seriously, people?), you may find yourself with a couple minutes of free time. Do not, we repeat DO NOT, spend this time snapchatting pics of you at your desk with the caption #internlife. Rather use this time to show your boss just how “busy” you are. We’re not telling you to disregard this sacred free time, but it is a critical intern skill to know how to both look like you’re setting up your boss’ new iPhone 6+ while you’re actually re-watching the Game of Thrones finale. It’s all about the art of illusion.
It’s important to keep things in perspective. Stop sweating so much; it’s ok to take time to chill out and enjoy the intern experience, as much as that’s possible. After all, you’re an intern, not the manager of One Direction after Zayn peaced out and people started rioting. Remember that intern pain is temporary and you’ll be posting this gig on your resume soon enough. As the saying goes, “Life is so much easier when you just chill out.”
This summer our Yak has been going through the intern highs and lows with you, too. Check out our Yaktern video series to see how he’s doing as he navigates the summer internship waters!