10 top tips to make most least of your internship
If you are interning in Delhi this summer, do not forget to attend InternSaturday, an exclusive career guidance event for interns in Delhi
With summer vacations starting off, most of you have either already started or are about to start your internship. And the timing is ideal for us to dish out some worldly wise gyaan on how to make the most of your internship. But nobody reads the ‘good advice’ these days and hence may be telling you contrary would drive the point home :). So here go 10 sure shot ways to ensure that your internship is a forgettable experience.
1. Do NOT be on time, ever: – Let these 2 months of internship not change the habit of 20 years. If rest of the team can wake up and come to office by 9:00 AM while you slumber in at noon – it’s their problem and not yours. The world can wait.
2. Do NOT dress professionally: – Remember the Metallica t-shirt with a print of fire spitting dragon at back and the low hanging jeans that you bought in 1st year of your college and which have been your companion 24*7 ever since. Let it experience a new environment – that of a corporate office. The formal attire is for oldies in the office and if anyone ever objects – they are just jealous of you.
3. Use SMS language in office communication: – afterall ur manager is ur gr8 college buddy and he’d understand what PITA it is to type a few xtra characters on keyboard. LOLZZ…
4. Do NOT complete given tasks in time: – Office work should not be treated any different than course work and hence should start only a night before the deadline. In addition, do NOT forget to make fun of those who take their work seriously and come up with creative nick names such as NBD, RG, Maggu etc. and constantly advise them to get a life!
5. Do NOT participate in meetings and discussions: – Unlike some of your courses (especially in MBA degree), there are no marks for classroom participation (CP) here, are there? And if someone catches you sleeping; give a smile of contempt and tell them that is your deep thinking posture. What do they know, huh?
6. Use office internet for personal browsing: – Remember to visit and activate all social network profiles (facebook, orkut, hi5, myspace, classmate, buddyonline etc.) that you may not have had a chance to visit in entire academic year. After all this is what vacations are for. Also please DO forward those 2 MB+ emails of Rajnikant vs. Chuck Norris jokes to everyone in office – everyone appreciates a laugh.
7. Do NOT socialize with your team members: – Remember, you are there for 2 months and have not gone there to settle down, so why make an effort to know your colleagues better? What possible benefit could it bring? In fact, tomorrow when you become CEO of a multi-billion MNC, all these people may actually start asking you favors. It’s best to kill the problem in the bud.
8. Be rude to everyone and peer over their shoulders to look into their screens: – Again your stay there is a short one and hence by that definition you are a guest of the company and Atithi Devo Bhav – you can behave the way you like. You do not have to be politically correct or sensitive to differences in perspectives. Also it’s great fun to spy on what others are upto – it makes for good chaai gossip
9. Steal everything that you can lay your hands on: – Be it stationery, sensitive customer data, or strategy presentations. Try to maximize your returns.
10. Read this article and follow it: – If still in doubt, follow the steps above and do write back with the outcome :)
Jokes apart, have a great summer and may you get everything that you wanted out of your internship!
Image credit: – http://lindsaycallahan.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/intern-copies-resize.jpg?w=500&h=400
