I've had a lot of experience with interns... some bad and some good. Some that I thought would be great interns turned out to be lazy and flippant, and other that I thought would be weirdos turned out to be the best interns ever.
Michele's Tips for Interns
- Network - I worked at a post house for 10 years. If you didn't know someone there, your likelyhood of getting an internship was not too high. I know you all hate to hear about "Networking" but that IS where it's at. Attend user group meetings, MCAI meetings and other get togethers with local professionals. Get on all of those mailing lists. Volunteer for film shoots. This will look good on your resume and it will help you meet the people that can get you the internships and jobs.
- Learn about the industry - By networking and going to user group meetings, you're already learning about the industry. Read the magazines, hit the websites (like this one!) and use the online forums. You never know who you might meet on those forums and I'm sure you'll learn something new.
- Get your hours and contact info in writing - Maybe it was just the place I worked but we were immensely disorganized. We didn't have the hours that the interns planned to work and we didn't have their phone numbers either. Yes, it seems odd, but this sort of thing often seems to be overlooked.
Problems arise when you can only work part time on certain days and they need you at other times. Getting this in writing up front will keep problems about your hours from popping up later. - Make yourself valued - When I interned, the Avid editors would bitch about having to black tapes all of the time. I had a hundred blacked tapes ready to go for them in a variety of durations. The graphic artists complained about not being able to find logos when they needed them. At that time many were printed and stored in boxes... yeah, it was the dark ages. I scanned them and created a logo database for them, complete with alpha channels. Everyone was so pleased that they didn't have to do this grunt work and they finally decided that they couldn't live with out me.
Incidently, I left last fall and pretty much daily I'm still asked how to do certain things. It's called job security, kids. Use it to your advantage. - Keep busy - This really goes with the previous point. If you have nothing to do, find something to do that will benefit others at the company... something that they will notice. Ask if you can catalog their backups, set up a database of logos, update the client database, proof read others work... whatever you can think of. Ask others if they need help. You can be their extra hand. Maybe they need something small done that they can pass off to you.
- Learn some new software - If you have nothing to do at your internship, spend it learning some high end software that you can't afford or brush up on your editing skills. Of course, you'd need an open computer to do this.
- Help the non-profits - Find out what causes the owner or boss supports. There are always non-profits needing free work, so ask your employer if you could do some free work for the company, using their equipment. It makes them feel like they're helping the community, gets some professional work under your belt and helping non-profits is a good thing.
- Never burn your bridges - So, your internship isn't what you want it to be. You don't like your boss or your clients. The best advice I can give you is to keep a positive attitude, even if it kills you. Keep showing up even if you don't want to. Internships are short term, usually just a semester, so it will not last forever. You will need references for future jobs and you never know... this guy could be best buds with the owner of the company you REALLY want to work at.
- Don't be afraid to talk to people - Find the person in the office who is the lead designer and bond. You can learn insider tricks and build a relationship with a mentor. You'll soon get to hear the gossip and learn how thing REALLY work at the company.
- Dress the part - The place I worked was really laid back. Everyone wore jeans and t-shirts every day. Some employees had crazy hair and lots of piercings. If that's how the company is, then sure, dress that way. However, if everyone else wears khakis and polo shirts, your Fugazi t-shirt probably isn't impressing anyone. Remember, this is a stepping stone to something else, so if you have to wear a shirt with a collar for 4 months, it could mean the difference between getting hired and getting a "Good luck with your career".
- Take notes - No, it's not school, but writing stuff down as someone explains can help it absorb into your brain. I had notebooks full of notes on how to patch the patchbay in the machine room to the proper size to make logos to how to make a corner bug. I could go back and refer to it any time. The successful interns take notes and make lists.
I had an intern that did a lot of damage by screwing up our numbering system in the library. I explained it all twice and the intern claimed that they understood the system. It all had to be redone at a cost to our time. Another intern messed up a website by not paying attention to instructions. Neither of these tasks were difficult and could've been avoided if the intern would've paid closer attention. They both blamed their ADD by the way. Take your ritalin, kids, and take notes. - Don't talk about your drunken partying - Yes, it's tempting to talk about the sexy girl you met last night and took home to meet your 1000 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets after 8 Jaeger bombs. There's a time and a place, and your internship ain't it. Don't talk to other co-workers about it and don't talk on the phone about it with your homeys.
Labels: Internships, jobs, Tips
