10 Things All Things Interns Should Know

I work in a nonprofit. And as an intern supervisor, there are certain things I assume all interns know when they start. And then there are some other things I wish they knew:

1. Everyone wants this to be a good experience for you.

Everyone loves interns. We wait all month for your start date. And we want you to walk away three months later with a good experience behind you – having learned something, or a lot of somethings. And the reason is…

2. We need you.

A lot of nonprofits rely on interns. We are short staffed, overworked and welcome all the help we can get because…

3. If you don’t do it, no one else will.

It may seem like a bummer when you have to do three hours of data entry. It’s not because we hate you – it’s because we need it done. And we are eternally grateful. When you’re not here, we’re the ones doing  the drudge-work. Thus,

4. Your time is not more valuable than ours.

Nothing is more frustrating than an intern telling me (or even acting like) work is beneath them. You might as well tell me your time is more valuable than mine. Because, like #3, if you are too good to do something, that means I have to do it.

5. I’ll train you…if you’re willing to learn. Just ask.

I want all my interns to have a good experience. But I don’t necessarily know what they need. Internships should be give and take. You are helping us, and we want to help you. Do you want experience writing blogs? Using Excel? Mail merging? (trust me, you WANT this last one).

6. It’s an office.

That means attire, language and volume. Remember –inside voices.

7. We have office hours.

Even if you are unpaid, we expect you to come in and leave at the same time as regular staff members. It takes a lot of planning to ensure you have meaningful projects and are occupied all day. So if you don’t show up on time – or at all – we will notice. So, remember:

8. Just because you don’t get in trouble for something, doesn’t mean we don’t notice it.

I have seen the most unbelievably great interns pass through. And I have seen the reverse. Everyone wants to give praise, but it’s harder to criticize someone. Just because no one calls you out, that doesn’t mean you are getting away with it. So be careful because,

9. You are interviewing for your next job.

Whether you plan to work at the place you are interning at or not, your time there is like an extended interview for your next position. Supervisors (or me, at least) constantly look for qualities that make a good employee. And even if it’s not for a position I am hiring for, it’s for another one I know is out there.

Good interns are hard to find. So if I find one, I will do what I can to help them. We need good people, which I why I relish that…

10. It is a small world.

You may be surprised by the number of times people will call up their friends who work at the organizations you put down on your resume. I’ve done it, my friends do it, and it has happened to me. Even if you don’t put someone down as a reference, they can still be a reference. So keep these tips in mind and you will be happy to hear what your supervisors say about you!

Bonus Tip: You should learn. You should enjoy your time. And you should gain unique skills you can apply to a job, grad school, or whatever else you end up doing. Approach your internship like a job. But, please, love your work!

Laurel Buckley is an AF ambassador.