Avoid Sticky Situations at Your Summer Internship

Lauren Berger is CEO of http://www.internqueen.com. Berger tours the country speaking at colleges and really bringing the internship message to life. Lauren Berger is known as "The Intern Queen" after participating in 15 internships during her four years of college. She was named #5 on YouthMobile's list of Top Youth Marketing Minds for 2010 and also #5 on BusinessWeek's Top 25 Entrepreneurs 25 and Under this year.

Summer internship season has officially started. Just last week, thousands of students across the nation set their alarm clocks and flocked to their brand new summer internships. Hopefully arriving at least fifteen minutes early, these students sat in orientations, met fellow interns, and learned the ropes of their new office environments.

I'm confident that most students had an excellent first day on the internship. However, I'm sure others didn't have such a hot first day. Let's be real. A large part of any internship is messing up. Students need to learn from their mistakes. And they are bound to happen.

Below are a few pointers that will help you steer clear of certain sticky situations this summer. I suggest writing down every time you make a mistake during your internship. Also make a note of the correct way to handle the situation. Making mistakes is fine and expected. However, making the same mistake twice is when problems start to arise. Good luck at your summer internships.

STICKY SITUATIONS TO AVOID AT YOUR SUMMER INTERNSHIP

1.       Write Everything Down. Your internship coordinator will most likely take the time to do a mini or full-length orientation. At larger companies, these orientations will be an all-day (or even multiple-day) event. At smaller companies, this will probably just a few minutes of going over rules and procedures. Take notes. Designate one notebook your Internship Notebook and have it with you at all times. Make sure you write down even the things you think that you will remember. Nothing is more frustrating than a student asking questions that the internship coordinator has already answered or explained.

2.       Speak Up When Appropriate. Several students walk into internships thinking that they can voice their opinions and ideas whenever they want. They see an Executive in the hallway and think that because they are interns at the company, they can bombard the higher-ups with ideas whenever and wherever they want to. Unless you have a scheduled appointment with an Exec, you are asked for you opinion, or you have been given special permission to provide ideas – this behavior is not appropriate. It's important to know when to speak up. Students should absolutely introduce themselves to everyone but harassing them with ideas is a giant NO.

3.       Keep a Schedule. Decide now how you are going to keep your summer schedule organized. Use either a planner or the calendar on your cell phone. I recommend using Google Calendar and syncing it with your Email Server and your cell phone. This way your calendar is always on you. Make note of any days off, holidays, events at your internship, and meetings. I would combine your personal and internship schedule so that everything is in one place. You can also keep track of project deadlines and presentation dates this way. I promise that organization will always impress your boss.

4.       Do Not Assume Anything.  Every company does things differently. You are new to the company. You do not know how things are done and how the day-to-day tasks are processed. If you have a question about something or find yourself unsure, please ask your internship coordinator. If you are working on a multi-faceted project, I suggest writing down all of your questions in one place and then asking your internship coordinator. Constantly bugging someone again and again with questions can get frustrating. Put all of your questions in one place and then take a block of their time to get your questions answered. If you find yourself saying the word ASSUME, immediately ask someone. Never assume anything.

5.       Always Communicate Formally.  In Ivanka Trump's new book, The Trump Card, she speaks about always communicating formally, even with friend's while at work. This advice MUST be followed at your internship. All emails that you send, even if they are inter-office emails should be written properly. Don't include inside jokes or nicknames. Avoid emails that are one quick sentence. Always address the person formally, and sign the email with your formal work signature. You never know who will get a copy of that email.