Keep Busy...Look Good

One of the hardest things to do in internship is to keep busy with good work. All of us interns now that there is always the administrative type work that can be done but none of us want to do that. In an early post I had talked about learning how to say no when you have too much work, this post is the antithesis to that one. How to get more work when you don't have enough.

One of the worst things an intern can do is sit at their desk with no work, go on facebook, gchat, or just surf the web. Granted a little of that stuff never heard, and I am one of the greatest offenders to that. But it is about creating a good balance, and of course not letting the boss see. If you find yourself going to your list of websites that you go to when you are bored go ask your supervisor if they have any projects for you. If they don't have anything ask their supervisor. This type of attitude will make you look like a diligent worker, and as we all know an internship is just an extended interview. Showing your commitment and hard work will leave a good impression of you with your bosses. However don't say "Do you have any work I can do?" This will lead to those killer tasks like making copies, filing, and other monotonous tasks. Instead say to your boss "Do you have any projects I can help out with?" or "Is there any project that I can work on?" Phrasing it like this shows the boss that you want a real project not a time filler. If you end up doing files so be it, it is the little things that get you to the top. In the sports and entertainment industry (more specifically agencies), in which I work, entry level is often in the mail room. Those who work the hardest at the job they hate the most will ultimately be the one who networks the best and climbs the corporate ladder.

My internship to this part has been a lot of ups and downs as far as work load. There have been times when I am the last intern in the office, and other times when I am the first out the door. Recently I asked my supervisor, "It is now the second half of the internship, is there anything I should improve or focus on in my second half." His response was, "Make sure you are always asking for work if you don't have anything on your plate." He said that since I already do this there wasn't much to improve but that the higher-ups like interns that are always working and asking for more work. I am lucky that my supervisor was recently an intern and knows the ins and outs, but if your supervisor isn't willing to offer that advice, take it from me your boss will like to see you in their office if you are always looking to do work.

Enjoy the rest of the summer it's almost over.