What To Expect At An Internship
October 7, 2010
1. A successful application includes a well thought out and extensive cover letter and resume which are submitted to the appropriate company personnel in the method indicated on the job posting followed by a follow-up phone call one week later.
2. Always dress in business-appropriate and professional attire at the office. Men – wear ties, women – wear slacks, and no open toed shoes!
3. Arrive early, before your 9 a.m. start time, be prompt with your 30-minute lunch break, and leave at 5 p.m. (or later, but never before!).
4. Leave your phone in your bag, and turn it off or keep it on silent mode.
5. You probably won’t ever see the boss as they have a top-floor suite so you may not need to worry about this one – but do not speak until you’ve been spoken to, especially from the boss.
6. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT spend any time whatsoever checking facebook/tweeting/reading personal emails.
7. Odds are you won’t get to know your coworkers for several months, if ever. You probably won’t be invited to company outings, and if you are it was probably only because they were being polite. But don’t take it personally.
8. You will spend most of your day photocopying, filing, typing, and making phone calls.
9. Your work day will be highly structured with little opportunity for creativity and experimentation. People will tell you what to do, and pile papers high on your desk with things they don’t want to do themselves but they can get you to do because, after all, you’re the intern.
10. You must wear shoes at all times….
ummm.. wait. scratch that.
What To Expect With An Internship At rtraction
A successful application includes a well thought out and extensive cover letter and…
1. Be proactive. I got to know some of the people working for the company and the company itself before applying, albeit through twitter. That being said, just because there isn’t a formal job posting doesn’t mean they don’t want you!
Always dress in business…
2. Well we still dress professionally, it’s true.. but no ties or slacks required, jeans appear to be acceptable (although I haven’t been officially informed of that.. uh oh)
Arrive early, before your 9 a.m…
3. Let’s just say I’ve enjoyed a few rounds of Halo during lunch breaks. I’ve even managed to accomplish my goal of not finishing in last place – and it’s only been three weeks! (and punctuality is still a valued attribute here at rtraction)
Leave your phone…
4. Phones.. what are “phones” these days anyways? Mini computers, that’s what they are. And we are in the digital and everything related business – so phones are cool. Especially iPhones it seems..
You probably won’t ever see the boss…
5. *Flashback* First Day
Enter: David Billson, President and Co-founder “Let’s just grab a desk from storage and bring over a laptop, and we’ll be good to go” The desk gets brought up and gets placed, you guessed it, right next to his desk in his office. Now, this probably seems like an intimidating situation – and you’re right, despite the fact that David is one of the most approachable and down-to-earth guys I’ve met, it’s still kind of intimidating sitting right next to the “head honcho”.
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT spend any time whatsoever checking tweeting…
6. Twitter is practically a requirement of the job.
Odds are you won’t get to know your coworkers for several months…
7. I have already had the opportunity to get to know several of my new coworkers – from wandering the streets during Park(ing) Day London, to playing Halo in the boardroom at lunch, to after-work beers at Crabby’s. I’ve worked for a reasonable number of companies in my eight or more years of being employable – and I can honestly say that I have not met a more cohesive and dynamic group of people who are fun to work with and expert at what they do.
You will spend most of your day photocopying…
8. I’m not entirely sure there is photocopier here..
Your work day will be highly structured with little opportunity for creativity…
9. We’re in the business of creativity and innovation! What would work be if there was no room to experiment and grow. This is the place to be for all things out-of-the-box.
You must wear shoes at all times….
10. nik: 
It also depends on the culture and environment of the place you’ll be having your internship in. Get a feel for it during your first few days, i.e. if they’re tolerant of phones, casual clothing, etc.
Hi, Splendid article! Very well worded and right to the point. I am using some of this blog in my own site as a guide, I hope you don’t mind.