How to Screw Up and Then Start an Internship

I started my internship yesterday, and I struck a deal with HR that I could tell you all a bit about it, provided I don’t tell you where I am interning. So, I apologize in advance for coming across all mysterious, but at least this way you’ll hear a bit about my experiences as the semester progresses.

Getting to the point of actually starting the internship was a challenge. Faxes didn’t go through, emails were sent to wrong addresses, and prior blogs had to be edited according to their social media policy. So, advice to all of you for when you apply for internship:

1)      Make sure the company has all your paperwork

2)      Make sure the company has the correct contact information (sending an email to elise*****@marymount.edu isn’t the same as sending it to elyse*****@marymount.edu)

3)      Don’t post anything online unless you KNOW it is okay. When in doubt ask.

4)      There is no such thing as being over dressed for an interview. The worst that will happen is that you will be told you look great but don’t need the suit jacket on a daily basis. Or, maybe you will.

5)      Start the process early. Do you want to be the girl emailing your Prof at 3am for a reference letter two days before it is due? (No, you don’t. Just sayin’.)

Now, about my actual internship…

I met my supervisor on Wednesday, and she is super nice. She is kind of soft-spoken, but not at all in a walk-all-over-me type way. In fact there is something about her that commands respect. By the end of the day I actually accomplished some actual work for her.

After some help from IT, I was able to log into the computer system and get some practice with the database, gathering information for the files I was working on. It might take some time to get used to their computer system; each screen has about 50 buttons and I was always worried I’d hit the wrong one, deleting a file. Fortunately it seems as though deleting files is fairly difficult.

One thing I have to definitely remember is to never forget my badge. You swipe in twice to enter the building, another time to get on the elevator to go up to your office, well, I think you see where I am going with this. I don’t want to think about the hassles that would ensue if I showed up without it. I might set an alarm on my phone to remind me to stick it in my bag. Is that overkill?

Another cool thing is that there are a bunch of Marymount students at the site with me. Today I saw two current classmates and two girls that graduated in the spring that I used to have classes with. I know that one more girl from school will be starting next week. Interestingly enough though, one of the other interns came all the way from California for this internship. Wow.

I am sick, which means I am tired so I am saying good-night for now. Night!

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