Intern
- Started
- Last post
- 9 Responses
- mathinc
I have an intern starting with us in a couple weeks and I want to make sure that his time with us is positive for all. We've definitely got some grunt work for him to do, and my wife and I are new parents so we think we can coddle and nurture the lad but besides that I was wondering if there was anything one of you had experienced that proved beneficial for an intern? I want to make sure his time is worthwhile. Any tips or stories would be great.
- fate0
Never been an intern, but just as an employee in general...
The thing I've been most grateful for is learning big-picture thinking, seeing how the things we do bring value and how to communicate that value to a client.
That means teaching them the business from the top-down, not just the bottom grunt work.
- fate0
That doesn't mean they are involved in strategic decisions.
But simply talking with them about that stuff can mean a lot.
- sine0
yeah. any intern willing to work hard is gonna want to be taught stuff... simple. don't make him just do menial graft. having experienced being an apprentice myself, like you say, trying to show him the bigger picture means a lot. but whether it turns into a mentor ship is going to depend on the intern's attitude a lot. as long as you have the right approach...
- mathinc0
Monday morning bump.
Thanks Fate and Sine. Since we're a small studio he'll be exposed to a lot of client strategy as well as our own internal bumblings. So, besides the moderate amount of grunt work he'll be tackling, he should get some good insight all the way around.
- mantrakid0
I interned for my college program at the graphic department of a print company. They were mostly doing pre-press stuff, which was ok, and it gave me a chance to see the utter shit that comes through their server that they gotta make 'work' on the presses. I learned a few things but by the 3rd day they had me doing bindery work all day. I asked questions and tried to see where else I could help but they insisted i shrinkwrap and collate the remainder of my time. Just part of the job they said. It was the worst.
Id say as in intern, i would have preferred to shadow the other departments a bigger portion of my time. I say as long as you check in with them daily and ensure they are learning, getting what they need out of it, and make it clear that you want them to contribute in some facet while they are there, so there will be grunt work.. i think as long as there is open daily communication everyone will walk out of it with a positive attitude about the experience.
- mathinc0
^ Damn, that sounds like a nightmare. I know people who use interns as unpaid, unskilled labor. We're not into going that route at all. I'm really looking forward to giving the guy some responsibilities and some experience that he can take with him after his internship is over.
- CALLES0
is she hot?
- ********0
In order to qualify as an unpaid internship, the requirement is simple: no work can be performed that is of any benefit at all to the company. That is, you can not deliver mail, sort files, file papers, organize a person’s calendar, conduct market research, write reports, watch television shows and report on them, read scripts, schedule interviews, or any other job that assists the employer in any way in running their business.
You can do it for "credit" as an enrolled student though.