Ahhh…it is almost that time…the time of leather crop tops and long naps and days at the beach and pushing back on the “man”. No, not summer break at the beach – I’m talking about summer intern time in corporate America. In my time in corporate, I’ve seen interns show up for work in club wear, call out sick and then post on social media about a great day at the beach and think it was okay to nap in their cubicles during lunch.
Workplace Norms for Summer Interns
Over at Ask a Manager, Alison Green asked the question of “why we don’t teach new graduates about workplace norms” – the same question applies to summer interns. That discussion had almost 300 comments last time I checked.
From June to August, undergraduate and graduate student interns will flood into corporate offices with hopes of getting experience and making a good impression. The gold prize is to end the summer with a job offer. For some students, it is their first job beyond life guarding and babysitting. Learning workplace norms can be a challenge for someone new to the corporate and professional world. It’s time to let go of college life and embrace professional norms.
If you are going to be an intern, or responsible for mentoring one, here are some workplace norms to consider. These are tailored to a corporate office environment and assume limited previous work experience.
Tip 1: Common Sense Office Protocol
Let’s start with the basics. Young adults learn one set of norms in college and need to transition to a new set. Depending on upbringing, interns may or may not have seen professional norms through family members. Some of these workplace norms seem like common sense, but sometimes common sense isn’t so common.
Sometimes common sense is not so common…
Some common sense advice:
- Be on time – every day – punctuality is noticed. This means arriving on time in the morning and being on time to meetings and when returning from lunch.
- Show up when you are supposed to. Don’t call in pretending to be sick when you want to go to the beach. Between social media and tan lines, you’ll rarely get away with a lie.
- Don’t drink too much at company events – or even with other interns after hours. Drinking too much often leads to bad decisions and those bad decisions can follow you back to the office.
- Don’t microwave fish or popcorn or you risk becoming the intern who stinks up the office.
- Understand the norms in your group around music and headphones. In most open offices and cubical areas, you should not listen to music out loud. In some cases, there are also restrictions on wearing headphones. This can be a surprisingly controversial topic as discussed on Medium.com in the Great Headphone Debate.
Tip 2: Create a professional image
- Dress appropriately – the dress code will vary across offices, but follow expectations. You need to look neat and tidy, but you should be able to put together a reasonable wardrobe without too much expense. These items are not acceptable in most corporate offices – even on casual Fridays: super-short mini skirts, torn jeans, shorts, backless shirts or midriff baring shirts, tank tops without another shirt on top, leather pants, flip flops, sheer blouses without coverage underneath, visible bra straps, t shirts with offensive messages or advertising drugs or alcohol, etc.
- Represent yourself professionally – Choose a professional headshot for your image on the company intranet and on Linked In. Leave a simple voicemail message on your phone.
- Communicate effectively – Write concise emails and make sure that you specifically call out what action is needed next. Don’t use texting abbreviations. LOL!
Tip 3: Focus on Your Work
You should be getting a lot out of your internship, but you’ll get more out of it if you are focused and purposeful. Show up every day with energy and dedication. Yes, that means every day – five days a week – and week after week. And, remember, you should also be contributing something back to the company. The investment should be meaningful to you and leave a meaningful contribution behind. So, when you are at work, focus on work.
- Take notes when receiving instructions. It makes you look engaged and helps you remember the details.
- Don’t spend a lot of time on your phone or on social media or goofing off.
- Be organized – Be prepared when going into meetings. Keep a calendar of deadlines and due dates and plan your work over days and weeks to hit the deadlines.
- Remember that you are at the company to contribute and learn. You are not there to change the world or even the company. Don’t get caught up with side issues – like petitioning to change the dress code. You are a short-timer. And there might be good reasons (often legal requirements) for policies and procedures that might seem random to a newcomer.
- Be respectful. Don’t gossip or speak poorly about other people. You will likely be working with people of all different backgrounds and experiences and education. Treat them all respectfully. Sometimes you have to work with people you don’t like, but you still need to have a professional relationship with them.
Tip 4: Learn and grow
- Ask questions when you need clarity, but try to find the answer yourself before asking. Google and You Tube are great resources for figuring out things such as Excel tricks.
- Network as much as you can with people across the business. Be proactive in seeking people out and setting up informational interviews.
- Ask to attend meetings and observe others in action. You can learn a lot by watching and listening.
- Find available learning resources. If you have down time at work, search out educational opportunities. Your company might have online learning programs or in-person training you could attend. Or maybe your boss or mentor could recommend a useful business-related book.
- Seek feedback. Ask how you are doing as you go along. Listen and absorb the feedback. Make changes. That is how you improve!
Do these norms apply to every workplace?
For all of these suggestions, you need to consider the specific norms for your workplace. For example, dress code and professional image are very different in Silicon Valley than on Wall Street. If you aren’t sure what fits your company, you can ask or observe more senior people in your company.
Realize that most people are tolerant of mistakes made by interns – as long as the mistake is recognized and fixed. Others want to help interns grow and learn, so go out there and make it a great day!
