Top 3 Mistakes Students Make in their Internships



Top 3 Mistakes Students Make in their Internships

by  on July 2, 2013 




Top 3 mistakes students make in their internships:
 1. Not taking enough initiative
Once you’ve been on the job for a while you should be able to work independently on projects without asking for too much direction from your supervisor. Of course, you should check in with your supervisor on a regular basis and make sure you’re on the same page, but you’re there to help with the work load, not create more work (and believe me, supervising an intern is work).
2. Acting like an expert
The reverse of the first point is that you take too much initiative without input from your supervisor and strike out on your own – but in the wrong direction. I’ve had internship supervisors complain that their students’ sometimes need to learn when to act and when to step back; when to speak and when to listen. Yes, you may have completed all your coursework and you may even have some experience in the human services field. But your supervisor, and oftentimes your clients or those you’re working with, likely have much more experience and knowledge. You should remember that you’re there to learn.
3. Not taking the internship seriously
An internship is a great learning experience for you. You can ask questions and make mistakes in a “safe” environment. However, it’s also a big commitment on the agency’s part and they expect you to show up and do the work you’ve promised to do. I’ve had students forget to go to their placement, frequently call in sick or say they can’t come, or commit to work that they don’t complete. While you’re not getting paid, the agency you’re working for may be depending on you just as they do their employees and you should treat your placement like a job. Show up when you say you will, do the work you said you would, follow up on your commitments. Not only will you learn something, but you’ll make a good impression on your supervisors – hopefully earning a good letter of recommendation for the future!
*Originally posted on the Career Skillet website (Permission granted by Jill Bowers).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Power of a Handshake

Image
The Power of a Handshake by   Lisa Brooks   on   August 13, 2013   What does your handshake say about you? Does it convey that you are confident and self-assured? Or, does it suggest that you are insecure, an emotional bully, or overconfident? Research shows that not only will you be judged by your handshake, you will be forming an impression about the other person when shaking hands. During my etiquette training at the Protocol School of Washington, I was taught to see the right hand as a sensor for discovering the type of person with whom I was dealing. Once you understand the subtle messages of a handshake and learn how to deliver the correct handshake, you will have a significant advantage in mastering your professional image. This article provides guidelines for delivering the correct handshake, as well as it will help you interpret (and avoid) some of the most common types of undesirable handshakes, such as the “dead fish,” the “fingertip holder,” the”glo...
Read more

The Art of Self-Disclosure

Image
The Art of Self-Disclosure by   Jill Bowers   on   June 30, 2013   How much information will  you  disclose in an interview or professional setting? It was Abraham Lincoln who said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” This does not mean you should have to feel insecure that everything you say might be stupid or offend someone. What it does mean, however, is that you should think before you speak. In doing this, you can avoid disclosing  too much  information about yourself. In fact,  what  or  how much  you disclose can influence how others’ perceive you and how much they trust you as a potential employee or colleague. For example, “too much disclosure” may cause an interviewer to think you have “issues” or cause them to question your ability to keep information about their company or clients confidential. Not enough disclosure, on the other hand, can make you appear “c...
Read more

Omnipresence of Sugar

Image
                                                                    Omnipresence of Sugar By Shaun Hurdelbrink and Natasha Cole, MPH, RD on April 28, 2015 Are you aware of sugar’s omnipresence in your life or how much you truly consume? Added sugar is found in many foods: breakfast cereals, fruit juices, granola bars, ketchup, BBQ sauce, soymilk, energy drinks, protein bars, etc. You get the idea. Unsurprisingly, Americans consume “an average of more than 500 calories per day from added sugar alone.” 1  Not only do added sugars themselves contribute several hundred calories daily, but sugar’s low nutritional value makes people “continue to feel hungry” after consuming them. 2  Sugar not only contributes to obesity around the world, but it is also linked to other health problems such as: hypertension...
Read more