PrintMany Columbians will experience the trials and tribulations of an internship for the first time this summer, and so we’ve compiled a handy list of dos and don’ts. Here’s to hoping you get placed in an office with a box full of hot chocolate packets!
DO learn how to make coffee.
DON’T agree to make coffee when you don’t know how, only to have your boss walk in on you frantically requesting instructions from your mother over the phone.
DON’T wear nail polish. It will chip while you’re filing, or worse, while you’re making coffee—you don’t want your boss to find a piece of hot pink, chipped-off OPI in his or her cup.
DO bring hand lotion to soothe your cuticles, which will probably be ripped after repeatedly shoving your hands into overstuffed file cabinets.
DO wear reflective sunglasses so that you can take short naps between tasks.
DON’T go to the bathroom at the same time as your boss. Awkward small talk will definitely ensue.
DO avoid taking your lunch breaks at the same time/place as your boss. See above.
DO beware of heat-induced fires while using the copy machine.
DO avoid situations that will reveal the foreign language “proficiency” listed on your resume to be a bit of an exaggeration.