So I'm getting my first intern this summer. I have been in groups with interns and I've been an intern but I've never had one 'assigned' to me before so I was hoping for some advice around how I can a) make this mutually beneficial b) not strangle him when he fucks up and c) ensure that we both have some fun along the way.
Appreciate the feedback.
I will assume that you are male:
a) remove "him", get female intern b) pull her hair or spank her ass, dont strangle plx c) give her asignments such as washing/ironing your clothes
I'm in the same boat.
My plan is to Start him off slow on filing old emails and work him up to be doing background work for me for clients.
Is your intern of age to partake in a few chardonays after a long work week? Thats the worst if he is not,.. a friend who was older than I in college was an intern (20 years old) got so drunk his parents called the office and spoke to the powers at be. Long story short the guy my friend intern under got fired for getting him drunk underage.
Thats my only precaution, Nowadays all these kids drinking four lokos and sugar super max energy beer have made them soft to drinking grandpas old cough medicine.
Let me know how it goes
I don't see the correlation between drinking four lokos and being 'weak' at drinking in general.
Unless happypants office is deep in everclear country down in Kentucky
Remember that he is probably very nervous about starting his new internship and does not want to screw up so the pressure might actually make him do some stupid things. Make him feel easy and useful.
If you are giving him small tasks make sure to tell him that this is just a standard procedure until he gets in the groove of things and you will increase his work load and responsibilities over time. When starting a new job and finding that all you have to do is sort emails and fax stuff, you hate your life and start questioning whether it's the right thing for you or why the eff did you sing up for this bullcake.
Give him little pieces of advice or the internal scoop on how people operate and what they expect, etc. This will give him a feel that you are looking out for him and he will have a lot of respect for you. In the same time, make it very clear that you are his boss(ish) by setting time lines, being assertive in what you are looking for in a certain project, etc..
Disclaimer: I've never had an intern, only been one.
And if you two get along, let him know he's your first one - and as we all know, the first time can be awkward or even hurt. So if he might get the impression he only gets lame/menial tasks, acknowledge that it might be your fault as you're lacking experience with interns, so he doesn't feel like he's (seen as) too stupid.Be his real mentor and genuinely concern about making his internship experience meaningful. Most people acknowledge genuine kindness and it gets paid back in double the amount that you put in.
Clearly establish that you are in charge. You can be friends later.
GIVE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
Realize that doing a good job with this kid can lend more authority/responsibility to you.
Don't be a tyrant, it will work against you.
Good luck
Ding ding ding. You probably already realized this, but your manager will be paying attention to how you handle the responsibility. As others have said, start slow with them to get their confidence up. If you work for a large firm that publishes a lot of internal or client-targeted material send the kid links/files to read in his down time, as you probably won't be giving him a lot of time-consuming tasks to begin with. Then discuss the materials you assigned over lunch or drinks after work.
fuck him, spank him, or suck him, depends on ur preference.
I would advise you to be his friend and mentor. Show him the ropes and teach him well because he will prove to be a valuable asset. Above all, show him some respect. This is coming from a current intern.
Teach him that attention to detail is important. It will greatly benefit both of you in the long run. The day he starts, take him out to lunch and lay down expectations and a path to how he can be successful in this job (what is important and what is not).
The best advice I ever got (even though at the time I thought the guy was a dick for saying it) was that my staffer when I was a first year analyst told me to write every task and step of his instructions down, no matter how minor. At the time my attitude was "whatever, I've got it". I learned very quickly that if I did every single thing that he said (which I then wrote down), my first turn of the work product was much much better. After I started figuring things out, this became less important, but in your first job/first year, I think this is critical.
I can tell you from experience as an intern that it's important to be clear. Giving ambiguous assignments wastes time and increases the chances that the intern will screws up. But getting an intern is extremely beneficial depending on how much data you deal with. They can really help lift the load off you by doing all the menial tasks that would be a bore.
If you sit down and try to explain the workings and operations of the business to the intern, they're more likely to listen and talk with you-->which leads to a better atmosphere and more casual talk.
Thoughts from a recent intern:
1) Please manage my time well. Being slammed with work sucks, but having nothing to do is even worse. I am excited to learn but don't want to feel overwhelmed.
2) Help me see the bigger picture. If I feel like my work is actually useful, it becomes more important to me and I will try to produce a quality final product instead of just getting it done.
3) Allow me some input. My suggestions may be terrible, but listening and giving a thoughtful response goes a long way. Everyone likes to have a voice.
4) Establish the ground rules early. I don't want to screw up! Really!! So please let me know if there are any clear no-no's that are critical to avoid.
Other than that, I would echo the above advice that clear instructions help everyone.
Good luck Happy; I know you'll be a great boss.
Also make sure they know enough about office politics to not piss off the wrong person. Things that are obvious for you to do/not do are not always obvious to people who have never worked in an office environment before.
Yea, Fire him and bring me in.
Together we can take over the office ;)
Good thread.
As someone who has witnessed numerous interns suffering at the hands of a stupid associates and analysts I can only echo the posts above.
1 - Be friendly. Even when you are under stress, most interns want to get the job and want to do well so they are there to help you, don't take it out on them.
2 - When senior analysts and junior associates get given an intern it is often a test to see how they handle it. Therefore, making sure the intern has a good experience and performs well is as much in your interest as his. Remembers this. you are also being evaluated.
Great advice here. I'd add a couple of things:
Be fair. You are allowed to get angry when he screws up, it's fine to tell him he messed up. But tell him when he does a good job too. You'd be amazed at how many people only have criticism and never praise.
Use constant feedback/constructive criticism. It links to the previous one. When he screws up, take the time to explain to him clearly what is wrong and how to fix it. Many analysts just get angry and tell interns what they did is wrong but don't tell them why. Same for good work. If you think they did a good job on a spreadsheet/ppt/whatever explain what you liked and why. This will help him figure out what's expected of his work and will improve the quality of his work overtime.
Be approachable for questions. At the beginning he will be nervous, so you should get it started. Drop by and talk to him, "Hey, how are you getting along with the XXX?? Do you have any questions?? Anything I can help you with??". Don't let it get overboard, so if he asks something stupid tell him to google it, or if he asks the same thing twice tell him to pay more attention. But it's good to have a dynamic where he has the confidence to ask questions and talk to you. It will also help you figure out what areas he wants/needs to develop more. He'll learn more which will make his work and your life better, he will feel appreciated and it will reflect well on you.
Don't forget that he actually wants to impress you. He wants to do a good job, and he is probably a very capable guy, it's up to you to make it possible. Like someone said above, listen to him, he might actually have a good idea, and if he isn't go to point number 2.
I remember being an intern and I did not take shit from anyone.
If the guy is an insecure little virgin piece of shit with a superiority complex which there are many they need to understand that interns are interns and should be respected.
It's not like what they learn on the job is quantum physics ! It's mostly retarded crap + some pointers on how to get things done more efficiently.
Treat people with respect and you will get respect.
And my intern is a girl. Fuck.
Judging from the demeanor of your post, she isn't hot.
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