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A great way to break into the job market is by serving an internship while you are still in chool. In fact, many online degree programs require an internship as part of their graduation requirements.  These intern jobs are usually unpaid, exchanging the experience you would not otherwise gain for a few hours of work each week.

Whether or not your internship is a paid position, it should be taken very seriously. It is also a good way to find out if you like the job duties and the work environment of your future profession. And, internships are a way to gain valuable work experience and make contacts that will help you find a job after graduation.  But – not if you don’t leave your intern employer with a good impression.

I had a number of interns work for me when I ran a marketing firm. Many of them went on to have wonderful careers of their own. I was glad to give them references and help them find jobs after they left my employment and subsequently graduated with their degrees. But then, there were the others…

One intern was a brilliant writer. But I would often find him reading a paperback book – unrelated to his job or schoolwork. He wouldn’t tell me when he was finished with an assignment, look or ask for anything else to do. This was frustrating from my standpoint as an employer. I had to constantly ask where his assignments were. And if I was busy and didn’t think to ask, I could only assume they weren’t completed. It also made me hesitant to give him more important tasks, or to recommend him for professional level jobs after his internship was over.

I employed intern who, after a week on the job, wanted to know when she would be getting a company credit card. No – I’m not kidding. The next week she ran an errand to a client of ours – a restaurant. This client was gracious enough to give us complimentary food when we stopped by for meetings. But, imagine my horror when I discovered my intern had not only accepted lunch, but had asked for a free meal “to go” that she could take home for dinner that night.

And then there was the intern whose name I can’t recall. That is probably because in the 3 weeks she was scheduled to work for us (every day for 3 hours), she showed up a total of 4 times. On one of the days she did come in to work, I had given her a list of people to call to invite to an upcoming event. She made calls. But not to the list. When I returned from a client meeting, my assistant told me this student called not one, not two, but three of her friends to chit chat for a total of 2 hours. Imagine how surprised I was to receive a phone call a couple of months later asking for a reference for this person. At first, I did not recognize the name of the person I was being asked to recommend. But then I did – and she probably would have preferred I had not after I got done telling the person on the other end of the phone about her antics.

There are a few important lessons to be learned here. First of all, always conduct yourself professionally when you are in a business environment, whether for an internship, a job, or as a visitor. When you are given an assignment, make sure you communicate when you have completed it, and ask what else you can do. Never take advantage of your employer, or demand perks that are not appropriate.  And, most importantly, ask the employer if they would be able to give you a future job recommendation.