InterNetworking: How to Make Intern Friends and Impress Bosses

By Shaina Verma on July 25, 2017

The scene: First day at your summer internship.

The cast: You, a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, brand-new intern and your peers, the fellow interns. Oh, and your boss, of course.

But back to your new colleagues. How to befriend them? How to fit in and make them like you to the point where you take nauseatingly adorable Snapchats together? How to take over and blackmail them into fetching your coffee? (Just me? Just me. I don’t even drink coffee, this is just a power trip.)

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Take heed of the following tips to make the most of your internship this summer!

1. Be peppy, be proactive, be post-makeover Andi in The Devil Wears Prada!

Clichéd, but true. Take on any and every task you can possibly get your hands on, whether it’s helping a fellow intern connect to the closest printer or requesting more work from your boss if you finish something quickly. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, be embarrassed to do this, as is often the case.

Of course, you don’t want to be overly pushy, but it’s okay to ask once or twice. If your direct supervisor doesn’t have anything for you, ask around your department or even a different department — it never hurts to be known as “that helpful intern” as opposed to “who?”

Fetching a grande-iced-sugar-free-vanilla-latte-with-soy-please is still preferable to hovering awkwardly at your desk until you go home or someone emails you with a new task.

2. Attend ALL the networking events — even the ones you weren’t invited to

Well, maybe don’t sneak into private networking events. But still. It’s so easy to become lax about attending networking events whether or not your company informs you about them, and especially if they occur after work hours.

However, industry networking events are one of the best ways to get to know other people working in the field you’re interested in. You could meet higher-ups whose career paths might inspire your own or younger people who will rise up the ranks with you.

Either way, you usually learn something new and meet someone interesting, both while talking about a profession you enjoy. Also, there are often free crudités, and I firmly believe in the healing properties of carrots and hummus!

Note: If you work for a smaller company and are not kept in the loop about industry events, simply research them yourself!

3. Reach out to others like you’re a senator on the campaign trail

As an intern, you have legitimate access to a whole new network of people at your company and beyond. While you probably shouldn’t text the CEO for a spin class, you can certainly ask your supervisor to e-introduce you to people he or she knows in the industry. Hopefully, you’ll be able to set up an informational interview and learn more about the different departments. This way, you can either affirm that your current position is perfect for you or get an idea of where you might be a better fit.

And there you have it! In the immortal words of Cinderella’s mother in the 2016 Disney live-action remake, “Have courage, and be kind.”

In general, niceness and hard work are winning qualities, and if you do your best, no doubt your internship will go swimmingly. Now I’m off to create an obnoxious Starbucks order to terrorize my imaginary future intern — is an iced-half-caf-ristretto-venti-4-pump-sugar-free-cinnamon-dolce-soy-skinny-latte a good start?

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