"All that is gold does not glitter. Not all those who wander are lost."
As my internship draws to a close this week I have realized that though I bitched through the whole thing, I actually did learn some valuable lessons.
1. Be persistent, not annoying. There were so many times I had to call people 4 or 5 times to get through to them and they all sounded stressed. Simply asking them for their email address made things 10 times easier. Plus they were always secretly relieved (or so I like to think.)
2. Remember everyone’s name. I’m pretty bad at this, but people are always pleasantly surprised when you greet them by name, at least I know I am.
3. Always write thank you notes. It’s a nice gesture and people always remember that kind of stuff which is especially helpful when they have to write you a letter of recommendation later on.
4. Volunteer when no one does. Lizzy and I volunteered to work on the Fourth of July at one of the busiest beaches in California. We had to pay for our lunch, parking and gas. I like to think our boss and the other interns loved us for it.
5. Always wear good outfits. Some days at the office were just plain boring. My denim dress and floral flats got me through those days.
6. Ask how the copy machine works BEFORE you are asked to copy a document to avoid looking like the dumbest person ever. ‘Nuff said.
7. Work hard even if you are just asked to change the colors on bar graphs on Excel spreadsheets; every little detail always counts.
