Or Mistakes You Definitely Want your son,daughter,a friend or anyone you know to really avoid.

 

15 Internship Mistakes You Definitely Want To Avoid

Internships are like long term job interviews. If youre looking to get your foot in the door, gain valuable experience, and prove that youve got what it takes to work in the professional world, an internship is the way to go. Unfortunately, internships dont always go smoothly. Please do your best to avoid making any of these internship mistakes!
Angry worker about to hit computer with a hammer

As an intern, youre really just there to learn the ropes of the job, industry, and employer. Everything you do is supervised, so its unlikely that youll make a major error on real work that will affect the company. Its more common for interns to make mistakes that will hurt their chances of landing a job or will damage their professional reputation.

Since the majority of interns are younger professionals or students, mistakes are quite common. Internship mistakes come in all shapes and sizes. Hopefully, this post will help you avoid some of the most common internship mistakes.
Lets take a look at common internship mistakes you do not want to make:

Applying for an internship that doesnt appeal to you
Being too proud for menial tasks
Not learning from your mistakes
Starting the internship without goals or a plan
Not respecting the dress code
Dismissing directions or instructions
Playing on your cell phone
Not speaking up
Lack of respect for your role in the workplace
Ignoring valuable feedback
Not establishing relationships
Being too laid back about the experience
Not accepting the office culture
Not following up after the internship is over
Doing it just for college credit

Can you avoid doing all of these things during your internship? Absolutely. As long as you are aware of common internship mistakes, these pitfalls are relatively easy to avoid. Put yourself in an employers shoes and you can see why these internship mistakes could come back to haunt you.

Just remember that any internship you land needs to be treated like a real job. Take advantage of this amazing opportunity. Internships are the ideal stepping stone to advance your career. Give them the respect that they deserve and internships can take you far in life.