January 22, 2020

15 Internship Mistakes You Definitely Want To Avoid

Internships are like long term job interviews. If you’re looking to get your foot in the door, gain valuable experience, and prove that you’ve got what it takes to work in the professional world, an internship is the way to go. Unfortunately, internships don’t 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, you’re really just there to learn the ropes of the job, industry, and employer. Everything you do is supervised, so it’s unlikely that you’ll make a major error on real work that will affect the company. It’s more common for interns to make mistakes that will hurt their chances of landing a job or will damage their professional reputation.

Learn More About Internships

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.

Let’s take a look at common internship mistakes you do not want to make:

  1. Applying for an internship that doesn’t appeal to you
  2. Being too proud for menial tasks
  3. Not learning from your mistakes
  4. Starting the internship without goals or a plan
  5. Not respecting the dress code
  6. Dismissing directions or instructions
  7. Playing on your cell phone
  8. Not speaking up
  9. Lack of respect for your role in the workplace
  10. Ignoring valuable feedback
  11. Not establishing relationships
  12. Being too laid back about the experience
  13. Not accepting the office culture
  14. Not following up after the internship is over
  15. 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 employer’s shoes and you can see why these internship mistakes could come back to haunt you.

7 Reasons Why An Internship Will Make The Job Search Easier

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.

Are you currently searching for an internship? Check out JobMonkeyJobs.com to search and apply for internships all over the world. You can also learn more about internships on JobMonkey.com. Best of luck!

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