Interning And Your Social Life
Is it OK for friends and family to call or visit me at the workplace?
If your Mom or Dad want to call you at work because they have a question or something, that's fine. Just make it brief. Don't allow it to happen time and time again. If friends and family want to visit, make sure it's OK with your own work environment. If nobody else has brought in friends or something, let the other interns do it first and then take your cue. Ask someone at work. Ask your boss, "Hey my Mom wants to stop in and see what I have been doing all summer, is that OK?" Chances are it will be. Just feel it out. Every workplace is different. If friends or family do come in, make sure they don't come in during that time where it's always busy. Maybe bring them towards the end of the day or in the beginning when maybe not too many people are around. I do think it's fine to have people visit you as long as it's OK within your workplace. Now when your parents are going to come in and bring your little brother or whatever, just prep them. Say, "Hey Mom, don't say, Oh isn't he cute?" Just prep them for the incredible minefield that parents are.
Is it OK to hang out socially with my fellow interns?
It's a great thing to hang out with interns. These interns will hopefully be your colleagues in many ways for the rest of your life because they're interested in the same sort of things. They can be a great network of people to get to know. I absolutely think that you should hang out with them. Go out to dinner with them after work. Have lunch with them during work. Socialize with them. That's really important.
Is it OK to hang out socially with staffers from my workplace?
You can hang with staffers if you want to. It is a great way to get to know them. Don't go to a bar and get smashed. That is just not cool. But chances are, most of your staff will want to go home to kids and family, or whatever, after work. I would say lunch is a great opportunity to get the staffers out of the workplace.
Is it OK to date other interns?
Fine. You know, if you want to. Don't bring it into the office though.
Is it OK to date staffers?
No. There are so many things wrong with that. Don't date a staffer. No, no, no, no, no. If I were you I would not date staffers, because it can be very awkward. It makes it awkward not only for you and the staffer, but for the entire working environment that you're in. It's very unprofessional.
Is it OK to talk about my social life at work?
You want to humanize yourself. You don't want to be just some intern. It's fine to say “ Hey, the other night I saw a movie and went out to dinner. I really liked the movie. Oh, did you see 30 Rock? I loved that episode. Oh, you watched that too? That's great.” and not “Oh man, last Friday night, there was such a party! I got smashed!” Keep that not in the work place.
Is it OK to invite people from work into my social scene?
First of all, I don't think a lot of the people that you're going to want to work with are really going to want to hang out with you at like a frat party. A lot of these people have lives and work hard and want to go home and see their family and their friends. I just think it's unnecessary. And you make yourself seem like a kid if you're like, "Hey! Do you want to come to the bar with me?" Get over that.
What if I run into someone from my office in a social setting?
There's nothing you can do about that. Say 'hi', and don't ignore them, because that's awkward. And then, just move along your separate, and you know you can introduce them to your friends or whatever but then move along. You don't have to spend the whole night with them.
