Your Image As An Intern

What if I don't like someone in my office?

If you don't like someone in the office, just deal with it. Try to still be friendly with them, don't give them a cold shoulder, and just don't interact with them as much as you can if you really don't like them. But still, smile when you see them, and just deal with it. And just don't be emotional about it, don't make it a big deal, don't blow it out of proportion, and just deal with it, sorry.

What if someone in my office doesn't like me?

Tell them to get off the third grade playground. Chances are these people are going to be really nice and not pick on you. But if they are, you might mention it to your supervisor but don't make a big deal of it. Don't blow it out of proportion because then it just snowballs and it is not really worth it. The art of being a good intern is getting along with everybody. You don't want to be that kid who nobody likes because that is just not going to be helpful for you. So if someone doesn't like you, actually, just think about it. Why don't they like me? What am I doing wrong? The chances are they'll really like you. They'll give you a shot to see who you are. But the first couple of weeks are really critical. Be nice to everyone. There will be people that don't like you, probably, so just try to avoid them. But still, smile and be nice to everybody.

What if other interns are more popular than I am?

It is always great to watch everybody including those that are more popular than you are. Figure out what they are doing that you are not doing, and see if you can learn something. Do not be jealous do not be like, "I hate that kid because he is the better intern." Try to see if you can learn something from it. But I am telling you that just being jealous and gossiping with the other interns, is not going to get you anywhere. And also to think: is that intern really the favorite intern or is he or she just getting different tasks that I am not getting? Maybe just work a little bit harder and see if you can get different things to do. And every intern is different, and every intern will have different strengths and weaknesses and will be able to do different things. So figure what you are really great at and maybe just do that, and maybe that other intern is just doing something else, that maybe it is not better, but it is just different.

What if another intern seems cooler or better connected than I am?

An internship is great to meet other interns. And you absolutely should be friendly and make friends with all the other interns. But also, be friendly and make friends with all the other people there. If someone starts on day one by being well connected in that work environment, the reason why you are there is to become well connected. You don't have to start out at the top. As a matter of fact, you're at the bottom. So work hard and make those connections. That's why you're there. You are not there already to know everybody. If you were there because you knew everybody and because you had nothing to learn, well then you're probably in the wrong internship.