Warning: Keep Technology Out!
| Tweet |
Posted by: Lauren Berger | Posted on: 07 20 2010
I did a segment on KTLA yesterday (which I will post shortly) where I discussed some tips on how to really make the most of your summer internship. Here are a few tips I covered:
- Keep your cell phone on SILENT or just leave it in the car. You should not be checking your phone unless you are on your lunch break or you are using it for internship-related purposes. No texting or phone calls or checking apps.
- Stay off of Facebook on work computers. As soon as you are caught on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn your boss knows that you have “better” things to do.
- Don’t Tweet or update your Facebook status about your internship during the actual work day (unless this is part of the employer’s social media strategy). Your boss will most likely find you on these sites eventually and they shouldn’t see you documenting your feelings about the day.
- Don’t “friend” your boss or internship coordinator on Facebook unless they initiate the interaction. This can make many employers feel uncomfortable.
It really depends on the office culture…I have my BlackBerry out all the time and so do my co-workers. As far as Facebook, if you bring your own laptop there’s no reason to worry. As an intern you can find yourself literally sitting for hours with nothing to do.
I definitely agree about not adding your co-workers on Facebook or putting them on restricted profile; it can be really awkward. As far as updating statuses and tweets–PROTECT THEM.
This is a really good mindset to go into an internship with and I only leave me phone on for my current internship because my supervisor made it clear that it was okay with her. I’m doing an internship right now where my supervisor has told us right from the start she doesn’t mind if we check our e-mail or other things as long as we are not distracted all day and get all our work done. But generally these are good rules of thumb.