Anne Hong and Kurt Soller
10 Top Goofs Interns Make
Internships are becoming more important as an entrypoint to the working world. Here are the top mistakes interns make, and how to avoid them
By Kerry Miller
When companies like Philip Morris come recruiting on college campuses, they can put on quite a show for starry-eyed undergrads, as Andrew Dill, a student at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business can attest. After potential interns are wined and dined with fancy meals and frequent follow-up phone calls, he says, "You start out thinking it'll be a 10-week carpet ride." But when the wooing ends and the work begins, interns may find the ride to be a bit bumpier than expected, especially for college students who are first-timers in the corporate world.
While sweatpants and gum-smacking won't lose you points on your finance final, as an intern, what you do often counts as much as how you do it. And unlike a summer spent lifeguarding by the pool, the consequences don't end when you hang up your whistle. An internship is potentially the beginning of your business career, says David Sanderson, head of global recruiting for Bain & Co. "Every interaction you have is making an impression." And even interns who understand the importance of an internship are often clueless about just what kind of impression they're making.
Think working late makes you look dedicated? Your boss might just be wondering why you can't get your work done on time. Or is your air of confidence coming off as cockiness instead? We asked top recruiters and former interns for the low-down on the top intern mistakes -- and got their advice on how to avoid them.