As a recently hired college grad, I feel like I have some good perspective on intern behavior (after all, I was just one). Currently I closely oversee interns at my major consumer mag, and I am often really surprised by the behavior I see.
In this terrible economic market, especially in a world of major media layoffs, I would expect interns to be busting their butt to get in good graces with the magazine staff. Even little things, like accepting menial work with a smile, go a long way. Calling in sick with some regularity, copping an attitude to the magazine’s staff, and leaving before you’re finished doing your work (yes, I know transcribing is boring, but it’s necessary!) are all big red flags. When I interned, if I had to leave, I took transcripts home with me and sent them before work the next morning. It’s not enough to just do the work competently within a reasonable amount of time; you need to think about “How can I make my performance on this task stand out?”
Someone mentioned that interns are doing assistant work for no pay, and I believe that’s true. It’s not fair, but it’s the climate right now. For the sake of the assistants and supervisors (who are in the best position to help you get jobs in the future) - go the extra mile! We can’t do our jobs without you, and we’ll return the favor when we are able. And those of you who clearly resent the work and make our jobs harder will have worked for many hours with no pay, only to see no results.
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Okay, seriously
Pardon me if I sound like I’m coming from a holier than thou place because I’m not an intern anymore, but some of the comments on here are ridiculous. Yes, it sux when editors don’t know you, but if you’re lucky enough to get hired at a big NYC pub (AND YOU ARE because they picked you out of HUNDREDS of applicants)do you really expect senior staff to know who you are, Ms. I’ve-never-been-published? They go through tens of you a semester, cut them some slack. Yes, it sux you’re not getting paid. But guess what, none of you intern colleagues are either. This phenomena has been going on for decades. Yes, it sux you get what seems to you like busy/easy work. Well why don’t you finish it quickly and ask your editor for something more interesting? Do you really think your editor is thinking, “hmm … I want to assign someone an article. Ooo, I know! I’ll get the inexperienced, sour-faced intern to write it.” Be proactive. Pitch stories. Introduce yourself. Ask another editor work work. I’m sure the EA would love to unload some assignments on you. How many times can this be reiterated on this site?
Readmoretalkless, you are a
Readmoretalkless, you are a perfect example as to WHY us hardworking interns don’t and will never get paid. you are happy being a servant. you go to college to get an education, to find a career. and then you are willing to “scrub the floors”, so to speak, at internships? if don’t aspire to actually WRITE for magazines, try a fast food joint instead - they’ll hire people to scrub the floors.
When you get over yourself
When you get over yourself and your sense of entitlement, you will understand. Good luck.
ambition is in fashion
:(
Bad attitude. Unfortunately with fewer and fewer positions at magazines, there are also fewer opportunities for interns to write. It’s sad, but it’s the truth. And because we have to take on so many more writing assignments, menial stuff that we might have done ourselves gets passed on. If you think you’re doing a good job hiding how you feel, wgnwmn, I guarantee you that your internship coordinator knows and isn’t happy with you.
If you don’t want to work hard and progress from the bottom up, try a fast food joint instead - they’ll hire people who don’t give a shit about their job performance.
LOL@All the passion coming
LOL@All the passion coming from this thread! But I agree… if you are blessed to have an internship right now, you better be willing to scrub the bathroom floors, because if you don’t I WILL! And no, doing all the grunt work with a happy face may not lead to a job, but it leads to strong connections with those whom with you worked.
I had a 2 semester internship my last year of college. In nine months I missed 3 days. One time I overslept until very late, but instead of calling out the whole day, I rushed and got my ass there anyway. I learned how to punch out transcriptions faster and faster. I always asked if there was anything that needed to be done. And when the dust settled… there was no job openings. BUT OH WELL! I am still in contact with the editor who I worked under and other editors at the publication as well.
So, to all of you who are soooooo above coffee runs, transcriptions, and photocopies… please let me know where you’re working. I’ll be more than glad to share your feelings with your editor, and inform her that I will be all too happy to do those duties with a smile on my face. :)
I’d even do coffee runs as an assistant. I’d even do it as an editor! Welcome to the real world hunnies.
ambition is in fashion
Thank you!
Reading all your comments has really helped me a lot. I’m only a college freshman, so I haven’t had any internships yet, but I hope to intern at a magazine and eventually, of course, work for one.
Your discussion has really given me some good things to think about for when I start interviewing for internships. I’m really hopeful and excited about a career in the world of magazines, so any advice you have will always be immensely appreciated.
"my intern"
it’s so belittling an expression, especially given that half these people we work for are sometimes OUR AGE.
or we’re older with, even
or we’re older with, even worse, MORE EXPERIENCE!
If you have more experience,
If you have more experience, why are you an intern?
Get used to it
It’s not meant to be belittling. It’s just that there are so many interns every year that it helps the editors know who works for who. And by the way, when you’re an editorial assistant, you’ll often be called “my assistant” or “TK editor’s assistant.” I don’t really see how it’s belittling. It just helps people to know who everyone reports to.
Joking, right?
As one of the previous people posted as to what a “good” intern encompases: “ask if anyone wants starbucks without being asked”.
That had to be a joke, right? I forget, are we there to intern at a magazine, learn something, maybe write A THING OR TWO, or are we there to be servants? You know, instead of assuming we’re all unhappy with our internships, maybe you should realize that you’re not giving us any decent work to do. Filing and transcribing may sounds like oodles of fun, but if I’m going to work my arse off 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, I want to be offered some Starbucks. No wonder no one’s getting jobs lately. The editors are IMPOSSIBLE to deal with.
oh my god...
Yes, transcribing sucks. Filing sucks. Photocopies suck. But they all need to get done. And the lowest person on the food chain is going to complete those tasks. I never once complained about these tasks when I interned, and possibly as a result, I got to work on a ton of meatier projects. If your editor can’t even trust you to transcribe an interview, do you really think she’s going to give you something more important to work on? You have to prove yourself through the little tasks. I get so irritated when interns give me crooked photocopies or take all day to transcribe a 30-minute interview. Seriously? It’s not that fucking difficult.
No, you’re not there to be a servant. But you are there to help out the editors. It’s not all about you, and that’s precisely the attitude that’s bothering editors. I’ve seen interns complain to each other about having no work to do, but do they ever ask for more work? You have to be proactive. If your normal supervisor isn’t giving you enough, talk to someone in another department. I work on web and I’ve had a few editorial interns approach me and ask if there’s anything they can do, so I put them right to work.
not joking at all
hi wgnwmn.
congratulations. you have the attitude and entitlement that make for a terrible intern and an even worse editor. why do you think you are better than everyone else? you really need a serious reality check. yes, i interned and yes, i fetched coffee and no, i never resented anyone since i understood i was learning so much just being exposed to the inner workings of a magazine. you are a real piece of work.
i don’t even drink coffee and i have never said yes to the question of whether i would like coffee or anything from starbucks, but when it’s a long and crazy day, there is nothing sweeter than an intern or assistant taking the opportunity to make everyone’s day a little brighter.
good luck to you.
Not necessarily
As someone who had a lot of internships before graduating college, I never ask my interns to do personal errands, because I remember how offensive I found it, but unfortunately it’s not actually beyond the pale of intern tasks. Having had interns that used the excuse of a “coffee run” to disappear from the office during boring tasks, and having had interns who offer to get me Starbucks when they go, every single time (even though I never say yes), the interns who bother to ask are always, always remembered more fondly. There will always be people who take advantage of those lower down the food chain, and there will always be people who won’t, but regardless of which type you intern for, you want them to think of you as the intern who can do ANYTHING, including fetching coffee.
You evince a little of the attitude that the poster was talking about—do you really think transcribing is so hard that you deserve a special treat for doing it? We’ve all been interns. We’ve all done hours of transcription, and on days or even semesters when we don’t have intern help, I still do my own transcription. Sometimes, if I have an intern I dislike or don’t trust, I do it myself instead of giving it to her. If you find your editors impossible to deal with and you hate your job, you really should ask yourself if this is the job you want. The reward for doing the grunt work is more and better work, not getting your ass kissed by the editorial team.
Personally, I think this is a situation that might actually improve as people who have had numerous internships move up in the ranks and our experiences are more similar—a lot of senior eds didn’t go through the same ridiculous process we all went through, and they’re not always understand of how differently today’s interns envision their job. However, it’s your responsibility to accommodate them, not the other way around, and that is true of bosses and employees in every industry, everywhere.
Get this. I interned with a
Get this. I interned with a girl last summer at COSMO that was the embodiment of everything NOT to do, they actually wrote about her in a feature in the magazine! Left out her name of course, but still….
She must give a great interview.
Wow. That’s frightening.
Totally feel your frustration!
And of course, I’d never promise anyone a job in this environment. However, I would be more than willing to go the extra mile for certain interns in terms of offering assistance, passing on contacts, and giving glowing recommendations. If someone called me for a few of our interns, I would have to give them a really honest evaluation of their performance. As it’s been said many times on this board: If you can’t file things or do transcriptions with a smile, you’re certainly not ready for anything bigger.
Just out of curiosity, what
Just out of curiosity, what are these “certain” interns doing to stand out? Or better yet, what are the other interns— besides being lazy or calling in sick— not doing? And how much does an intern’s writing skills come in to play in your evaluations? Thanks!
The “bad” interns: roll
The “bad” interns: roll their eyes when I give them more jobs, tell me they can’t finish assignments because they’re leaving in twenty minutes, have six grandparents die in a semester, are INCREDIBLY slow to do anything (a half-hour tape should take - AT MOST - 2 hours to transcribe), and cause me to have to cover their butts for senior editors when they mes sup.
The “good interns: Have perfected the art of the cheery “sure!”, are good conversationalists, make other editors take note and compliment them to me, get things done quickly and correctly, know how to use their downtime in a productive manner, and always ask if they can help with anything else before running for the door.
the interns who really stand
the interns who really stand out are: excited, on time, ask lots of questions, organized, quick learners, say thanks a lot, ask for resume help, ask about what my job duties are, ask if there is anything else they can do once their assignment is complete, never leave before me unless i insist, ask if anyone wants starbucks without being asked, but just to be nice, on their last day gives all of the eds cards thanking us, etc. etc. etc. all that stuff is good, but the great attitude and genuine excitement is super important!!
what they don’t do:
never ever complain (kind of obvious, but you would be surprised), don’t look at perez hilton and gawker all day, don’t ever get short or ask for work that is more exciting, don’t chat with other interns in the office all day oblivious to everyone else working, don’t assume one person is your boss only and only ask what they need- everyone in the department is your boss and you should make sure they are all happy, don’t take smoke breaks (if you must smoke try your best to be super discreet), don’t be entitled or expect a job when your internship is over, you have to earn your respect and a potential job, don’t just do the internship for the resume and assume that’s all you really need since references are everything. we can tell if you care or if you’re just going thru the motions… be genuine and be interested!
hope that helps. btw- my department is not a writing department, so my interns don’t write, but i would assume editorial interns may be used for writing, especially at smaller mags.
Totally agree, but...
Editors who hire interns really should try to tell the interns exactly how much grunt work they will be doing.
Some interns won’t mind as long as they can say they worked at a certain magazine and had x and y experiences, but I think a lot of bad intern behavior starts when the intern finds the internship a waste of time. Of course an internship is a commitment and the intern has a responsibility, but at the same time, if interns feel like they’re getting zero from the experience, it makes sense that they’d call in sick if they have a more important school assignment or something that will, in the end, have more consequences on their future than whatever they’re doing at work.
The moral of the story…Communication is key!!
EXACTLY.
I am currently fulfilling an internship at an awesome magazine, but doing absolutely nothing that I was promised I’d be doing when I first interviewed for the position. If I was told what I would ACTUALLY be doing with my time, I would NEVER have accepted this internship as it is a complete waste of my time, energy, and money. Yes, I have politely talked to my editor about taking on more editorial responsibilities, but no, nothing has changed.
If you would all just be so kind as to truthfully explain to us what our daily responsibilities will be, and possibly even throw us a bone once in awhile and allow us do something even remotely related to what we’re trying to build a career in, maybe there would be fewer disappointing interns. At least we’d know what we were getting ourselves into.
Also…please stop calling us “my intern” or, worse, “THE intern.” I have a name, and I don’t live to be your little puppy dog. This is my sixth and final internship - I don’t care if I never end up with a job in magazines and I end up flipping burgers. Anything is better than this, and I’ve decided that life is too short to be this miserable.
"the intern"
Yes, I totally get “my intern” because sometimes you DO need a possessive pronoun to keep us all straight, and because you would say “my assistant.” But “THE INTERN” is the worst thing on Earth. Midway through my internship this summer, in which I really thought I was doing well, a senior ed (who definitely, certainly knew my name) called me “the intern” in front of people. I cried that night. YOU KNOW MY NAME.
I think it all comes down to attitude, on both sides. I think attitude makes or breaks an intern. But I just wish editors could remember what it felt like to be an intern. I will totally get your coffee every morning and clip your newspapers and photocopy your expenses— but throw me a friggin’ bone. A simple thanks. A smile. Look me in the eye when I hand you your half-caf, soy milk, nonfat low iced raw sugar latte. Don’t pretend you don’t know me in the elevator. Just treat me like a human. That’s all I ask.
I totally agree, which is
I totally agree, which is why I’ve learned it’s SO important to carefully choose where you intern. Yes, you might get an offer at a seemingly great publication, but if they act like they hardly care that you’re there, and take only 5 minutes to interview you because they’ve got bigger, better things to do, that might be a good sign this is not the best internship for you. My best experiences have been at places where I’ve felt welcomed when I walked in the door, had a nice, conversational like interview, and the editors hiring me were really excited to have me on board. Sometimes the big names aren’t the best places to be (sometimes they are though!), and you might get a better experience somewhere else.
I completely agree, BUT I
I completely agree, BUT I was an intern who went the extra mile and juggled tons of real editorial duties from editors who didn’t communicate with one another (and then didn’t understand why I couldn’t have things done immediately, when I had loads of work from 5 other editors). I now have two good internships under my belt with real experience and 20+ clips, and no job in sight. I think it’s unfair and unrealistic to tell people that if they are the star intern, they’ll get a job out of it, because that’s just untrue. The editors told me I was the best intern they’d ever had, but they didn’t have anything for me.
I don't know
I can see your side of the argument, but I think the interns attitudes could stem from hostility. If someone feels as though the work they put into something is unappreciated and they at the end they will not get the contacts they need then they may be acting out. Or perhaps society has aimed the idea of reward at us so much that it is hard to work without pay.
I recently started working for a woman who told me she had two amazing interns, but they let her down because they left early because they needed to find a paid job. And yes they shouldn’t have taken the internship without being positive they would be okay, but I think the issue here is that the internship=experience and the experience=job. So what do you do when you want the job in the end, but you don’t have the parent support you end up having to risk it and you end up unhappy which equals bad results?
I can also concur that I once had an internship where I worked my ass off and at the end I had taken knowledge away, but I felt like I was insignificant through the whole process. I also hear some magazines are better to intern at than others as well so maybe at other mags the interns are doing their jobs. Perhaps a case study is in order…but I don’t blame you guys for being pissed about the calling in sick. I’ve had to pick up a ton of shifts for people lying about being sick before in various jobs….oooo you want to see someone get mad I will get mad…I even called a girl out on it once.
AMEN.
I’m often shocked by the attitudes of the interns where I work. They call in “sick” all the time, and I swear, at least 3 grandparents “die” every semester. When I interned, I never missed a day. I checked my email from home and did work on my off days. I was often the last person to leave at night and the first person there in the morning. I guess I expect a lot from my interns because I put in so much as an intern… so I’m shocked and appalled by interns rolling in 30 minutes late with no explanation and leaving at 5:30 on the dot, leaving work unfinished.
double AMEN
thanks for posting this topic. i think there are a lot of interns and potential interns out there who don’t understand.
i was an unpaid intern 5 days a week and was always gracious, sweet, and appreciative. it wasn’t even a great magazine and i really only entered data into spreadsheets and made copies, but it was my start and i was thankful for the opportunity.
that was 6 years ago and i think interns have changed since then. i have hired about 30 interns in the past few years and i have had 2 really good ones. i later recommended those amazing interns for asst jobs at top mags and they were hired. it’s really that easy. a few of the other ones have asked me for recommendations or jobs, but i have been less helpful.
it’s really pretty simple.
-show up for work on time and ask to leave once your work is done and double check to see if you can help with anything before you go.
-don’t call in sick and if you must, make an effort to make up the day
-SMILE and be cheerful!! this is such a huge opportunity and the beginning of an awesome career
-always ask if you can be more involved if you are tired of the mundane duties, but also understand that the asst in the department’s job is also mostly busy work, so they aren’t just trying to annoy you. there is tons of busy work in the world…
-if you are an awesome intern, keep in touch and bug your editor for help finding a job. your editor most likely knows tons of other eds and always knows about job openings. if you’re an entitled intern, don’t worry about asking for help, you won’t get it.
-understand that everyone must start somewhere and soon it will be you in charge and it will all be worth it, but you MUST pay your dues.
-optimism and attitude is EVERYTHING! really!!