8 Tips to Survive Your First Day at Your Summer Internship

Look at you! You’ve worked hard this past semester, planned a great internship for the summer, and now you’re preparing for that glorious day when you can waltz into the office and make that internship ‘ya bish’. While we commend you on your hard work, you’ve got a long summer in front of you.

Here’s how to make the best out of that first day:

1. Figure out how to get to the office. You can’t just Google the location and think you’ll be fine. Figure out what floor it’s on, what doors you can access, if there will be free or paid parking.  It’s always good to run this route once before you actually start the internship. You want to arrive stress-free and on time for your first day!
2. If you’re nervous, always remember that you were hired for a reason! It’s definitely daunting walking into an office that already functions as a well-oiled machine. It’s even more daunting doing it all by yourself and you’re bound to feel like you don’t fit it. Well, don’t you worry your pretty little head about that. Your supervisor hired you because they believe that you’re capable of getting the job done and think you’re a great fit culturally. The company wanted YOU out of all the other candidates. Now, isn’t that a great feeling?
3. It’s okay to not know everything. Please, DON’T act like you know it all. Let’s be real here, if you knew everything, you wouldn’t need this internship in the first place. It’s perfectly fine to hop off of your high horse and shovel some shit for a while. Your supervisor will respect you much more.
4. Ask a lot of questions. You’re going to be given A LOT of information at once. Just take a deep breath, and try to cram as much information in your head at once. If you miss something- it’s fine to ask for clarification on an assignment. The whole point of the internship is to gain as much real world knowledge as possible, and if I recall correctly- there are no stupid questions. 
5. When you’re done with a task, ask for another. Become the office busy bee! Let your supervisor know when you are completed with a task as soon as you’re done. You don’t need to emphatically announce that you are done with a task (this comes off as childish), but instead ask your supervisor if they have any recommendations for what you can work on next. This will show them that you are efficient, capable of taking on harder projects that require more responsibility, and also passionate about your position.
6. Develop a professional relationship with your supervisor. Regardless of whether you and your supervisor are BFFs or not, you’re going to need your supervisor to write a good letter of recommendation that speaks to your professional skills. If you’re lucky, you’ll get along with your supervisor. If you’re unlucky, they won’t even remember you’re name, much less care about your feelings. It’s all good though, you didn’t get this internship to make friends, you did it to learn something and make professional relationships. If you’re convinced that your supervisor hates you, remember that the best you can do is to finish all your work on time with a smile.
7. Don’t bitch about your internship with the other interns. I can’t stress this enough. If you’re having a bad day, keep it in. Don’t tell the other interns how awful everything is going. You’re going to come off as ungrateful and unworthy of the position (not to mention, that gossip travels fast within a company). Complaining about your job to the people that you’re actually working with makes you a less viable resource to work with and it also shows weakness. Save the drama for your momma. Seriously, call your mommy if you feel like complaining- she probably has really good advice on how to deal with work related issues.
8. Always view everything as a learning opportunity. This is very cliché, but very true. All internships are learning opportunities, and you are bound to mess up once or twice during your time at a company. However, if you view all of your setbacks as a learning opportunity, you can grow from them and you won’t be doomed to repeat them.

To recap: B-R-E-A-T-H-E. You already got the internship (which is half the battle).

We know that starting a new internship is both nerve racking and exciting, but with these tips, you should be all set to go for your first day! If this isn’t your first rodeo, share some tips with those who have never done one before! Leave a comment with your advice below.