Here are a few things I've picked up. I started as an intern, and right now I'm not really an intern, but not a full time employee yet either:
1. Follow the chain of command- Especially in a smaller office, people are going to ask you tons of questions about Why you are doing various things, or Why this or that crashed. Unless it is basic, get use to referring them to your supervisor for the answer. In my office (we are a small IT department) that means the director. Sometimes people don't need to know why your exchange server went down, or why you are now mandating that all files be saved to a different location. It's not your job as an intern to be the PR man of the department.
2. Learn to smile - I do a lot of tech support. When you are helping someone out at their workstation, be friendly and informative about what's going on. People remember that. It comes in handy down the line, they are less likely to take their frustrations out on you. It will help your attitude too.
3. Be willing to try new things- the whole point of an internship is to learn. Be honest if you aren't sure what to do when assigned a task, but then learn how to do it and tackle the job you were assigned. This is what is expected of an intern.
4. Own up to your mistakes- responsibility is important. People will know if you screwed up- don't make it worse by trying to blame other people.
5. Avoid office politics- trying to keep up in a back and forth of backstabbing is exhausting.
6. Document everything- Every department is going to have its protocols for documentation. Follow them.
7. Keep a list of accomplishments- small and large. I try and email my boss my weekly or bi-weekly accomplishments. If you end up with a micro-manager boss, this will help keep him off your back. It also keeps you fresh in their mind and they know you are getting things done. You can also use these accomplishments later when building your resume if you are looking to move on.
8. Ask lots of questions - you can learn a lot of cool stuff, both inside and outside of your department. The more knowledgeable you are, the more employable you are.
Good Luck!
It troubles me that his action is taken when the email didn't originate from a campus account- it came from her Gmail account.
I might have missed it in the complaint, but if she didn't send it from a computer on the university's network, and didn't use a university address to mail it, aren't they completely wrong?
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1. Follow the chain of command- Especially in a smaller office, people are going to ask you tons of questions about Why you are doing various things, or Why this or that crashed. Unless it is basic, get use to referring them to your supervisor for the answer. In my office (we are a small IT department) that means the director. Sometimes people don't need to know why your exchange server went down, or why you are now mandating that all files be saved to a different location. It's not your job as an intern to be the PR man of the department.
2. Learn to smile - I do a lot of tech support. When you are helping someone out at their workstation, be friendly and informative about what's going on. People remember that. It comes in handy down the line, they are less likely to take their frustrations out on you. It will help your attitude too.
3. Be willing to try new things- the whole point of an internship is to learn. Be honest if you aren't sure what to do when assigned a task, but then learn how to do it and tackle the job you were assigned. This is what is expected of an intern.
4. Own up to your mistakes- responsibility is important. People will know if you screwed up- don't make it worse by trying to blame other people.
5. Avoid office politics- trying to keep up in a back and forth of backstabbing is exhausting.
6. Document everything- Every department is going to have its protocols for documentation. Follow them.
7. Keep a list of accomplishments- small and large. I try and email my boss my weekly or bi-weekly accomplishments. If you end up with a micro-manager boss, this will help keep him off your back. It also keeps you fresh in their mind and they know you are getting things done. You can also use these accomplishments later when building your resume if you are looking to move on.
8. Ask lots of questions - you can learn a lot of cool stuff, both inside and outside of your department. The more knowledgeable you are, the more employable you are. Good Luck!
It troubles me that his action is taken when the email didn't originate from a campus account- it came from her Gmail account. I might have missed it in the complaint, but if she didn't send it from a computer on the university's network, and didn't use a university address to mail it, aren't they completely wrong?