I’m not a recent grad — can I still intern? by Alison Green on July 2, 2020 A reader writes: I completed college about seven years ago and, after a few months of fruitless applying, I said “screw it” and moved to a major city to pursue a niche talent unrelated to my degree. I think it was worth the adventure and while the interest wasn’t well-paying, it did take me around […] Read the full article →
I have nothing to do at my internship by Alison Green on January 14, 2020 A reader writes: Three weeks ago, I started a new internship at a large design office, and so far I have not been assigned any real work. I have been asked to do small tasks like cleaning a shelf or compiling information that takes me less than an hour to complete. I’ve brought up that […] Read the full article →
our intern’s cube is covered in handwritten affirmations of her worth by Alison Green on July 30, 2019 A reader writes: We have an intern who recently started in our office who sits near me. We sit in cubes, so you can easily see everyone’s decorations and whatever they’ve put on their walls as you walk around the office. The intern has filled the most prominent cube wall with hand-written affirmations and inspirational […] Read the full article →
what to say to an intern who’s chronically late by Alison Green on July 17, 2019 A reader writes: I am currently managing an intern on my team. Interns at my organization are unpaid, which I do not agree with, but this does not seem to be changing any time soon. She has very poor timekeeping and is constantly late, often by a significant amount of time. The fact that the […] Read the full article →
an underage intern told me she got drunk at a staff event by Alison Green on July 1, 2019 A reader writes: Earlier this week I was chatting with our intern, Rachel, and another coworker about the staff team-building activity the previous week. (Once a quarter we plan a voluntary team outing. It’s pretty relaxed and in no way cringy or terrible, so it’s weird calling it team-building.) I happened to be sick and […] Read the full article →
how to deal with a rude intern by Alison Green on January 28, 2019 A reader writes: I am a relatively new manager who is having an odd issue with my intern. He has been with us for about two months, and in that time I have noticed that his basic professional manners are incredibly lacking-much more than I might reasonably expect for someone just out of college who […] Read the full article →
tell us your weird summer intern stories by Alison Green on September 13, 2018 There was the intern who gave another intern a tattoo in the office conference room; the intern who told a horribly offensive joke at an external meeting; the intern who set up a cot for himself, complete with pillow shams; the intern who was blown away by an electric stapler and thought dragons exist; the intern […] Read the full article →
how to manage an overly talkative intern by Alison Green on July 18, 2018 This week on the Ask a Manager podcast, I talk to a manager whose intern is way too talkative — and who has some boundary problems too. The show is 23 minutes long, and you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever else you get your podcasts (or here’s the direct RSS feed). […] Read the full article →
my intern is refusing assignments because of her politics by Alison Green on July 10, 2018 A reader writes: I am a curator at a large museum, and we are currently running a major special exhibition. There has been an enormous amount of public interest in the exhibition, and demand for tickets is very high. Recently I was asked by my higher-ups to give a private tour of this exhibition to […] Read the full article →
our summer intern won’t use first names by Alison Green on June 28, 2018 A reader writes: My office hired a summer intern. For context, she is a graduate student at a local university, she is in her early 20s, she is not from the U.S., and this internship is her first job in a professional setting. Despite being asked numerous times to call everyone here by first names, […] Read the full article →