Internships can be an invaluable addition to a student’s education, providing experience that’s hard to come by otherwise and helping students explore various career options while learning professional etiquette.
However, some internships may not meet your expectations. If your current placement is failing to help achieve your career goals, beware of these six red flags:.
1. Lack of Communication
An internship can serve as a precursor for full-time employment, so it’s crucial that your supervisor communicate clearly about your responsibilities. If you find yourself unclear on what tasks are expected of you, this could be a telltale sign that they don’t trust you to explain things clearly – an issue which should be brought up with them immediately.
Miscommunication can have an adverse impact on productivity. For instance, working remotely requires all team members to understand each other’s expectations; otherwise they might assume someone has different interpretations about a project, leading to misinterpretations and potential misunderstandings.
Miscommunication in a workplace can be tricky, particularly if you’re new. If your supervisor’s communications with you are unclear, set up a regular 15-minute meeting to clarify them in person rather than via text or email – doing this allows for easier clarification, builds stronger bonds of trust between parties involved, and saves both time and energy by eliminating back-and-forth questions. If this still isn’t able to help clarify what responsibilities lie within this internship placement then maybe speaking with your coordinator could be the next best step
2. Lack of Guidance
Interns often need assistance as they navigate their professional world for the first time. If an internship doesn’t provide them with a designated mentor or supervisor, this could be seen as an alarm bell.
An absence of guidance could also indicate that an employer does not have enough work available for interns or that they’re simply using interns as cheap labor, according to Garland. “Interns who must run errands or perform “busy” work will miss out on gaining the full experience of working at that particular company,” according to Garland.
An internship could also go wrong if employees of the company treat interns poorly, treating them like nuisances or afterthoughts; if interns are being berated or insulted by coworkers this can have an adverse effect on their internship experience.
If an intern feels excluded in meetings or brainstorming sessions with workers, this can also be a cause of distress and can negatively affect their internship experience. If this occurs, they should speak up and request inclusion for future brainstorming or planning sessions.
Employers should ensure their internship programs include a set schedule, but also ensure their supervisors have time to oversee and guide interns in completing all assigned work. If one supervisor is frequently away, other interns may need to step in if tasks remain incomplete, otherwise the internship might not be as fruitful.
3. Unprofessional Conduct
As an intern, certain behaviors can be considered unprofessional. This could range from arriving late for meetings to texting or calling during working hours and lying during interviews and failing to turn in assignments on time. Therefore, it’s essential for interns to know what constitutes unprofessional conduct in order to distinguish whether their actions cross over into misconduct.
Unprofessional behavior can range from minor to gross misconduct depending on the context. For instance, showing up regularly late for your internship could be considered unprofessional behavior; but stealing company secrets or disclosing personal details about colleagues would require action by higher authorities to address.
Remember that internships are meant to be learning experiences, not employment contracts, which is why setting clear expectations and boundaries with your employer before commencing will ensure you’re getting the most from your internship without being taken advantage of. Furthermore, familiarizing yourself with Fairwork laws and rules regarding wages will enable you to assess whether you’re being compensated appropriately; otherwise it might be worthwhile seeking another program.
4. Unmotivated Colleagues
Unmotivated employees in the workplace cannot work at their full capacity and may begin to feel depressed. This could be an indicator that they are in the wrong job or environment.
Positive attitudes are an integral component of being successful at work, and interns should strive to bring that enthusiasm with them when performing their duties. Interns can learn a great deal from watching how other colleagues handle themselves professionally – if you notice unenthusiastic colleagues acting unprofessionally this should serve as a warning sign.
Be wary of companies that fail to value their interns, even if they provide college credit. Although pop culture depicts interns as people who just copy documents and grab coffee, real companies expect more than that from their internship programs.
Unproductive interns can seriously disrupt company morale and make others question whether to remain with the company. Furthermore, unproductive interns likely won’t gain all of the work experience that was promised when they arrived; moreover, those not taking their responsibilities seriously could potentially cause issues by stealing information or spreading gossip among staff members.
5. Menial Tasks
Interns often find themselves assigned mundane tasks at their dream company, such as coffee runs and cleaning up after meetings. Although such duties can add value to an intern’s internship experience and enable them to develop new skills, more stimulating work should also be provided to enhance the internship experience and advance career growth.
Interns should feel encouraged to speak up if their workload doesn’t match up with what is expected or if their work doesn’t seem challenging enough, or they feel their internship experience is lacking in value or challenge. Interns may ask for more meaningful work or be open to relocation if conditions don’t suit them adequately.
Recurring issues that leave work challenging may be an indication that the company lacks organization or does not value interns as much.
Before accepting an internship, it’s essential to provide clear communication to interns regarding what kind of work they will be performing and why certain grunt tasks may be necessary. Doing this should make it easier for interns to recognise when they’re being exploited and seek better opportunities elsewhere; furthermore, understanding Fair Work Australia guidelines will enable them to know what rights are protected for them – helping avoid legal trouble in the process.
6. No One to Turn to
An internship offers students a valuable opportunity to work and learn outside the classroom, gaining hands-on experience that translates into valuable professional skills. Interns should take this time to build connections and explore various industries – it’s also vital that they have someone they can turn to when questions or problems arise.
An absence of supervisors for interns to report to can be seen as a red flag; interns need someone who will guide, answer their queries and help find solutions to problems they encounter during their internship experience. According to Ferrall, creating a clear job description from day one helps communicate expectations clearly to everyone and keeps everyone on the same page.
An accurate job description is key in providing an internship with meaningful learning experiences. For instance, if it advertises itself as a client-facing role but all the interaction will consist of taking meetings and sending emails – it likely won’t offer anything substantial!
If an intern feels isolated or alienated by their work environment, it would be wise to bring this up with their supervisor or coordinator at school in a polite and direct way. They may offer them new projects, provide additional training or resources or connect them with departments where shadowing opportunities may exist.