The Saint Rose Chronicle

Issue date: 4/2/08 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Courtesy photo: www.freedigitalphotos.net

It's required (or recommended) for most seniors at The College of Saint Rose to participate in an internship or student teaching experience. The belief is that this will help to better prepare students for the school-to-workforce transition and even possibly help secure a job through good performance and references. Yet not all internships are successful. I've had two intern experiences now and it seems that there are several fairly simple steps students can take in order to better promote themselves. It doesn't take a huge effort to impress people if you know what to do. Here are five points that I've noticed are especially important and are required every day. Some of these may seem obvious or overstated, but it's surprising how many people don't follow these guidelines. Test them out when it's your time and you'll have a good chance to impress your boss.


ATTIRE

Students should always dress appropriately for the work environment. The first day is the most important. That day you'll be meeting a lot of new people and looking your best will make a great first impression. In fact, the first few days you should remain nicely dressed. You'll be meeting more people and will have some time to accurately gauge the clothing landscape. Slacks, ties, skirts, or dresses are all good staples. After that, your judgment should be based on the dress of your immediate coworkers and supervisors. If they're always wearing jeans, then after a few days have passed, jeans may be considered. The transition from this should be relatively smooth, however. It may not be the best move to walk in one day in a full suit and the next a sweatshirt and jeans. Use discretion wisely. Similarly, if your boss were always wearing suits or dresses, then it'd be advisable to stay at or close to the same level of style. Never wear clothes that are racy or inappropriate. When looking in your closet, the more conservative your clothing is, the better. That means skirts that are too short should go, along with ripped or torn clothing, and shirts or ties with inappropriate messages. Showing too much cleavage and wearing too much makeup are also no nos. While the goal is to be yourself, you need to realize that a professional working environment also means certain rules and regulations must be followed.



ATTENDANCE

It's important to find out as soon as possible what your schedule will be day to day. Knowing what times you're expected to arrive and leave, as well as where you should report and to whom are critical and you'll make a good impression early on if you know these quickly. You should have a fairly routine schedule, yet sometimes that will change and you should always be aware of those changes, remembering them as necessary. When you know what time you're expected to arrive, it's advisable to come in approximately ten minutes early. It looks good to be prompt, but making that extra effort will give you some extra time in case you run into traffic, need gas, or have a small setback during your travels. The same rules can be applied to meetings and interviews. Always arrive to meetings a few minutes early, ensuring that you're prepared and ready to go when the events get underway. Conversely, while being early is good, arriving too soon can be problematic. If you're getting to the internship 20 or 30 minutes early and there's nothing for you to do, or your supervisor isn't even in the building yet, that may cause some minor annoyances which people will keep in mind (and that's not a good thing).

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