• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
College Magazine logo

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
    • Find Your College
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
Home » Latest Posts » 5 Internship Mistakes That Get You Fired Before You’re Hired
Career Jobs & Internships

5 Internship Mistakes That Get You Fired Before You’re Hired

Facebook Tweet
pixabay.com
Mackenzie Raetz   May 12, 2015

You walk in on the first day, coffee in hand, brand new outfit on and innocent enthusiasm all over your face. You’ve entered the world of minimal to unpaid labor: internships. It’s a strange land where your most valuable asset is experience, not your 4.0 GPA. Most interns have nightmares of being late on the first day, or getting there and realizing you forgot to put on a bra. Those just scratch the surface of potential faux pas as an intern. Both employers and students had advice on things to avoid in the world of internships.

1. They don’t ask enough questions:

giphy.com
giphy.com

Kate Mazzotta is a senior at Florida State University, and an editor at College Magazine who felt the burn from lack of questions. “At my first internship, I accidentally deleted two years’ worth of transcripts from my boss’ hard drive because I was too embarrassed to ask which ones he wanted me to delete. They were the wrong ones obviously,” Mazzotta said. It’s easy to feel like your questions are stupid ones, even if the answers would save your ass. Just remember the occasional confusion is a given; if you already knew how everything worked getting an internship would be useless. Not only will asking a lot of questions help keep that eager beaver look, it’ll make you seem like you’re actually observing your environment.

2. They rush through the details:

tumblr.com
tumblr.com

Jennie Weaver, an event coordinator for The Country Club of Ocala, had an intern that proved minor details turn into major mistakes. “We were hosting a communion event for a Catholic family, so everything was supposed to be white and clean. The intern mixed up the banquet orders for that and a black tie event, so the black linens for the other event came for the communion event. I got there and had to re-set everything. He just didn’t check all the paperwork,” said Weaver. Something as minute as putting an order in the wrong folder tainted a pure Catholic event with all black linen. “It may not seem like a big deal, but it is when the family walks in expecting one thing and sees the opposite,” said Weaver.

3. They only speak when spoken to:

giphy.com
giphy.com

People who chill in their comfort zone rarely catch the eye of employers. So if there’s one place to ditch the wallflower persona, it’s at your internship. “You need to offer yourself up to do whatever, don’t sit back and wait. They won’t just offer up experience so you have to go after it,” said Weaver. It’s no secret that there aren’t a lot of jobs to go around after graduation. Instead of making the move back home after getting your degree, snag a job by being someone that’s eager to exit that comfort zone. Opinions, ideas and being up for anything can set you apart from the intern robots who simply follow directions. Weaver agrees that waiting for the experience to come to you is not conducive to a post-grad career.

4. They break professionalism:

giphy.com
giphy.com

For people who are fresh into the workforce, it’s exhausting to keep up the constant professional personality. When we’re at work, we need to make a conscious effort to hide our natural sarcasm or the eye rolling we do out of habit. Even if acting like yourself will put you at ease, it sends the wrong message around the office. “Students tend to feel like they should act like they’re buddies to ease the tension, but then they break the line of professionalism. Don’t be unfriendly, but don’t joke around with your boss. You aren’t there long enough to see the limits so don’t test them,” said Weaver.

5. They don’t admit defeat:

giphy.com
giphy.com

Screwing up puts us into fight or flight mode. We either scramble trying to fix and cover up, or run to someone to mend things for us. The best response is a happy medium between the two; go ask for advice, but advice on how you should fix it yourself. “We had an intern at the club golf course, so he spent time in a lot of different spots. He mixed up a few things and needed to be humble and admit he made a mistake,” said Weaver. You’ll want to come across as the perfect and competent intern who is always on top of things, but that’s ambitious considering your role. Embrace the learning curve because it’s a steep mountain with an arduous climb.


trending

231

The Teacher I Hated Changed my College Journey

206

10 Student Organizations Breaking the Mold at Berkeley

167

Top 10 Spots Around Emerson College to Get Inspired


Let’s face it, the real world is scariest fictional planet ever created. This is your first adventure into the world of journalism, accounting, event planning or whatever you’ve spent your entire college career studying from a textbook. The terrifying truth is that the real life situation is a completely different universe than the classroom. You’ll get some unexpected obstacles; some that may make you rethink your entire career. Being prepared enough to avoid these mistakes is just one more thing to set you apart from the other interns being shuffled in and out of the office.

About Mackenzie Raetz

Senior at Florida State University. Editing, writing, and media. Passionate sleeper and coffee drinker. Go Noles!

10 Things You Can Gain From an Internship

Concrete Activism: How to Become a Labor Organizer

CM’s Guide to the Los Angeles Times Summer Internship

Top 10 Networking Opportunities at William & Mary

10 Ways to Dip Your Toe in the Professional World

Does My Professor Really Make That Much?

Student Leaders: Q&A with University of Northern Iowa Class President Leila Masinovic

5 Do’s and Don’ts That Will Sharpen Your Internship Applications

Top 10 Things to Know About Self-Publishing a Book

Previous Post:Best Commencement Speakers of 2015
Next Post:Top 10 Internships for Freshmen

colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

College Magazine logo

Copyright © 2023 Powered by BizBudding