Business Week 50 Best Internships

Business Week recently published a list of the top 50 companies to intern at. The main criteria: offering jobs at the end of the summer. Internships are now more meaningful than space fillers for your resume. They are becoming a summer long interview process that could possibly lead to your first job. This means that the pressure is on! Since the line between internships and jobs are blurring, remember to act like a professional (ie steer clear of sex jokes, personal phone calls, texting, online shopping and addictive online games). Although internships tend to be less strict than jobs, do not abuse your freedom. Make sure you give off a good impression, meaning that you enjoy working for the company and that you want to be there. Remember that the goal of an internship is experience and networking opportunities. Even if you cannot picture yourself working at the company in the future, a stellar recommendation from them will help you land a job somewhere else.

This article reminds me of my past internship because I was offered a job at the end of the summer. The president pulled me aside to tell me that my enthusiasm, anticipation of their needs and grammatical precision were what they looked for in employees. Oddly enough, the president was convinced that I would give up finishing my college degree for a public relations position. Although I did not accept the job, I was proud that my hard work was noticeable. 

Good actions don't go unnoticed. Keep up the hard work because it will pay off!

--Stephanie

A Gift Giving Guide For Interns: A response to Lauren

'Tis the season for giving...but is it appropriate to honor your mentor or boss with a gift? Lauren's post made me consider whether or not it is proper etiquette for an intern to show appreciation for someone in the office. My advice is only to give a gift if the sentiments behind it are sincere. 

For example, at the end of my summer internship I presented my mentor with a small Victoria's Secret travel bag filled with lotion and soap. I decided to give her a gift upon ending my internship because we had a fabulous relationship. Even if she did not have a specific assignment for me to do during the day, she made it a point to include me in all of her daily tasks (including e-mails, conference calls, lunch meetings, briefing sessions, etc). Because she went above and beyond, I felt it was only appropriate to express my gratitude. 

So, you might be wondering whether or not you should give your boss a gift. There is no right or wrong answer. Just remember, a little bit goes a long way: the goal is to show appreciation, not how much you can afford. There is no reason to be extravagant because your boss is most likely not expecting anything. Extravagant gifts can be awkward (ie instead of a spa weekend go with a manicure; instead of an ipod go with a case).

Here's a short gift guide to make your job a little easier:

1. A pen

It will constantly remind the recipient of you. Engraving the intitials of your boss is an added touch.

2. Personalized note pad or stationary

Useful and used often.

3. Paper weight

I don't understand their purpose but it seems like every employee needs one

4. Gift certificate

Restaurants, spas, electronics...you can't go wrong.

5. Chocolates and other food items

Think Godiva...this is a good gift for the whole office to share.

6. Mug

Over the past [insert number] weeks you have formed a relationship with your boss. Based on the knowledge you have gained it should become easy to select a mug that appeals to his or her personal interests.

7. Coffee table book

It is a great idea to give your boss a book related to his or her industry or personal interests.

8. Personalized note

A handwritten note is an easy and inexpensive way to express your gratitude.

--Stephanie

Ending An Internship With Etiquette

I have been looking forward to December break for way too long now and I can't believe it has finally arrived (or is about to arrive within the next few days)! This past semester was filled with juggling classes, homework, extra-curricular activities and a social life. Lucky for me (or arguably unlucky), one thing I didn't have to worry about was an internship.

After talking to one of my friends about her internship this semester, I realized that I forgot many of the ups and downs of the whole experience. One thing she reminded me of is the ending of an internship term. Depending upon where you intern, there can be many good things that come out of it at the end. For example, a recommendation letter or a job. But the most exciting thing can sometimes be a gift!

My friend was telling me that she received a Banana Republic gift card as a goodbye/thank you present. It brought me back to my not so fond days at my internship over the summer. After coffee runs, paper filing, client phone calls and more, I got absolutely nothing in return. The thing is, it's not like I worked for a small start-up company: I worked for a designer. A piece of her collection is not a huge thing to ask for! I don't mean to come off as materialistic or seem like I need some sort of award for my hard work. The internship experience can be considered a gift in itself. However, I just think that it is important for an intern to know that he or she was valued by the person/company he or she worked for. Is that too much to ask?

--Lauren

GiGi Girls are here and ready to make some noise about internship experiences

Welcome to the official Gigi girls blog! We are two goal driven, adventurous best friends who spend countless hours dissecting and analyzing our relationships, shopping purchases and offbeat internships. We wouldn't buy a pair of shoes without our best friend's opinion, so why not apply the same idea to internships.

First-hand experience. Networking. Challenges. Freebies. There are qualities that we look for in our internships. We are creating this blog to reveal and critique the intern world as we see it. We think it is important to expose both the positive and negative aspects of being an intern or having an internship so that peers (including us) can find out the real deal.

Having a place to discuss good and bad internships would have helped us predetermine whether our summer internships would have been worthwhile. Lauren's high expectations surrounding an upscale New York City internship did not coincide with her actual experience: coffee runs, errands, and under appreciation. Conversely, Stephanie's low expectations of a position were exceeded: she attended commercial shoots, client lunches and wrote several press releases.

Here's to great internships...